Family fun in Hawaii

On Hawaii’s Big Island, a family can experience the desertlike lava plains along the Kona coast and the rainiest city in America, Hilo, climb its tallest mountain, Mauna Kea  hike through green rainforest or over black lava rock. From easy to extreme, there are many ways to enjoy everything this little corner of the Pacific has to offer.

The best time for whale watching is from November to May. Humpback whales travel to Pacific waters to give birth and care for their young before the long swim home to Alaska. During that time, you can easily spot them from the shore. Watch for a spout, like a plume of smoke over the ocean. This “whale exhale” will hold its shape for a few seconds, unlike a puff of sea spray made by wind. It’s a grand show from shore, but the best seats are on onboard a boat, up close and personal. Providers know how to get where the whales are safely, careful not to break the 100’ perimeter and invade their “space.” Many boats have a hydrophone they lower underwater to let you listen to the whale song. The boats offer refreshments, restrooms and good company.

Other activities include a submarine ride, kite surfing, a dinner cruise, and swimming with the dolphins. One of the best dolphin encounter programs is in the lagoons of Hilton Waikoloa Village or meet the dolphins in their own neighborhood with providers like Dolphin Discoveries. Ocean activity providers like Red Sail Sports and Ocean Sports do it all. They offer seasonal whale watch excursions, plus scenic sunset sails, snorkel cruises, private fishing charters and much more. Kayaks are a good way to expore out-of-the-way waters with a guide. There are even see-through kayaks for a totally new perspective. From sportfishing and parasailing, to boogie boarding and snuba there is plenty to fill the daylight hours.

For an off beat  experience, take an inflatable kayak tour down old sugar cane water flumes with Kohala Mountain Kayaks’ “Flumin’ da Ditch.”There are week-long custom “camps” that are tailormade for your family gathering, including dolphin swims, a talk story cookout and accommodations.

Hawaii’s Big Island is alive with history. On the west side, experience Pu`uhonua O Honaunau, a restored Hawaiian village three centuries old, complete with thatched huts, handcarved tiki deities, a temple and a sense of awe. You can tour an historic coffee plantation or a major ethnobotanical garden, call on a royal residence, visit the first official Christian church in the Islands or see the home of Hawaiian paniolo (cowboys) in Waimea town. Or, gaze into space on a Mauna Kea summit astonomy trek. In east-side museums, discover the power of a tsunami or take a virtual undersea voyage, check out a macadamia nut factory, missionary manor house, and orchid farm.

A not-to-be-missed experience is a visit to an active volcano. Today, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) is the country’s 13th National Park and the state’s premeier visitor attraction. It was created to preserve the region’s unique volcanic features, its early human history and the plant and animal life that is part of this special bioregion. It is located 30 miles southwest of Hilo and 96 miles southeast of Kona. It’s open year-round, 24 hours a day. Some of the must-sees are the Jagger Museum, the Thurston Lava Tube, Volcano House, Halema’uma’u Crater, steam vents, and sulphur banks.

A hike down to the current lava flow offers a once in a lifetime chance to view Madame Pele at work up close — her home, Kilauea Volcano, is the world’s most active. The current eruption began January 3, 1983 and is the largest and longest eruption in history. There is no indication when she will stop.

Across the island there are jagged lava fields which provide a contrast to the otherwise lush vegetation. The lava flow glowing at night is an incredible experience.There is also good shopping in Kona, coffee plantation tours, excellent golf on the Kohala Coast, and the quaint town of Hilo, where you’ll feel as though you’ve gone back in time.