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bustles with street markets, rocky beaches,

and international eateries.

Because we wanted more dependable

weather, we chose to stay on the sunnier

Kona side, which essentially runs the length

of the island’s western seaboard, and is split

into two main regions: the Kohala Coast

(including the Waikoloa resort area) and

Kailua-Kona itself.

Lava rock dots the arid topography,

evoking a lunar landscape that spills into

the impossibly blue sea. Regal resorts line

prime beaches (all of which remain public),

and plenty of restaurants for all budgets

hug the various complexes. Kona, the largest community on

this side of the island, features walkable commercial stretches

along the coast, including Alii Drive, a popular spot for travelers

because of the varied eateries, boutiques, and bars.

THE SEA OF POSSIBILITIES

A local friend instructed us to make the resort village of Waikoloa

our base. “Its proximity to the Kohala Coast and Kona make it a

good choice with kids,” Lisa told us. While it may seem a bit bus-

tling for those wanting to escape the masses, we appreciated that

a grocery, farmers market, and plenty of restaurants were within

walking distance of our accommodations.

Two prime shopping areas (the Kings’ Shops and the Queens’

MarketPlace) offered nightly live music, serious aloha souvenir–

hunting opportunities (as in Honolua Surf Co. and Reyn Spooner),

and various dinner options, including Roy’s Waikoloa, where the

crispy blue crab cakes, organic farmer’s salad, and pepper-crusted

Big Island ahi will not disappoint.

During our first couple of days, we chilled out at Anaehoomalu

Beach, otherwise known as A-Bay — a choice snorkeling spot,

swimming area (though watch out for flying boogie boards), and

year-round stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) destination. On the

edge of the beach, the sand-in-your-toes restaurant Lava Lava

Beach Club made it all too easy to sidle up each evening for fruity

cocktails and pork nachos while watching the sun set over the sea.

Before we got too acclimated to the slow pace of the trop-

ics, though, we signed up for a snorkel tour with Fair Wind Big

Island Ocean Guides to Kealakekua Bay. It’s quite possibly the

island’s most pristine area to spot sea life. The knowledgeable

guides strapped the boys in life vests, offered them boogie boards

with eyeholes, and led us all on a four-and-a-half-hour morning

journey to swim with sea turtles and witness the Hawaiian state fish

(humuhumunukunukuapuaa) feeding around the colorful coral that

rings the shore.

Excited by the abundant sea life, the boys begged us to book

another boat trip — this time a whale-watching journey with

captain Dan McSweeney. Twice daily during most of winter and

spring, McSweeney, a life-long researcher and conservationist,

pilots his boat out to view the local humpback whale breeding

grounds. Although, the whale spouts didn’t excite my boys as

much as the acrobatic spinner dolphins that frolicked in the boat’s

wake while we motored about the ocean.

PASSAGE OF THE ANCIENTS

The island of Hawaii’s identity is built upon its land as much as its

sea, which is why a sojourn to the island’s most famous landmark

proved impossible to pass up. But the distance between Waikoloa

and Volcanoes National Park is vast, so we made a full day of it.

After breakfast at Island Lava Java, we headed south for a quick

morning stroll around Kona town to see Ahuena Heiau — a former

home of King Kamehameha — and to purchase picnic fixings at

the beloved Da Poke Shack.

Above town, the esteemed Kona Coffee Belt is revealed. This

region is characterized by verdant hillsides and a low-key vibe.

Sensing it was a good time to let the boys out of the car, we

stopped at Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation, one of the largest

organic coffee farms in the state, and signed up for the Roast

Master Experience (mainly because we got to roast about four

pounds of beans to take home). Our fun guide even charmed the

kids into learning about the entire life cycle of the coffee bean.

As we said goodbye, he suggested we visit Puuhonua o

Honaunau National Historical Park for our next pit stop. So about

an hour later, we pulled up to 180 acres of beachfront property

that was once one of native Hawaiian society’s most significant

destinations.

In ancient times, if someone had broken a sacred law, called

kapu

, they could be sentenced to death. To mainlanders, the kapu

system was extreme, but to Hawaiians, it was how they kept order.

Fortunately, the natives allowed one get-out-of-jail-free card: If the

offender could evade capture en route to the place of refuge — a

puuhonua

— he could absolve himself and return to society.

At the site, Pacific Islander architecture and statues line the

sea, and for a place with such a nerve-racking history, it could

not be more picturesque. We wandered amid thatched-roof

hales

(homes), burial sites, fishponds, and the Hale o Keawe, a temple

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INTERVAL WORLD

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Issue 1, 2018

Pristine waters

abundant with coral

and tropical fish make

Kealakekua Bay State

Historical Park a

favorite for snorkeling

and diving.

Fierce wood-carved statutes called

kii

protect a sacred temple inside Puuhonua

o Honaunau National Historical Park.

Kailua-Kona’s main street, Alii Drive, is home

to the Kona Farmers and Crafts Market, where

you can browse for souvenirs and sample fresh produce.

SuperStock; Tor Johnson/PhotoResourceHawaii.com; Michele Bigley; Douglas Peebles Photography/Alamy Stock Photo

Stop by the side of the road along the

Hilo coast for breathtaking views and

an authentic Hawaiian shave ice.