Located across from the Ironman start/finish marker, at N 19° 38.371 W 155° 59.839 /…read more5Q E 185645 N 2174356 on Kailua Pier in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Known as Plymouth Rock of Hawaii, this historical landmark has a placard commemorates the 195th anniversary of the arrival of the first missionaries in 1820. This is just a short walk from the oldest church on the island as is a must see religious as nd historical site for Christians.

This is a NPS managed site that protects the ancient fish traps and fish catch ponds. centuries old…read more, all by hand to catch fish that come in on the tides to feed. One Way traps. A marvel to imagine

Always stop and spend time here when I'm here, serene and spiritual setting. Much of the area is…read moreposted as off-limits because of historical reverence , but unfortunately many tourists I've seen treat it as a disposable Disneyland and walk right past the signs, no respect.

Going to Mauna Kea was a must-do on our trip to the Big Island. We planned for our visit to line up…read moreperfectly with sunset. The visitor center is cool. Lots of good info. There's quite a bit of parking. It was super busy for a Sunday evening. We were in an all-wheel drive vehicle (Ford Edge) and the ranger gave us the green light to go up, even though all of the signs say 4-wheel drive only. They said they can no longer turn all wheel drive vehicles away. He recommended we stop every so often on the way down to let our brakes cool. The road is rough. Not paved. It's basically gravel and dirt the whole way. We only made it a mile of the 8 before turning around. The sun was so bright in our eyes we weren't able to see the road at some points and there is definitely some steep terrain going up. Our vehicle was already needing to have the gas all the way just to make it up. The thought of going down 8 miles of that sounded quite anxiety-inducing. So, we got back to the visitor center in time to hike the trail up the mountain across the road and catch the sunset. It's spectacular. The altitude change is no joke. I could feel how much harder it is to breathe with just a few steps into the hike. Be careful! The views are stunning though. So pretty. Definitely an experience worth checking out.

Unique place to explore, experience your lung and enjoy the view of sunset above the cloud. Make…read moresure you have 4wd or AWD car with LO gears option and a full tank of gas. Everybody has to stop at the visitor center (9200 ft) for 30 minutes acclimate time and Pitstop. After that you can continue the drive up to the top after a small talk and car check with the ranger. There is a bout 4.5 miles of rough terrain and the rest 4 miles is smooth sailing. Total time about 30 minutes. The view is breathtaking. The air is really thin so you have to take more breath you can stay to enjoy the sunset above the cloud and that is all the difference, but you cannot linger till the sky is dark. Everybody has to leave 15 minutes after sunset. Recommended to stop at the visitor center in the way down, stay longer and see the Milky Way by your naked eyes. Remember to keep warm.

Believe everything people are saying about this hike! Beautiful experience, beautiful views, but…read moreit's a challenge getting back up even for a pretty athletic group. We stopped at the gas station to refill on water and snacks beforehand, trust me, you need to! The locals specifically said, we don't hike there, it's too tough to walk uphill, we swim across about 20 yards for an easier trip. My group was not swimming across, so we turned around after about an hour in the water. Downhill is easy (1 hour), uphill was strenuous (1.5 hours). Take plenty of shaded breaks and try to save your water until the end. It's rocky and good gripped shoes are requirement.

Beautiful hike in the big island! This hike has it all, including wildlife, views, nature, and so…read moremuch more. You start on a rocky dirt path that's surrounded by trees and tall grass. After a mile or so it really opens up and you get amazing views of the ocean and surrounding hillsides. It is around here that you can see a lot of mountain goats. Once you reach the bottom, you get to the main attraction, the snorkeling. I found that snorkeling very close to the rocks had a lot more fish. Lots of people go out to the deeper waters, but most of the fish are clustered in the rocky areas that are about 3 feet deep. You can also view the captain cook monument, which has surrounding plaques that describe his legacy. Bring lots of water, the hike back up is all uphill and can be very hot!

I did the 5hr South Kona snorkel expedition today and it was spectacular! The guides were…read moreprofessional, friendly & helpful. The three separate snorkel stops let us see different reefs & marine life. I loved the "secret" spot. We were also lucky enough to see a pod of spinner dolphins! Booking & check-in were easy. Highly recommend this tour.

We did a Captain Cook snorkeling tour with Sea Quest Hawaii today and were very impressed. Erin,…read morethe phone representative, was friendly, patient, and answered all my questions, which made me choose this company. Captain Natalie and Assistant Anna were fantastic, knowledgeable, funny, and very attentive throughout the trip. Captain Natalie shared interesting stories about Captain Cook and the surrounding lava caves, and she even helped me with my snorkeling gear and inflating the vest. The snorkeling spot near Captain Cook Monument was incredible, and we saw so many fish. They also provided fresh fruit, chips, cookies, and soft drinks. Thanks to Captain Natalie and Anna, all six of us had a great time and would highly recommend this company.

Hikiau Heiau at Kealakekua Bay is a nice state park we went to for snorkeling. I saw a few big…read morecrabs but not a whole lot of other creatures. Once you get in the water at the rocks, the ground becomes a gray sand and it was relaxing swimming there. There are a few areas at Kealakekua Bay to snorkel around.

If you want to connect to the Hawaiian people, this is a great start. See real history and stand…read morewhere the ali'i did!! Amazing and free to boot! Well worth the drive and the small amount of walking involved. This is what you come to Hawai'i for!

Absolutely a must visit to see, feel and understand Hawaiian history…read more It was sad that the volunteers were not even faintly familiar with anything. Names, events and even basic royal history questions were not answered...only empty smiles with oh- there is so much history here...sadly they didn't know hardly any of it. I even asked about the hula group that teaches there, again no idea. They need to train the volunteers to actually know something about the place where they are volunteering.

Hulihe'e Palace is a beautiful piece of Hawaii history museum that sits in downtown Kailua-Kona…read more This palace was built in 1838 for Hawaiian royalty stayed here, in 1973 it was place on the national register of historic places, it was originally built out of lava rocks, the lava rocks fance today still secure the palace. The museum has lot's of priceless artifacts like furiture photos quilts and other cultural Items. I was sad because it was close on the day we dock there, a good reason to come back to Kona.

I first found this sweet little Catholic Church six years ago. My sister just got married in it a…read morefew weeks ago. It is very small and only has 12 pews. The pews hold 2 to 3 people. Saint Peters Catholic Church is located right on the beach. There is one beautiful etched glass window located in the front of the church which describes the story of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. When Peter's faith starts to wane, and he starts to sink in the water. It's a beautiful church for a wedding! Personally I thought the church was very special and very memorable. What a little gem!!

Aloha ! I am the etched glass artist that made the etched glass window installed at St Peter by…read morethe Sea at Kahaluu, Kona, Big island. It was a time when I was really angry with God, & going through a tough divorce. My life was like Peters, losing faith. Luckily, my faith has been restored. Occasionally, I come by & check out how things are going and it is lovely to see how much people have enjoyed it. One of my dear friends got married there, I was honored to be present as matron of honor. This window was the 2nd one I did there, as some one busted the 1st one up, probably struggling with their faith also. Right next to the church is a small Hawaiian heiau for fishing prayers. I am very happy & living on Maui now. Sheri Macquarrie

The Big Island tour was excellent! Our guide, Chris, provided a lot of history, which was awesome…read more Learned a lot from Chris! The island is beautiful and seeing the Kilauea volcano was a high light. Chris' driving was good and lunch provided hit the spot.

Mia was our driver. It was so great doing an all day tour with someone who lives on the island…read more Mia was able to point out so many places that would not be on a scripted tour. Great value for the price.