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Nicknamed "The Big Island," Hawaii Island is a microcosm of Hawaii the state. From long white-sand beaches and crystal-clear bays to rain forests, waterfalls, valleys, exotic flowers, and birds, all things quintessentially Hawaii are well represented here.
An assortment of happy surprises also distinguishes the Big Island from the rest of Hawaii—an active volcano (Kilauea) oozing red lava and creating new earth every day, the clearest place in the world to view stars in the night sky (Maunakea), and some seriously good coffee from the famous Kona district, and also from neighboring Kau.
Home to eight of the world’s 13 sub-climate zones, this is the land of fire (thanks to active Kilauea volcano) and ice (compliments of not-so-active Maunakea, topped with snow and expensive telescopes). At just under a million years old, Hawaii is the youngest of the main Hawaiian Islands. Three of its five volcanoes are considered active: Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Kilauea. The Southeast Rift Zone of Kilauea has been spewing lava regularly since January 3, 1983; another eruption began at Kilauea's summit caldera in March 2008, the first since 1982. Back in 1984, Mauna Loa's eruptions crept almost to Hilo, and it could fire up again any minute—or not for years. Hualalai last erupted in 1801, and geologists say it will definitely do so again within 100 years. Maunakea is currently considered dormant but may very well erupt again. Kohala, which last erupted some 120,000 years ago, is inactive, but on volatile Hawaii Island, you can never be sure.
More than 50 enormous banyan trees with aerial roots dangling from their limbs were planted along the road, mostly during the 1930s but also after World War II, by visiting celebrities. Names such as Amelia Earhart, Babe Ruth, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt appear on plaques affixed to the trees. A scenic loop beginning at the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo ( 93 Banyan Dr.) makes a nice walk, especially in the evening when thousands of mynah birds roost in the trees.
Buildings here have been restored to their original 1920s and '30s vintage plantation styles. Although most shopping is along Kamehameha Avenue two blocks below, the ambience on Keawe Street offers a nostalgic sampling of Hilo as it might have been decades ago.
