The Big Island Bucket List: 10 of Our Greatest Experiences on the Big Island of Hawai'i

Andrew
Apr 22
7 min read

Updated: Apr 24

After our big cruise to the South Pacific, we realized we wanted to see more of the Hawaiian Islands. Fortunately, we had a connection to allow us to stay at the Kona Bilfisher allowing us two weeks to experience all the Big Island had to offer. Here were the top 10 experiences we had while we were exploring the Big Island.

Snorkel with the Manta Rays at Night
One of the greatest moments in travel is when you realize what you are experiencing will be forever with you and change you for the better. This was what snorkeling with the manta rays was like for me. The moment we dropped in the water, we were surrounded by these majestic animals. Their nearly 30 feet wing span would glide past us just inches from our faces. A humorous snorkeled "wow!" would be heard every time they swooped by.

Tips: Be sure to find a company that provides you a wet suit. We were given half-suits which worked for us, but it does get cold after sitting in the ocean for an hour. Also, if you are prone to seasickness, take what you need to experience this without nausea. It can get choppy, and you are floating up and down holding on to a lightboard which also could cause motion sickness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ7mLglvNNU
GoPro footage from our time snorkeling with the Manta Rays!
Visiting Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Timing a trip to see a volcano eruption will always be difficult, but here at the Volcanoes National Park, you have one of the best opportunities to see volcanic activity in a safe environment. Renee and I were fortunate to see a bit of a glow and eruption which we night hiked to see. Amongst a crowd of likeminded tourists, we stared in awe at the reddish gold the bubbled and steamed off one of the craters. Aside from seeing the activity, we loved walking through the lava tubes and being misted by the steam vents. A perk of entry is that the ticket is good for several days for repeat visits.

Sunbathe on the Green Sand Beach
When we read that the Big Island was home to one of the four green sand beaches in the world, we had to do it. When you arrive at the parking lot for the green sand beach trailhead off of South Point Road, you have the option of hiking to the beach or paying one of the locals to drive you which was around $20. It is roughly a three mile hike each way that winds through deep cut off-roading paths. We were exhausted by the time we arrived, but we were eager to climb down and take pictures of this natural wonder as it played tricks on our eyes with the color saturation.
The Green Sand Beach on the Big Island

Participate in a Luau
Across from the street of the Bilfisher complex, is the Royal Kona Resort which hosts the Voyagers of the Pacific luau. The MC was engaging, the fire-dancing mesmerizing, and the drinks kept coming. Even months later, we find ourselves singing the catchy "Kailua Kona" song. My only regret was not being able to eat even more of the kalua pork. Also, at the time we went, there was picketing for fairer wages which could impact a person's decision to continue with the experience. If you decide to go, definitely get there early as you can see that I ended up behind a post and was partially blocked during the performance. Afterwards, it was an easy walk across the street as we listened to the "boop-weeps" of the coqui frogs that filled the night air.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN45fyxG6Yg
An evening at the Voyagers of the Pacific

Try Authentic Kona Coffee in a Cloud Forest
I am not a big coffee drinker, but after trying the black and tan blend at Mountain Thunder Coffee I began to understand why it is the daily morning ritual for most people. The owners were extremely attentive to us and walked us around teaching us what it means to have Kona coffee versus Hawaiian coffee. My caffeinated eyes were ready to take in the entirety of the cloud forest.

BEES!!!
Renee is fascinated by bees and the art of keeping them. We visited multiple locations which sold their produced honey on the island, but it was Big Island Bees which provided us a beekeeping demonstration with a lecture and a hive inspection. Really informative and a great afternoon to taste different types of honey and see if beekeeping is a hobby that may bee for you.
Eat at Ken's House of Pancakes and get a sweetie treat at Big Island Candies on the Hilo side
Yes, these are very touristy destinations and I do strive to find restaurants that are often missed, but these two places did not disappoint. We ended going to Ken's twice because it was so much great food, great prices, and excellent customer service. Our second visit, most of the staff had worked double shifts because of a nearby festival, but they were treating us like we had been best friends for ages. One of the waiters saw my eyes get big at the cup of gravy that came with my dish, and she instantly said "oh, you'll need more!" and ran to get me an extra helping to drown my meal in. All I could do was grin at her.

Big Island Candies was a bit of an accident as we navigated the difficult parking at the nearby Richardson Ocean Park and noticed a Hop-on Hop-off bus. As we searched for the different drop offs, we saw Big Island Candies listed as one of the main stops. We decided to check it out and we were not disappointed. The building is massive and have lots of unique brownies, shortbreads, chocolates, and other baked goods. We perused the store with some samples of their confections and coffee and was a nice break from a pretty warm day.
Search for the best... (fish taco, shaved ice, macadamia nut flavor, etc.)
About mid-trip, I became fixated with finding the best fish taco on the island. Many of the restaurants on Ali'i road had really great fish tacos, but they didn't seem to taste much different from one another. The best one that I experienced was actually at a food truck called Ama's Kitchen that was located on Paradise Meadows. It is found off South Point Road on the way to the Green Sand Beach trailhead. There was not a lot of different fixings on the taco, but it had a quality char flavor with mouth watering seasoning that made me miss this taco for the rest of the trip.

We didn't have a lot of opportunities for shaved ice, but walking distance from our lodgings at the Bilfisher were the Gecko Girlz which had some unique and great flavors, like the Cherry Blossom, which made it stand out from typical shaved ice we've had around the islands.

Embrace Island Time with Waterfalls, Beaches, and Botanical Gardens.
When we travel, there is the habit of cramming in as much as we possibly can within all the available hours. The mindset is usually with the thought "what if this is the last time we are to be here?" It is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does cause our minds to be focused on what is next and not what is now. In a lot of island cultures there is a general consensus to just slow down. You will get there when you get there. For mainland Americans this can be extremely difficult and cause a lot of anxiety. Yet, challenge yourself and schedule a day to just go with the flow and see where the day takes you. For our non-scheduled day, we drove with no real plan until Renee had remembered a few waterfalls that were in the area of Hilo.

The first stop was Rainbow Falls. The name is from the ability to see rainbows in its mists (it was overcast when we were there and failed to catch the rainbow.) We spent quite a bit of time here just enjoying the atmosphere and the surrounding Banyan trees. There is also a great story of Hina, the mother of the demigod, Maui, being rescued when she was trapped behind the falls by a giant boulder thrown by a giant lizard named Mo'o Kuna. It was free when we went, but recent searches show there now may be a $10 charge to park and view the site which is unfortunate. Yet, it does allow employment opportunities for nearby locals.

The second stop was Akaka and Kahuna falls which we felt was overpriced at $10 to park, and $5 per person to enter. After some reservations of paying to enter, we did enjoy the walk as the grounds are well maintained with a nice footpath to see Akaka Fall's impressive 442 feet drop. The 1934 film, "Four Frightened People" was filmed here which I've been meaning to watch to see how much the falls may have changed in the 90+ years since the film was released. Although, I did not personally experience the nearby Botanical Gardens, Renee said it was quite beautiful and worth the visit and highly recommended.

Akaka Falls

Afterwards we proceeded to Richardson Ocean Park where Renee enjoyed a dip in the water to snorkel. This is where I truly experienced Island Time by falling asleep under the shade of a nearby tree. The sense of peace that overcame me in that moment was overwhelming.

The Old Kona Airport Beach Park
A truly unique experience for anyone in the airline industry or has a love for airplanes, is to park on the tarmac of the old Kona Airport and enjoy an afternoon on the semi-rocky beach nearby. Mongooses are known to be spotted darting around the surrounding area which can make for an exciting stroll.

Afterwards, we traveled north for lunch to have abalone at Big Island Abalone food truck. Definitely an acquired taste, but as abalone is not something that is typically available in southern California, it made for a special visit for us. The staff were extremely friendly and the costs were reasonable to be introduced to this gastronomy experience.

Not far from the Big Island Abalone, there is the Sea Salts of Hawai'i. They offered free tastings of their different salts and we ended up purchasing a four pack, as the shrimp truck and Hawaiian Chili Pepper salts were great on the vegetables and fruits that were part of the tasting.

Honorable Mention: Stargazing at Mauna Kea

Unfortunately this was an activity that our budget and our timing did not allow for, but this is on the bucket list for a reason. Getting to the visitor center is doable in most rental vehicles, but the experience to go above the clouds and view the stars requires a four-wheel drive vehicle. There are many tours which are offered which provide the transport, a photo, and use of a telescope to truly experience the vastness of space on the highest peak of Hawai'i at a whopping 13,800+ feet above sea level.