Located across from the Ironman start/finish marker, at N 19° 38.371 W 155° 59.839 /…read more5Q E 185645 N 2174356 on Kailua Pier in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Known as Plymouth Rock of Hawaii, this historical landmark has a placard commemorates the 195th anniversary of the arrival of the first missionaries in 1820. This is just a short walk from the oldest church on the island as is a must see religious as nd historical site for Christians.

This is a NPS managed site that protects the ancient fish traps and fish catch ponds. centuries old…read more, all by hand to catch fish that come in on the tides to feed. One Way traps. A marvel to imagine

Great location to visit not too many tourists and the beach is nice. The hike is not the easiest on…read moreunimproved path with a lot of lava rocks and it very exposed to the sun. Need to bring water and wear sturdy shoes. Came during the gov shut down so the parking lot, visitor center, and restrooms were all closed but at the turn around you can fit ~10 cars along the shoulder.

Going to Mauna Kea was a must-do on our trip to the Big Island. We planned for our visit to line up…read moreperfectly with sunset. The visitor center is cool. Lots of good info. There's quite a bit of parking. It was super busy for a Sunday evening. We were in an all-wheel drive vehicle (Ford Edge) and the ranger gave us the green light to go up, even though all of the signs say 4-wheel drive only. They said they can no longer turn all wheel drive vehicles away. He recommended we stop every so often on the way down to let our brakes cool. The road is rough. Not paved. It's basically gravel and dirt the whole way. We only made it a mile of the 8 before turning around. The sun was so bright in our eyes we weren't able to see the road at some points and there is definitely some steep terrain going up. Our vehicle was already needing to have the gas all the way just to make it up. The thought of going down 8 miles of that sounded quite anxiety-inducing. So, we got back to the visitor center in time to hike the trail up the mountain across the road and catch the sunset. It's spectacular. The altitude change is no joke. I could feel how much harder it is to breathe with just a few steps into the hike. Be careful! The views are stunning though. So pretty. Definitely an experience worth checking out.

Unique place to explore, experience your lung and enjoy the view of sunset above the cloud. Make…read moresure you have 4wd or AWD car with LO gears option and a full tank of gas. Everybody has to stop at the visitor center (9200 ft) for 30 minutes acclimate time and Pitstop. After that you can continue the drive up to the top after a small talk and car check with the ranger. There is a bout 4.5 miles of rough terrain and the rest 4 miles is smooth sailing. Total time about 30 minutes. The view is breathtaking. The air is really thin so you have to take more breath you can stay to enjoy the sunset above the cloud and that is all the difference, but you cannot linger till the sky is dark. Everybody has to leave 15 minutes after sunset. Recommended to stop at the visitor center in the way down, stay longer and see the Milky Way by your naked eyes. Remember to keep warm.

Believe everything people are saying about this hike! Beautiful experience, beautiful views, but…read moreit's a challenge getting back up even for a pretty athletic group. We stopped at the gas station to refill on water and snacks beforehand, trust me, you need to! The locals specifically said, we don't hike there, it's too tough to walk uphill, we swim across about 20 yards for an easier trip. My group was not swimming across, so we turned around after about an hour in the water. Downhill is easy (1 hour), uphill was strenuous (1.5 hours). Take plenty of shaded breaks and try to save your water until the end. It's rocky and good gripped shoes are requirement.

Beautiful hike in the big island! This hike has it all, including wildlife, views, nature, and so…read moremuch more. You start on a rocky dirt path that's surrounded by trees and tall grass. After a mile or so it really opens up and you get amazing views of the ocean and surrounding hillsides. It is around here that you can see a lot of mountain goats. Once you reach the bottom, you get to the main attraction, the snorkeling. I found that snorkeling very close to the rocks had a lot more fish. Lots of people go out to the deeper waters, but most of the fish are clustered in the rocky areas that are about 3 feet deep. You can also view the captain cook monument, which has surrounding plaques that describe his legacy. Bring lots of water, the hike back up is all uphill and can be very hot!

B & Brooke were fantastic guides! They knew everything about the ocean. I'd book them again in a…read moreheartbeat!

We did a Captain Cook snorkeling tour with Sea Quest Hawaii today and were very impressed. Erin,…read morethe phone representative, was friendly, patient, and answered all my questions, which made me choose this company. Captain Natalie and Assistant Anna were fantastic, knowledgeable, funny, and very attentive throughout the trip. Captain Natalie shared interesting stories about Captain Cook and the surrounding lava caves, and she even helped me with my snorkeling gear and inflating the vest. The snorkeling spot near Captain Cook Monument was incredible, and we saw so many fish. They also provided fresh fruit, chips, cookies, and soft drinks. Thanks to Captain Natalie and Anna, all six of us had a great time and would highly recommend this company.

Hikiau Heiau at Kealakekua Bay is a nice state park we went to for snorkeling. I saw a few big…read morecrabs but not a whole lot of other creatures. Once you get in the water at the rocks, the ground becomes a gray sand and it was relaxing swimming there. There are a few areas at Kealakekua Bay to snorkel around.

If you want to connect to the Hawaiian people, this is a great start. See real history and stand…read morewhere the ali'i did!! Amazing and free to boot! Well worth the drive and the small amount of walking involved. This is what you come to Hawai'i for!

Absolutely a must visit to see, feel and understand Hawaiian history…read more It was sad that the volunteers were not even faintly familiar with anything. Names, events and even basic royal history questions were not answered...only empty smiles with oh- there is so much history here...sadly they didn't know hardly any of it. I even asked about the hula group that teaches there, again no idea. They need to train the volunteers to actually know something about the place where they are volunteering.

Hulihe'e Palace is a beautiful piece of Hawaii history museum that sits in downtown Kailua-Kona…read more This palace was built in 1838 for Hawaiian royalty stayed here, in 1973 it was place on the national register of historic places, it was originally built out of lava rocks, the lava rocks fance today still secure the palace. The museum has lot's of priceless artifacts like furiture photos quilts and other cultural Items. I was sad because it was close on the day we dock there, a good reason to come back to Kona.

I first found this sweet little Catholic Church six years ago. My sister just got married in it a…read morefew weeks ago. It is very small and only has 12 pews. The pews hold 2 to 3 people. Saint Peters Catholic Church is located right on the beach. There is one beautiful etched glass window located in the front of the church which describes the story of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. When Peter's faith starts to wane, and he starts to sink in the water. It's a beautiful church for a wedding! Personally I thought the church was very special and very memorable. What a little gem!!

This tiny church, also known as The Little Blue Church, sits right on the ocean. It has only 12…read morepews, making it perhaps the smallest church in the world. It was built in 1889. There is a beautiful stained glass window at the back of the church overlooking the ocean. I believe that services are still held in the church. It can also be rented for small wedding parties. There is no parking lo the church. Parking is available on the street. Drive slowly or you will certainly miss is, because it's tiny size is easy to overlook. To view pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10750818@N04/sets/72157601105069102/

Our family of 6 decided to tour the big island in Hawai'i also called Hawai'i. After checking out…read moresome touring companies we decided on Wasabi Tours. We did a 2 day package encompassing the islands most beautiful waterfalls, nature reserves, botanical gardens, volcanoes, beaches coffee farms on old town Hilo. On our first day with Jason our driver and guide picked us up on time and with a smile. He shared his knowledge along the way wearing a microphone in the van so everyone could hear comfortably. At the attractions he was with us giving us history of all the waterfalls. Whiles driving he told us about the sites inbetween. At lunch time he provided us a delicious meal from a local restaurant. Day 2 with our driver Derek was in another new van that was also comfortable and roomy. Derek took us to a working coffee plantation to see, smell and walk through the farm. At Kīlauea volcano national park where we got to see upclose and personal the caldera in all its majesty. All the time telling the history and recent activity of the volcano. We saw and walked on a beautiful black sand beach with segregated sea turtle nesting area where we saw a turtle swimming ashore and resting at waters edge before digging a hole in the black sand to lay her eggs in preparation for the next generation of turtle, we walked down and into a 30 meter lava tube and got to visualize the path of a whole lotta molten rock traveling through centuries before. Culminating the day's trip by stopping on a mountain top in almost complete darkness, the moon was in a waxing crescent and producing very little nighttime light. We bundled up to stay warm in the 50 degree Fahrenheit temperature to stargaze. It was refreshing in the cold air, outside the van huddled in a group while Derek pointed out, planets, stars, constellations and galaxies as we stood in awe of the majesty above us. Wasabi Tours, Jason and Derek were on-time, safe, informative and most of all fun to spend our time with. I highly recommend taking a Wasabi tour to REALLY see the big island. Thank you all!

It's a wonderful tour to experience the beautiful nature of Big Island! The pick up time at Kona…read moreAirport was 7:30am at the tour bus parking lot. Huge shout out to Mia, born and raised on the Big Island! Her Mana was shining! Her voice and English were clear and beautiful, so it was easy to understand. Lunch was catered from L&L with a canned drink. I recommend to bring some snacks for a long tour like this. Although the 2/3 of tour was in bad weather, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Good I brought a poncho and umbrella. Luckily, Kilauea was erupted in the morning of that day, so we saw the eruption! AM: Kona Coffee Farm, Black Sand Beach, Volcanoes National Park (1.5h) PM: Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, Waipio Valley Look Out