Jaunted

The North Kohala part of the island offers an escape from the mega-resort area that sits just 30 miles to the south. The ride along the shore to get to Hawi offers great lookouts as you increase in elevation. It also shows how vast and sparsely populated the Big Island is.

The town of Hawi is the main attraction here. The historic downtown area features cafes, galleries and boutiques, and there was an artsy community feeling to the town, which we liked. We weren't as thrilled, though, that we were the youngest visitors around. We love our grandmother as much as the next guy, but where were the young people? That said, only with a certain crowd can you overhear, like we did, a conversation about why Ben and Jerry’s should use breast milk in their ice cream.

Outside of Hawi is Kapa'au, a similar town worth strolling through. Make sure you check out the town's statue of King Kamehameha I. Although similar to the one situated in Honolulu, this one is the original: It was rescued after being lost at sea and now proudly sits along the main drag.

After driving through both towns we came to the end of the road. Thankfully we didn’t have to turn around immediately, as the beauty of the Pololu Valley Overlook floored us. This is definitely some of the best scenery on the Big Island, and you can hike to the very bottom of the cliffs and enjoy one of the island’s black sand beaches.

Related Stories:
· Kohala, Hawaii [GoKohala]
· Pololu Valley [Wikipedia]
· Oahu Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Artist's Map of Hawi: kjb]