Big Island Photos: Original Travel Photography by Hawaii Guide

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The Big Island gets the deepest coverage — 16 shots from a 2022 trip across Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, Mauna Kea, Pololū, Waipiʻo, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau, and the Hāmākua coast. Shot on a mix of bodies in 2022.

Mixed bodies 2022 Big Island

Mauna Kea summit 13,803 feet, often above the clouds. Sunset from the visitor station, then stay for stars — but the summit road past VIS needs 4WD low range. Visitor info →

Papakōlea Green Sand Beach cove, Kaʻū, Big Island

Papakōlea Green Sand Beach One of four green sand beaches in the world. Olivine crystals from an old cinder cone. 2.5-mile hike or shuttle from the South Point parking area. Beach info →

Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach, Kaʻū, Big Island

Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Honu (green sea turtles) haul out here regularly. Stay 10+ feet back. The black sand is genuine basalt, not staged. Beach info →

Kealakekua Bay from the upper road, South Kona, Big Island

Kealakekua Bay Marine life sanctuary. Some of the best snorkeling on the island. The white obelisk across the bay is the Captain Cook monument. Visitor info →

Makalawena Beach dunes, Kekaha Kai State Park, Big Island

Makalawena Beach White-sand cove inside Kekaha Kai State Park. Reach it with a 4WD on a rough lava road, or walk the 1.5-mile path from the lot. Things to do →

Waipiʻo Valley overlook with arms spread, Hāmākua coast

Waipiʻo Valley overlook The road down to the valley floor closed to non-residents in 2022 and hasn't reopened. The overlook is the view today — and it still does the job. Overlook info →

Pololū Valley black sand beach framed by foliage, Big Island

Pololū Valley End of the road in North Kohala. The valley floor is a 30-minute steep descent — the hike back up is the workout. Trail info →

ʻAkaka Falls 442 feet of vertical drop. Paved 0.4-mile loop trail — easiest way to see a major waterfall on the island. Park info →

Kīlauea night eruption glow from the Halemaʻumaʻu overlook

Kīlauea night glow Halemaʻumaʻu overlook after dark. The glow shifts week to week — check USGS HVO for current activity before you commit to a night drive. Park info →

Devastation Trail, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Devastation Trail The 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption buried the rainforest here in cinder. The forest is slowly coming back — flat half-mile walk along Crater Rim. Park info →

Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau canoe hale, Place of Refuge

Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau "Place of Refuge" — a pre-contact sanctuary where kapu-breakers could find absolution if they made it inside. NPS now manages the site. Park info →

Puʻukoholā Heiau, Kawaihae, North Kohala

Puʻukoholā Heiau Kamehameha I built this heiau in 1791 as part of his unification of the islands. Massive dry-stack stonework, no mortar. Park info →

Hawaiʻi Tropical Bioreserve & Garden pond, Hāmākua coast

Hawaiʻi Tropical Bioreserve & Garden Onomea Bay just north of Hilo. Boardwalk through 40 acres of rainforest down to the coast. Buy your ticket online to skip the wait. Things to do →

North Kohala grove, near Hāwī, Big Island

North Kohala, near Hāwī The north tip of the island. Pastoral, green, slow — the opposite of Kona-side. Worth the drive even if you only stay an afternoon. Town info →

St. Benedict's Painted Church stone wall detail, South Kona

Painted Church (St. Benedict's) South Kona, just up the hill from Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau. A Belgian priest painted the entire interior in the early 1900s. Quick stop. Visitor info →

Wailuku River State Park, Hilo, Big Island

Wailuku River State Park Hilo's Wailuku River cuts through here on its way to the bay. The park covers Rainbow Falls upstream and Boiling Pots a little further on. Park info →

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