Welcome to the Big Island, where you can hike, bike, ski, camp, dive, snorkel, sunbathe, fish, surf and dine finely; this is the place to live your dreams.
Nothing defines Hawaii more than the spirit of aloha. This saying translates into genuine friendliness, courtesy and suspension of judgement.
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 Hawaii
Big Island, Big Fun
The Big Island has it all. Nowhere else in the world will you find the diversity available here. Pristine rain forests, lava deserts, world-class beaches, snow-covered mountains, an active volcano, dazzling sunsets and just about every activity you can think of. The island is huge-about the size of Connecticut. Navigating your way through this maze of opportunity cab be daunting.
We first came to the island as visitors and decided we could never live anywhere else. We now make our home in the islands and divide our time between them.
* Hawaii The Big Island Revealed by
Andrew Dougherty, Harriette Friedman
A sage kupuna (elder) observed today that the Big Island is so beautiful it hurts your eyes; she's right. In this tropical wonder world, azure waves lap at the green-sand beaches and volcanoes flush lava to the sea in a primordial display of fire, boiling water and steam. On this idyll, dolphins and morays, turtlesand rays sluice through coves and there's snow for ski bums, rain forest for the hardy, idyllic beaches for the idle and the world's clearest stargazing.
Like a lover so cherished you conjure pet names in a vain attempt to capture their every essence, so too the Big Island goes by several names: at turns it's Hawaii, the Orchid Isle, and the Volcano Island. It's also the home to Madame Pele, goddess of volcanoes, and Ku, god of war. But above all, it's the superlative island, the singular jewel in the string of Hawaiian beauties making up the archipelago.
What so distinguishes the island is its geography. The Big Island is so big, you could fit all the major Hawaiian Islands within its borders twice. The entire mass is five volcanoes fused together, created by eons of magma pulsing from deep within the earth. Stacked layers of lava grew so high that the newly created land eventually emerged from the depths of the sea. The magma is still pumping, new volcanoes are still rising and the Big Island is still growing. Indeed, the newesrt volcanoe in the chain is expected to break the surface and unite with the others in as little as 10,000 years-tomorrow in geological terms.
All these tidbits should be sufficient to excite chronic stoics, but yoou might also consider that the Big Island is the youngest peace of earth on earth, it's the most isolated piece of rock in the world (2500 miles from the closest landmass) and contains so many microclimates you can realistically go from desert to jungle to permafrost in a day. The deverse flora and fauna here will delight the casual visitor and is a bonanza for birders, orchid lovers and entomologists.
* Hawaii The Big Island by
Conner Gorry, Julie Jares
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