Andrea and I have just returned from a month in Hawaii. For the third year in a row.
So yes, we are experts now.
And it is high time I cooked up a series on the subject of visiting and getting the most out of your Big Island experience.
So – This will be a series of blogs on getting to, staying in and eating – drinking all that Hawaii has to offer.
For starters, let’s talk about what Hawaii is overall – and what it is not.
And keep in mind, this is NOT going to be a Fodor’s, Lonely Planet or Hawaii Revealed type guide – because that has been done – and they are books.
Book suggestion By the way – if you are planning on visiting the Big Island of Hawaii for the 1st time – or are returning after a hiatus, buy yourself a copy of Hawaii Revealed by Andrew Doughty – it is the one single book purchase that you must make. It is complete, concise and honest – 3 things I hope to be with this series of blog entries.
Hawaii overview: OK. Myths.
1.) For starters, Hawaii is not a tropical place (one of the bigger misconceptions) – Hawaii is sub-tropical. Yes, it is probably hotter than where you live right now, but if you are a North America resident and live in the Northeast or Midwest, your weather is probably hotter and more humid than most spots in Hawaii.
2.) Hawaii is not blazing hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Yes, it is cooler in the winter time – but unless you think that 85 degrees (F) or 29 degrees © is uncomfortably hot in the summer, then yea… you might find it hot. Because Hawaii is not equatorial (18 to 26 degrees North of Equator), it is cooler than you think and there is only modest variation in the temperatures between seasons.
3.) There is no Island called Kona. Waikiki is not on the Island of Hawaii. Waikiki is on the Island of Oahu. The Big Island of Hawaii is actually bigger than all the others – hence the moniker The Big Island. Hawaii actually refers to the one big island. The Hawaiian Islands refers to all the Islands. Confused yet? Apparently a lot of people are.
Pleasant reality: Hawaii is a mere 5 hour flight from Vancouver or Seattle. That means, in the same amount of time it would take to fly to Toronto, Ottawa, or Chicago – you could be in the tropical paradise that is the Hawaiian Islands.
Anyway – Up shortly, boatloads and boatloads of Hawaii observations… stay tuned.
Jump to Hawaii – Chapter Two