Island Fever

Some people, when they live on an island, get a psychological condition called island fever. Knowing you’re on an island, you feel trapped. Even though, if you live any other place, you might not necessarily travel very far, you know that at least you can. Laura got the fever and had to leave every six months to go see her family in California.

I worked when I could. I got a Saturday job at a tile warehouse but didn’t have to do much. I could actually get a lot of my reading done for school. The store was in the front of the building and when orders came in, I was supposed to fill them back in the warehouse. But Saturdays were pretty slow and half the time, the girls in the front would just come back and get the stuff themselves. That was a good situation for me.

I didn’t have a class during my first summer and the husband of one of the girls from the tile shop had a business actually installing tile. I worked with him and did work for a temp agency, mostly doing yard work for companies with community contracts.

I always like to explore and on an island, that always means a circumnavigation if I can. The Big Island has plenty to see. It is made up of five volcanic mountains – Hualalai, Mauna Loa, Kilaeua, Mauna Kea and Kohala. It also has 4 out of the 5 major climate zones in the world.

Going south from Kona, you travel down the side of Hualalai up to the town of Kealakekua, home of the famous “Little Grass Shack”. While the song references some mythical, by-gone home of a Hawaiian sailor, some enterprising people have created a Little Grass Shack souvenir shop along the side of the road, though it’s not made of grass.

By now you’re on the west side of Mauna Loa, which is the largest volcano on earth by volume and area. Going down to the coast you come to Kealakekua Bay where Captain James Cook was killed. Things have changed now but when we lived in Hawaii in the seventies, Kealakekua Bay had some great snorkeling, with large, colorful mounds of reef with myriads of fascinating fish. 

A little further south is Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau, a place of refuge. In old Hawaii, if you broke a law, the penalty was death but you could flee here to stay alive. It’s an extraordinary place as it parallels cities that were set up in ancient Israel for the very same reason.

Further south, at the very bottom of the island is South Point, the southernmost point of the United States. It is an extremely windy place which makes the trees grow all bent over. There is a great place to go cliff-jumping, although it’s not advised due to dangerous currents.

Coming back up the east side of the island you come to Black Sand Beach. It’s a great place to sight large honu, or Hawaiian Green Sea turtles which are rare and endangered. Further north, you come to Kilaeua Volcano National Park. Of course, everybody has heard about how active Kilaeua is. The huge caldera is very impressive.

Northward still is the largest town on the Big Island - Hilo. Growing up, Kona was less developed, so Hilo was where you went to go shopping. But it is also the side of the island with all the rain, which makes Hilo very damp and dreary. There is a benefit to all the rain though – tropical rain forest and amazing waterfalls like Rainbow and Akaka Falls.

Now we are on the side of what (measuring from its peak to its base at the bottom of the ocean) is the tallest mountain in the world – Mauna Kea. Its summit is even snow-capped for part of the year where skiing is possible, although there are no facilities. There are a number of observatories at its peak, being that it is one of the best places in the world due to its height and lack of light pollution.

You can visit the top of Mauna Kea by way of the Saddle Road which cuts across the island. A military base occupies a large area of the saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and at certain times there are signs warning of explosive ordnance training. A four-wheel drive is advised to reach the Mauna Kea summit.

If you stay on the coastal road northwest from Hilo, you come to the Hamakua Coast, with amazing seaside views. You travel through what used to be the sugar cane fields that were once the main industry on this island. At the end of the Hamakua Coast you come to the beautiful valley of Waipio with a remarkable overlook. Waipio begins a series of seven valleys along the northeast side of Kohala, the oldest volcano on the Big Island. It sticks up out of the north of the Big Island like a very large peninsula. You can hike down into Waipio to do some more hiking in the valley or go to the beach.

The coastal road ends at Waipio and you have to cut back and drive more inland towards the town of Waimea and Parker Ranch to keep going around the island. This area is a whole different world. Parker Ranch is one of the oldest and largest cattle ranches in the United States. The cowboys are called paniolos and they hold rodeos throughout the year. This area has parts that look very much like parts of New Zealand.

There are a couple of roads you can take to explore Kohala, one cuts across the middle to Hawi or you can drive down to the coast and go around. There are lots of villages along the way and a statue of the famous King Kamehameha stands near his birthplace along the main road. The road ends at another spectacular lookout at Pololu, the seventh valley at the opposite end from Waipio. Once again, you can hike down into it but sea conditions are very dangerous and swimming is not recommended.

To get back to Kona, you can drive back down to the west coast. The road is a little inland and much of the drive is through lava fields but there are several large resorts and beaches on the coast. Alternatively, you can return to Kona on another road higher up with great views along the way.

Kilauea caldera with my Aunty Gwen visiting from New Zealand