I know one of the members here, Aloha, is from Hawaii, so he may give me some input. But if anyone else has been to Big Island, please don't hesitate to post to this thread as well.

As the title says, we are going to Hawaii. We will be on Maui and Big Island for 5 nights each. We have been to Maui before and loved it, but never to the Big Island.

So, what are the things not to be missed on Big Island, besides seeing the volcano?

(p.s.: We will have a car)

Thanks for any input!

Good call nighthiker!

e komo mai redflare! Here is a site to look at for more information:
http://www.hawaiitrails.org/island.asp?island=Hawaii.

I have only been on the Big Island for business, so I haven't had the pleasure of exploring.

On Maui, make sure you eat at Mama's Fish House.

If you make it to Oahu, please look me up.

Hey Redflare,

I just got back from the Big Island last week. I stayed one week, I think I covered most of the major tourist type things. If you wanna pm me your plans, I'll try and tell you everything I can while it's still fresh in my mind. One thing I can tell you is, I did a LOT of driving. Pretty much drove every major highway on the island in that week.

I sugest you the night hike to see the lava flow in the east rift zone of the Kilauea. It was one of the most impressive things I´ve ever seen im my life. It is a short hike from the ranger station on the end of the chain of craters road.

Look at http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava.htm for up to date information about this hike.

The lava is hit or miss. When I was there it was closed off.

Craters Nat'l Park (seperate from the volcano).
If you're kind of eccenteric like me, there's Volcano Winery (the southern-most winery in the US!) near the southernmost point of the island (about 2-3 hr drive south of Kona). There's a coffee plantation (I forget the name) about 30 minutes south of Kona. On the east side (Hilo), there's the Mauna Loa Macadamia nut plantation that gives free tours. Also the Pacific Tsunami museum. Mauna Kea, the mountain/volcano, can be camped. Or, you can drive up it towards dusk and catch a show at the ranger station; they bring out some pretty decent telescopes and do an astronomy show. Dress warm; you're probably 5-6000 feet up! If you want to do this, check it out first, they might require a 4x4 car. I think you can also drive to the top and see the actual observatories.

Driving the island is actually quite big, so prepare for it if you want to get around it all!

It's ashame your not going to O'ahu. Waikiki rocks!! I have spent many days and night at Moose McGillycuddy's! The "Moose Nachos" awsome!! They are open from 0730 to 0330! You can get breakfast lunch and dinner served in a glass!

Moose is also available in San Diego, and I believe Pasadena, CA.