Island of Hawai'i (Big Island) - Hawaii

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Catherine and I went to the Island of Hawai'i, also known as the "Big Island".

Hawai'i is said to have been named for Hawai'iloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered it. However, other accounts attribute the name to the legendary land or realm of Hawaiki, a place from which the Polynesians originated, the place where they go in the afterlife, the realm of the gods.

At San Francisco airport waiting to board our flight to Hawaii.

Photos from our plane before we landed. In the background (at the top of the photo)you can see the volcano Haleakala, on the Hawaiian island of Maui and at the botton is the Island of Hawai'i.



In this photo, you can see some of the volcanic rock surrounding the Kona International Airport.

When we landed at the Kona airport, we were greeted by Hawaiian music and hula dancers.

During our stay on the Big Island, we stayed at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

The entrance to the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

The view of Hapuna Beach from our hotel room.

The lanai (balcony) of our room.

Our room at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

There were all sorts of birds on the grounds of our hotel.

Photo of Plumeria blossoms.

Views of the grounds of the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel.

Our first night we went to a luau at the Royal Kona Resort.

Removing the pig from the underground oven at the Royal Kona Resort luau.

Desert table at the luau.

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Waipi'o Valley - Big Island Hawaii

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While Catherine and I were on the "Big Island" of Hawaii we were driving to the Hilo side of the island and we saw a sign to the Waipi'o Valley. We decided to go exploring to see the Waipi'o Valley.

Waipi'o Valley also known as the Valley of the Kings. This was the place where the Hawaiian royalty resided. There are 2,000 foot cliffs around this valley and waterfalls drop 1,200 feet from the Kohala Mountains to the valley floor.

Waipi'o was once the center of Hawaiian life and somewhere between 4,000 to 20,000 people lived here from the 13th to 17th centuries. In 1780 Kamehameha I, was singled out as a future ruler by reigning chiefs here in Waipi'o Valley. In 1791 he fought Kahekili in his first naval battle at the mouth of the valley. In 1823 the first foreign visitors found 1,500 people living here. The valley was full of fruit trees, banana groves, taro fields, and fishponds. In 1946 a tidal wave drove most residents to higher ground.

View of the coast from the road we took to the Waipi'o Valley.

A tree in bloom we saw on our trip.

View of Waipi'o Valley

There is a black sand beach at the mouth of the Waipi'o Valley.

Today only about 50 people live in the Waipiʻo Valley. These are taro farmers and fishermen living in the valley. In this photo, you can see some of their houses.

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