One Island, Five National Parks

Posted July 13, 2011

(From the Big Island Visitors Bureau)

Hawai'i, the Big Island, is home not only to that famous national park with its erupting volcano, but also two national historical parks, a national historic site, and a national historic trail, all featuring dazzling natural and cultural riches that share Hawai'i's story like nothing else.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

This amazing park, a 333,086-acre UNESCO World Heritage and World Biosphere Site, is just 30 miles from Hilo with an active volcano, lava tubes, lush rainforests, deserts of volcanic cinder, rare native flora and fauna, and Hawaiian culture.

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

Located on the coast of Honaunau Bay in south Kona, this 413-acre national historic park with its fierce guardian ki'i, (wooden images of gods) was once the home of royalty and a place of refuge for ancient Hawaiian lawbreakers.

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park

This 1,160-acre coastal park, with its white sand a stark contrast to the surrounding black lava rock landscape, reveals how an early Hawaiian settlement survived on the rugged Kona coast. The Visitor Center is the place to start with info about special programs, guided tours and the history of this ancient place, including the sophisticated aquaculture and environmentally sound harvesting methods the ancients used.

Pu'ukohola National Historic Site

This imposing, beautifully restored heiau - one of the largest in Hawai'i - was built on the North Kohala Coast in 1790 and 1791 to fulfill a royal prophecy. Kamehameha the Great was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build and dedicate Pu'ukohola Heiau to the war god Kukailimoku to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. Kamehameha ultimately fulfilled the kahuna's prophecy when he united the Hawaiian Islands in 1810.

Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail

This historic 175-mile trail, which runs through each of Hawai'i Island's four national parks and through part of the state Na Ala Hele Trail System, is a "living trail" that remains in use and is cared for today by its descendants. Connecting, reconnecting and enhancing connections of families and communities with ancient and historic ties to the trail is necessary for successful community stewardship and authentic visitor experiences of the trail.

Ancient Hawaiian settlement sites, fishpond remnants and stone fishing shrines are visible along segments of the trail.
Petroglyphs of iconic canoes, turtles, people and symbols of birth are carved into the smooth pahoehoe lava rock.
Natural wonders include anchialine (brackish water) ponds, near-shore reefs teeming with sealife, dramatic pali (cliffs), native sea turtles, migratory birds and endangered endemic species of plants and animals.

For more information on Hawai'i Island, visit www.gohawaii.com/big-island.