Drive from hotel 11.5 mi

Beach Day

Access Hard

Mahai'ula Beach

Kekaha State Park

Time from Hotel 30 min. drive + 5 min. walk

Kona  |  Beach

Scenic and secluded white sand beach

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 Access Hard

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Mahai'ula Beach - Pacific 19

Just another Wallop Next Boilerplate site

Pacific 19

Drive from hotel 14.1 mi

Cafe

Price low

The Coffee Shack

Hawaii Island 

Time from Hotel to Restaurant 24 min/ <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/ApJX9DWjiSXcVeFj9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MAP</a>

Captain Cook  |  Food & Drink

Brunch with an amazing view.

 Drive from hotel 14.1 mi

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The Coffee Shack - Pacific 19

Drive from hotel 60.4 mi

2 hr hike

Difficulty Moderate

Pololu Valley

Kohala Volcano

Time from Hotel to Trail Head 1.35 hr drive

Kohala  |  Hike

One of the most rewarding experiences on the island.

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2 hr hike 

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Pololu Valley - Pacific 19

Drive from hotel 13.6 mi

Snorkeling

Kealakekua Bay 

Captain Cook Monument

Time from Hotel to Trail Head 25 min drive

 Hike | Beach

Hike or Kayak to the top snorkeling spot on the island.

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Access Hard 

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Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook Monument)

Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook Monument) - Pacific 19

Drive from hotel 0.1 mi

Food

Price Medium

Sushi Sam

Kona 

Time from Hotel: 1 min. drive, 5min walk.

Kona  |  Food & Drink

The best sushi on the island, hands down.

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Sushi Sam - Pacific 19

Drive from the hotel 63.4 mi

3 hr hike

Difficulty Moderate 

Papakōlea Green Sand Beach

Time from Hotel to Trail Head 1.5 hr drive

South Point  |  Hike

Take a long scenic hike to one of two green sand beaches in the US.

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Papakōlea Green Sand Beach - Pacific 19

Drive from hotel 39.6 mi

Arvo Cafe

Waimea

Time from Hotel to Restaurant 39 min.

Hawaii  |  Food & Drink

Trendy cafe + well curated shop in Waimea, Hawaii Island cowboy country.

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Arvo Cafe - Pacific 19

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Book Now

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Event Three - Pacific 19

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Event Two - Pacific 19

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Event One - Pacific 19

<h1>Hidden Craters Hike</h1>
Not just anyone gets to explore Hualālai, the active volcano in Kona’s backyard. This is not your basic beach vacation. A ridgeline with near-sheer cliffs on either side. Two-hundred-and-seventy degree views at around 5500 feet. Three-and-a-half miles over rugged terrain with a thousand foot elevation gain and descent in these sacred lands. And all of it on land privately owned by Kamehameha Schools. These chasms of craters, sudden lava tubes, and old-growth forests are a crash course in volcanic activity. It’s only about a half-hour drive from town and up a bumpy road past the top of Kaloko Drive.

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<h1>The volcano in our backyard</h1>
Hawaii Forest &amp; Trail started in 1993 with an emphasis on conservation and education. They’ve got island-wide partnerships to get guests into private lands and wildlife refuges. Specialized trips stretch across the geological, ecological, and cultural diversity of Hawaii. The Hidden Craters Hike takes you on a loop through varying landscapes and volcanic formations. It’s about three-and-a-half miles with over a thousand foot elevation gain up – and back down. See three types of craters, a fern-filled forest, and duck into an ancient lava tube. They’ll supply all the gear: reusable water bottles, drinks, day packs, snacks, and walking sticks. Most importantly, they’ve got the keys to get you onto the private land.

It helps to start with silence. Well, not complete silence, anyway. Traveling the upper slopes of Hualālai will put you deep into endemic bird habitat. As soon as you’re out of the van at the trailhead, you can already listen for ʻApapane, ‘Amakihi, and, if you’re lucky, an ‘Iʻiwi piercing through the trees. This is wahi pana, a sacred or legendary place. Pana also translates to heartbeat or pulse. Can you hear it over the calls of the birds?
 These species have been soaring over this island for hundreds of thousands of years. Humans — not so much. Let the birds be your unofficial guides on the private trail through quickly shifting landscapes and geological formations. Cruising through these elevations is an experience not just of height, but also of depth. Now’s your chance to take it all in.

Early Hawaiians came mauka, or inland up the mountains, to gather necessities or engage in ritual and ceremony. Large villages weren’t built here. Climbing up the steep slopes of the mountain to sprawling views below can easily make you feel insignificant. It’s the place for contemplation, renewal, and envy-inducing selfies. And perfect to see the destruction the volcano goddess Pele can wreak on a landscape.
Legend has it that Pele spared the home of a generous villager who shared her meal of roasted breadfruit. Kaʻūpūlehu Crater, or the roasted breadfruit, marks the highest point of this hike. Lava bubbled up then ripped open fissure craters down slope, spewing molten rock to the coast. The fishing village was destroyed. Except for one belonging to a young girl who’d earned Pele’s favor.

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Volcanic inner workings are a complex mish-mash of molten rock and gasses flowing and erupting in various directions — not to mention the chemical changes that occur with the application of heat and pressure. Volcanologists have parsed Hualālai’s formations to understand and explain how each is created. For the average observer, it can look like a bit of a mess.
As with all Hawaiian volcanoes, Hualālai is a shield volcano. This means the magma — molten rock below the surface — is thin enough to allow gasses to pass through and create the porous rock we see throughout the islands. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and other gasses easily escape their molten vehicles even as lava — molten rock above the surface of the earth — hardens. Runny lava also accounts for the shape of these volcanoes. Shield volcanoes look like exactly that. They’re a gently-sloped convex shape reminiscent of a shield resting on the ground.

Geology

Making the trek up the slopes of Hualālai is a journey through diverse climate regions. You leave the dry conditions of coastal Kailua-Kona with its low annual rainfall before climbing past the cloud forest, a belt of subtropical forest that hangs less than halfway up the mountain. If you’re looking for a taste of the tropics just a ten-minute drive from Kailua-Kona, this is where to find it. Go a little bit farther up and it’s not hard to notice the vegetation thinning out as the climate gets dry once more.

Climate

The landscape in the summit area is special. Above 5000 feet in elevation is mostly native forests, meaning it’s filled with species that arrived here naturally with no human intervention. Nowadays, there are some invasives in the mix. Mullein is native to Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. Introduced species such as these can easily push Hawaiian vegetation out of the landscape. With no native predators and no reason to protect themselves, species in Hawaii lost competitive characteristics to ward off invasives like mullein.

A Few Unwanted Visitors

Imagine a paper bag getting filled with water. Its structural integrity dissolves as the seams burst open. But instead of water, it’s lava lifting and surging up through a gaping crevice. Lava pouring through a ridgeline with visible flows gushing toward the Pacific Ocean. Now, you don’t have to imagine. This is one of Hualālai’s fault lines, where molten rock last melted its way down the mountain in 1800 and 1801. Did you forget your morning coffee? No worries. Hiking this ridgeline gives you a better shot of adrenaline than even the strongest Kona brew.

Traveling the Seam of a Volcano

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Old-growth forests can be hard to come by on this young island. Stepping into a grove with lots of Koa trees is even more rare. This protected endemic species only grows in upper elevations with a perfect vortex of conditions: sufficient precipitation, neutral to acidic soil, and, of course, no recent lava flows. Koa also translates to brave, bold, or fearless. ‘Ōhiʻa Lehua are found throughout the islands, often embedded into barren lava fields, latching onto vertical walls, or even next to what were once massive lava lakes — they can close their pores to not absorb toxic gasses. Talk about risky behavior.

Feeling Bold — Walking with the Acacia Koa and ‘Ōhiʻa Lehua

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Underground rivers of molten lava flow during times of active eruptions. Forming when the exposed crust of a flow hardens, insulated lava carves its way into the ground. The eruption subsides and you’re left with an empty tube. Skylights are natural collapses giving glimpses of the lush world above. Let the spelunking begin.

Not just anyone gets to explore Hualālai, the active volcano in Kona’s backyard. This is not your basic beach vacation. A ridgeline with near-sheer cliffs on either side. Two-hundred-and-seventy degree views at around 5500 feet. Three-and-a-half miles over rugged terrain with a thousand foot elevation gain and descent in these sacred lands. And all of it on land privately owned by Kamehameha Schools. These chasms of craters, sudden lava tubes, and old-growth forests are a crash course in volcanic activity. It’s only about a half-hour drive from town and up a bumpy road past the top of Kaloko Drive. So, buckle up. Because we’re going hiking.

Hualālai Volcano’s Hidden Craters Hike - Pacific 19

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<h1>The Science of Sound</h1>
Hawaiʻi Island is for adventurers. You already know this. You’ve hit up remote beaches, climbed over fresh lava flows, and maybe even hiked an active volcano or two. So when you’re ready for something a little different, or those days when your aura could use a glow-up and it’s time to soak in rich soothing tones, weʻve got you covered. Take a Sound Bath Meditation Journey at the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary. Dip into the world of sound and vibration. Because a traveler like you knows how to take care of your body, mind, and spirit.

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Albert Einstein, one of the fathers of modern physics, said “everything is vibration.” And if mysticism is more your thing, ancient texts tell us the same thing, too. Take Hinduism, where Shiva dances the world into existence with the great Tandava, each foot stomp emanating vibrations. Christian traditions begin with “the word.” For Hawaiians, it’s the Kumulipo, the mele ko&#8217;ihonua, or creation chant. When Queen Liliʻuokalani translated this mele into English, she described it as a prayer of the development of the universe.
Before Christian missionaries came to Hawaiʻi and produced a written form of the language, the culture was passed down orally. Spoken words reverberate differently than written ones. An ancient Hawaiian proverb says I ka ʻolelo ke ola —  in language is the power of life. Language is a vibration that oscillates physical particles in the air. Sound baths allow us to tap into that vibration.

Experiencing a sound bath really is a bit like stepping into a tub, but instead of water, you’re inundated with sound. Now, it's not as if you’re just cranking up the radio — you’re not listening to the latest Top 40 bops during a session. Sound baths don’t use melody or even rhythm in the way we traditionally think about music. 
Ultimately, the goal of a sound bath is to release and relax. Concentrating on the ethereal sounds created by gongs, chimes, and crystal bowls is your reprieve from the monkey mind that is often relentless in its mental gymnastics. Deep rest, the kind offered in a sound bath, can help bring your energetic body into balance. Tell the mind to sit this one out.

Healing With Harmonic Frequencies

It’s a meditation with someone else doing all the work. All you need to do is relax on an open air platform in a Hawaiian forest and let that sound wash over you. No towel required. Expect to increase your sense of wellbeing and expand awareness.

Rare experiences kind of seem to be the norm here in paradise. A Sound Bath Meditation Journey is no different. First off, it’s taking place in the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary. It’s at that sweet spot on Hualālai that ranges from 2500 – 5000 feet in elevation; a 50-mile-long swath about five miles wide. You won’t get tons of water falling down in big fat drops the way you might expect in a tropical place. This is a cloud forest.
The very nature of a cloud forest is self-sustaining. Trees cool their habitat by shading the ground and drawing water up into the canopy. Moist air rising up the mountain cools and turns to clouds. This foggy precipitation maintains the forests that created it. Cloud forests are rare. The Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary even more so because it’s a seasonally dry cloud forest. Winters are the dry season on the Kona side of Hawaiʻi. And if you’re visiting during the summer, expect it to be even more misty.

The Perfect Setting for Transformation

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Native trees make up a large swath of the landscape here. ʻŌhiʻa lehua is the most common, making up about 80% of Hawaiʻi’s native forests throughout the islands. You’ll recognize it for its delicate, globe-like flowers that are usually deep crimson. Though in every 10,000 or so a genetic variation can create salmon pink, white, or even yellow lehua blossoms. Part of its scientific name is polymorpha. Many forms.
Pay attention to the ʻōhiʻa lehua in different areas of the island and you’ll see some diversity: straight, tall trunks with somewhat loosely flowing leaves on older parts of the island contrast with shrub-like variations elsewhere. Usually, the leaves are tucked in close to the limbs and branches of the tree to prevent absorbing toxic gasses from active volcanic eruptions. Knowing how to stay alive alongside lava is one of its super powers. Creating the perfect environment for humans to have soothing meditative experiences is definitely another.

Sound Bath Meditation Journeys run multiple times a week at the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary. Book ahead to reserve your spot and arrive 10 minutes before the start time. To get there, take Palani Road from the hotel. Turn up the mountain on Kaloko Drive, which winds upward until Hue Street. Parking is on the street. Walk up to the forest platform. Blankets and cushions will be provided. You're encouraged to bring any items to support your experience like pillows, blankets, eye masks, and a journal for reflection afterward. Wear clothes that will keep you warm and comfortable. Groups are kept small to receive an individualized experience.

Experience Sound

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Embark on a Sound Bath Meditation Journey at Hawai'i's Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary. Immerse yourself in harmonic frequencies and let nature soothe your body, mind, and spirit.

Sound Bath Meditation Journey - Pacific 19

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<h1>Kayaking through paradise</h1>
Murder. Intrigue. Sharks. Kealakekua Bayʻs marine sanctuary has it all. Everything except a road to get there, anyway. Just over a mile-long paddle from the Nāpōʻopoʻo pier gets you to an ancient Hawaiian canoe launch on the north end of Kealakekua Bay where only a few companies have permits to land. It’s one of the best snorkeling spots in the entire state of Hawaii. So forget what they tell you, this is one experience where you’ll want to look down. 
We&#8217;re talking calm, protected waters. Fifteen hundred foot sea cliffs. Underwater visibility of over 100 feet. Can you pronounce the name of the Hawaiian state fish yet? Well, get practicing. You’ll want to know it by name when you say hello to humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa. It lives alongside over 250 other marine species youʻre about to meet.

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<h1>Take a Spin Around the Bay</h1>
The water in the bay is relatively shallow along the shore — exactly what draws Hawaiian spinner dolphins during the day. These are a subspecies of Gray’s spinner dolphins and range from about four-and-a-half to six-and-a-half feet long. Theyʻll spend all night hunting underwater to depths up to a thousand feet below sea level. Come daybreak, they&#8217;re ready to rest. Protected waters and a sandy ocean floor along the coast means there’s less chance of a surprise attack from predators, while providing a place for young dolphins to socialize and play.
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They’re called spinner dolphins for a reason. The animals can often be seen launching themselves out of the water and making up to seven full turns before falling back into the ocean. As of late 2021 it’s illegal to get within 50 yards of a dolphin, so swimming with them is a no-go. But don’t stress, sometimes there’s a reef shark or two in the mix to capture that money shot with the GoPro.

If you've spent any time in Kona's surf scene, you've likely met Frank and Brock. They own Kona Boys, which features a surf shop in Kealakekua, a beach shack at the Kailua pier, and guided tours to Kealakekua Bay. Established in 1996, the duo has been at the helm since 2000. Essentially, they represent the ultimate tropical fantasy—forgoing the corporate path you're "supposed" to take to chase their dream in Hawaii. They've turned Kona Boys into a community staple by focusing on supporting and preserving cultural traditions, staying connected to history, and giving back—all while catching as many waves as they can.

Making Hawaii Home

Ke ala ke kua translates to the path of the gods. It may seem like simply a paddler’s paradise, but take a few breaths and look at this landscape. You’re in the widest bay on an island archipelago ringed mostly with jagged lava rock. Yeah, the coast faces mostly west in Kona, but the north end of this bay extends so far out that it faces the rising sun in the east. Direct all-day sun creates the perfect scenario for massive coral growth and gives us water that’s in the top 2% of the planet for visibility. The calm waters draw all sorts of marine life. Each whale season sees at least one humpback giving birth in the bay.
This was the seat of ancient Hawaiian royalty. The remains of Hikiau Heiau, a sacred temple, still sit at the south edge of the bay. Kaʻawaloa, an ancient Hawaiian village, was in the north. Every year, this was the site of massive Makahiki celebrations. When Makaliʻi, or the pleiades, rises in the east when the sun is setting in the west, Makahiki begins. It’s a time to honor Lono, who brings prosperity, and other Hawaiian gods marked with peace, sports, and ceremonies, but this heiau was just as important the rest of the year.

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Sheer cliffs are pockmarked with ancient sacrificial burial sites. It was an honor to have someone in the family place the bones of Hawaiian aliʻi or royalty at a burial site, but the price was their life. Commoners would get lowered down the cliff edge, find old lava tubes to lay remains to rest, and then wall up the entrance from the inside. A small exit was their escape, but they didn’t go far, just a fall to their deaths on the rocks below. The entire bay is full of ancient burial sites making it one of the most sacred places on the island.
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Captain James Cook landed here in 1779 in what was the first extensive contact Hawaiians had with white people. It’s also where he met his demise. There are stories of a suspected stolen boat from one of Captain Cook’s fleet. You read that he was salty after being denied a trade of wood bordering a sacred burial ground. He took the high chief Kalaniʻōpuʻu hostage, a strategy that had worked for him in past voyages around the world. This time it didn’t turn out as he’d planned. Was a musket fired? Did a perfectly-aimed rock hit Captain Cook square in the head? Will we ever truly know every last detail? What we do know is that he was killed on the shore. The white obelisk stands near the spot where he died.

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Check in at the Kona Boys shop on Hawaii Belt Road in Kealakekua where you’ll get oriented and fitted for gear. Grab a coffee on the way to Nāpōʻopoʻo Pier and soon you’ll be in the water. You’ll paddle the mile or so across the bay with a stop to watch for dolphins and, from November to March, humpback whales. Kona Boys is one of three companies with permits to operate kayaks and can land vessels on the shores at Kaʻawaloa. Now it’s snorkel time. You’re in the right place if you want to see where the octopus and reef sharks hang out. Your guides know all the nooks and crannies where they hide. Talk story as you nourish yourself with a locally catered lunch, then paddle back across the bay to your car. Gear rentals are for 24 hours, so head down to Honaunau Bay next and keep that snorkel momentum going. Bring reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes, and rash guards if you have them. You can stash valuables with your guide — no need to donate your car keys to the fishies.

Find Your Morning Magic

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Experience Kealakekua Bay, a Hawaiian paradise rich with marine life, history, and adventure. Kayak with Kona Boys, snorkel among stunning corals, and discover ancient sacred sites. Unforgettable experiences await!

Kayak and Snorkel in Kealakekua Bay - Pacific 19

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<h1>Kohala Waterfalls Adventure</h1>
Venturing into Kohala is your best bet to experience Hawaiʻi’s extremes. Perfect sunny skies and white sandy beaches up the dry desert coast, and lush tropical paradise around the north eastern edge of the island. Come to Kohala for the history; it’s the oldest of the five volcanoes on the island where ancient Hawaiians perfected the agricultural practices that sustained them. Come to Kohala for the views; the valleys carved out of this basalt lava rock make for some dramatic cliff shots. But most of all, come for the private trails made just for you and exclusive access to splash under refreshing Hawaiian waterfalls.

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<h1>Home of King Kamehameha | Unifier of the Islands</h1>
Youʻve probably seen the name already: Kamehameha. Heʻs the man responsible for creating the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Born of royal descent in Kohala in 1758 under a stormy sky and while Halleyʻs Comet flew by — omens that a great leader had shown up.
Kamehamehaʻs uncle, Kalaniʻopuʻu, was in charge of the island of Hawaiʻi. So, after his death in 1782, ruling power was passed down the line to Kamehmehaʻs cousin, Kiwalaʻo. But Kamehameha wasnʻt completely left out of the spoils. He was told to look after the war god Kūkāʻilimoku, one of the four main gods in the Hawaiian religion. This cemented Kamehamehaʻs future as a great warrior and laid the path for unification.
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Westerners first started coming to these islands extensively in 1778. They brought a lot of things in those early years: goats, diseases, new species of vegetation. But what Kamehameha was most interested in were their weapons. He befriended George Vancouver, who made multiple trips to the islands, and was also able to commandeer a ship with its weaponry. With these muskets and cannons — and the knowledge of how to use them from his new buddy — Kamehameha was able to dominate the other islands and eventually unite them all under his rule in 1810.

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On the drive up Akoni Pule Highway in Kapaʻau, you'll notice a statue of the King himself. This was the original statue commissioned in the late 1800s, cast in France, and shipped to Hawaiʻi. Except the boat caught on fire on the way over. For about two years the statue was at the bottom of the ocean until it was recovered, recast, and installed in Kamehamehaʻs hometown in 1883. A replacement statue had long been remade and shipped to Honolulu. Thomas Ridgeway Gould, an American living in Italy designed the bronze casting. Check out its Romanesque sandals: an homage to Classical Roman pieces? Or a cultural disconnect with a designer who just couldnʻt fathom the custom of a great King going barefoot?

<h1>Ola I Ka Wai | Water is Life</h1>
The district of Kohala on the northern tip of Hawaiʻi Island has a dense history of agricultural activity. Even the Hawaiian creation chant tells us this is where Wākea and Hoʻohōkūkalani buried their first-born son. Up sprouted taro or kalo, which became the brother of the Hawaiian peoples. Ancient Hawaiians built complex loʻi, or terraces, along natural streams for growing the staple crop. Advanced farming techniques were key in supplying the needs of an entire island population. Many of the practices have been lost over time, unknowingly bulldozed or overgrown and left unrecognizable.
Land in ancient Hawaiʻi was divided into ahupuaʻa, long thin strips going from mauka to makai — from the inland mountains to the ocean — with boundaries generally matching the lines of a watershed. Water collects in vegetation-rich higher elevations of the wao akua, the realm of the gods, and funnels downhill. Water, wai, is sacred in Hawaiʻi. Those dependent on the land viscerally recognized that water is life.
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Communities that grew kalo had a vested interest in maintaining the cleanliness of the waters used to irrigate their terraces. This was also the source of their water for day-to-day cooking and drinking. Water used for loʻi was taken in gratitude and reverence, water returned to the stream was done with respect.
This adventure will take you through a gulch where water once flowed. Hawaiian families, bare feet sinking into the mud, would tend their loʻi patches to grow enough kalo for themselves and extra to trade with other families in their ahupuaʻa. Wild pigs were hunted up the mountains, crops were grown in gulches, and seafood was harvested along the coast. The thread running through these lands was water.

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Field Notes