Hawa'i'i: Hawai'i' The Big Island, Family Fun - Volcano Hikes, Surf Lessons, and Friendly People.
On the Big Island tradition of 'ohana or family prevails. Comfortable and welcoming, this island culture creates an atmosphere ideal for a family vacation and perfect for a family reunion. Bask in the sun, play on the beach, go kayaking, learn to surf, hike the volcano floor, try sailing, play golf, go stargazing, or learn to hula – all in family style.
Hawai'i - The Big Island has been about family since Polynesians first settled it and the Hawaiian word 'ohana means "family" in a broad sense. It means commitment to friends, extended family and to community, and it's easy to spot on the modern-day, easygoing Big Island where visitors are greeted with a smile; where huge, loosely related extended families meet at the beach to spend a day together; where children, parents and grandparents often live together. A child's first birthday party is a Big Island tradition that can draw hundreds of family members and friends. The family-centered Big Island exudes a sense of community, of inclusiveness - of 'ohana.
Long-time visitors Barrie and Maureen Rubin of Ontario, Canada, have brought their family to the Kona Village Resort every year since the late 1980s. This year, one of their girls fulfilled her dream of being married on Hawai'i's Big Island.
"She absolutely insisted on it," said Maureen Rubin, "because it means so much to us there, and it was magical. It couldn't have been more magnificent. It was the closest thing to perfection we've ever experienced. There was even a 'green flash' that night. We love the Big Island," she said. "The people are so kind and it's so relaxing. There's such a feeling of aloha there. You just feel comfortable, at home, safe and secure."
The Big Island is a destination with accommodations varied enough to meet every family's budget-from the $10/night tent camping fee at Arnott's Lodge next to Hilo Bay to a $9,100/night suite at the Four Seasons Resort Hualālai on the Kohala coast.
And it is a destination that offers opportunities available nowhere else. The island extends upward nearly 14,000 feet to the peak of Mauna Kea, which is sometimes snow-covered in wintertime, and it is a spectacular ascent to the dormant volcano's upper reaches. Above the clouds, at 9,000 feet, the Visitors Information Station offers displays about the mountain's world-class astronomical observatories; and every evening of the year, even on holidays, its volunteer astronomy buffs roll out telescopes for an outstanding-and free-stargazing program.
Down at sea level, the possibilities are equally expansive. Families that enjoy learning while they travel enjoy the science centers that set apart the Big Island-such as the world-class 'Imiloa Astronomy Center, which has interactive displays about the astronomy atop Mauna Kea as well as in-depth looks at the Hawaiian culture. Tours of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai'i Authority give a fascinating glimpse of what innovators are doing for agriculture, aquaculture, and ocean conservation using water from 2,000 feet under the ocean. Visitors can even tour a seahorse aqua-farm, the only one in Hawai'i, where farm-raised seahorses are propagated for aquarium enthusiasts. Museums-one housed in a 19th-century royal summer palace-display the island's cultural heritage, missionary era, coffee plantation days, tsunami history and more.
At sea level, adventurous family members can learn to scuba dive while relaxation-seeking parents or grandparents lounge beneath a coconut tree for a calm, breeze-infused nap. Families can divide or conquer when choosing to enjoy some of the Big Island's unforgettable water sports, such as snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, surfing, sport fishing, canoeing, bodysurfing; take a submarine ride; or enjoy year-round whale watching excursions. The Big Island also offers unparalleled sightings of honu (sea turtles) basking on the shore, and incredible night dives with manta rays.
And back on land, the island's Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, which contains both rainforest and an active volcano, covers a half million acres that truly offer something for everybody in the family-fascinating and diverse hikes and native bird-watching; a lava tube to explore; a historic old hotel on a crater's rim; and the ever-erupting Kīlauea volcano, which, depending on where the lava is flowing, can sometimes be witnessed up-close and personal or by air tour. For the lover of fine things, the Volcano Art Center, a classy art gallery with exhibits, special demonstrations and even occasional hula performances, is housed near the rustic and historic 1877 Volcano House Hotel.
In keeping with the island's "family" orientation, numerous ranches and farms, many of them family-owned, operate on the agriculture-rich Big Island-which is vast in land size, yet small and uncrowded in population-and many of them offer tours. Travelers can ride horses, attend a barbecue at a working cattle ranch, or tour a farm to learn how some of the Big Island's products, such as macadamia nuts, are grown and processed. There are tours of exotic tropical fruit orchards (think rambutan and longan), as well as coffee, tea, honey, chocolate and vanilla farms, which offer samples, too. The Big Island even has a winery with its own tasting room.
All of which leads, of course, to a consideration of the island's culinary successes. In addition to the lu'au, which allows travelers to sample traditional foods as well as Hawaiian entertainment, the Big Island offers everything from fine dining in many-starred, chef-owned restaurants serving up Hawai'i Regional Cuisine to tiny, hole-in-the-wall eateries where families can try thrifty, local specialties alongside friendly residents.
Whether it's swimming in clear, turquoise waters, viewing an active volcano, perusing a top-notch museum of astronomy and Hawaiian culture or playing on a black, green or white sand beach, the Big Island is truly a destination for an incredible family getaway that captures the attention, and imagination, of every member of the 'ohana. For more information on Hawai'i's Big Island, please visit
www.bigisland.org