big island

during my parents annual january visit we opted to spend part of their vacation on the big island. let me just say, if i wasn't already totally head over heels with maui i would most definitely up & move to kona. did i mention it has a target? gah! i miss that store almost as much as i miss descent mexican.  for reals, though, big island is rad. i would have to say it's tied with oahu & kauai as my second favorite island (get it?). the place totally lives up to it's name. it is huge. we spent more time in the car over our few days there than in the past 3 months on maui. thankfully, the island is saturated in beauty so you don't mind long drives staring out the window. there really is something for everyone on big island. there is just so much to do & despite our attempts we barely scratched the surface. we are already building an itinerary for our next trip.

we each had our own highlights from the trip. cooper loved exploring the lava tubes, checking out the volcano, & swimming in the hotel pool. tj loved ahalanui but he really loved the plane & shuttle rides. mylo was happy anytime he had a little space to run free. todd enjoyed seeing all the different parts of the island but i think his most favorite was waipio valley. as for me? gosh, i really can't decide. i loved the natural lava pools, the active volcano, & sunset at anaeho'omalu bay, but the best part was having two extra set of hands to help with the kids. nothing beats not having to crawl in to the back of a minivan to strap babies in to carseats or turning around every 48 seconds to hand something to someone. tj still talks about big island on the regular, like daily. every time we get in the car he asks where we are going, then it's always, "oh, is that on maui or big island?"

pu'uhonua o honaunau

punalu'u black sand beach

kaumana caves

natural hot lava pools

waipio valley

waipio valley

rainbow falls

anaeho'omalu bay

puako petroglyph park

pu'ukohola heiau national park

volcano national park & steam vents

volcano national park & thurston lava cave

pu'u o'o crater, kilauea

akaka falls, kealakekua bay, old kona airport

coconut island, banyan tree drive, painted church, ahalanui pool, hapuna beach, 

mauna kea beach, crater rim drive, kilauea iki overlook