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The Big Island
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"Spirit of Aloha"
Don Bouchard
09/01/2006
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Photography by Don Bouchard
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The Big Island is the newest land on Earth.
Kilauea Volcano is adding acreage to the island every day. The world’s most
active volcano is the home of Pele’, the Hawaiian goddess of fire, and is best
seen from the air. Sunshine Helicopter’s Black Beauties took us on a two-hour
tour of the island that surpassed all expectation. We dipped low into the
flaming and fuming maw of fiery creation and followed the silvery black and red
lava flows down the slope to the inevitable conflict of lava with ocean,
creation and erosion. Leaving behind this brand new and changing-by-the-moment
landscape, we were in minutes whisked off to lush, primordial, tropical valleys
with thousand-foot waterfalls and ancient rainforests that looked as if they
were inhabited by dinosaurs. What a contrast! One can imagine, the sight of a
20-foot tall lava flow inexorably rolling across roads, erasing a town, and
filling in craters and ponds. All this should serve as reminder to the truth of
the quotation (attributed to various authors, but most often to Will Durant):
“Civilization exists by geological consent. Subject to change without
notice.”
With all the high altitude adventures behind us, it was now
safe to get in some time below sea level
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| Jack’s Diving Locker allows you to access an other-worldly view of the Kona
Coast. (Click image to
enlarge) |
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by reacquainting ourselves with old
friends at Jack’s Diving Locker in Kona. Kona’s world class diving is especially
unique for its consistent ability to deliver sea turtles and manta rays, two of
the ocean’s most wonderful residents. Evening and night dives with the
delta-winged mantas, some of them 15 feet across, rank among the most memorable
and magical experiences of my life. They emerge from the dark depths, sparkling
in the lights, effortlessly soaring among divers below and snorkelers above,
cavorting and barrel-rolling as they feed on microscopic plankton attracted by
the dive lights. The mostly shallow depth allows for lengthy bottom-times.
The Kona Coast is also famous for its world-class big game fishing.
The Pamela, a 38-foot Bertram, showed us some nice wahoo fishing, but without a
record bill-fish. The skipper presented us with the world’s freshest sashimi
(still looking at us) and then I prepared some local poke’ with lime juice,
seaweed, kukui nut, soy sauce, and hot chilis brought along for the occasion.
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| (Click image to
enlarge) |
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On the Kona/Kohala Coast we tried an assortment of resorts—the newly
remodeled and wonderful Waikoloa Marriott on Anaeho’omalu Bay; the sprawling
Disneyland-like but luxuriously appointed Hilton Waikoloa Village, complete with
trams and boats; the venerable and totally charming Mauna Kea Beach resort with
the most gorgeous beach on the island; and the ultimate luxury of the Four
Seasons Hualalai Resort and Spa, where they pampered us on the beach with cold
mint towels, stopping each hour to spritz us with mineral water and clean our
sunglasses. Each place, like the entire Hawaiian experience, was wonderful and
exquisite in the differences, but all radiated the Aloha Spirit.
Sigh...Aloha.
Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort
www.marriott.com
808.886.6789
Hilton
Waikoloa Village
www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com
808.886.1234
Mauna Kea Beach Resort
www.princeresortshawaii.com/mauna-kea-resort-hawaii.php
808.882.7222
Four Seasons Hualalai Resort
www.fourseasons.com/hualalai
808.325.8000
Sunshine Helicopters
www.sunshinehelicopters.com
808.871.0722
Jack’s Diving Locker
www.jacksdivinglocker.com
800.345.4807
Pamela Big Game Fishing
808.329.3600
CanoeHouse Restaurant at
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows
808.885.6622
Kohala Coast Resort
Association
www.kohalacoastresorts.com
Dolphin
Quest
www.dolphinquest.org
808.886.1234 ext. 2875
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