Hawaii is also called the Big Island. The mountainous island is a merger of 5 volcanoes, 3 of them still active.
Earthquakes, landslides and active lava flows are on the daily menu here.
In 1778
Captain Cook was the first European to discover
Hawaii but when he returned in 1779 he was killed at
Kealakekua Bay after trying to
kidnap the local chief. A simple monument
commemorates this dramatic event.
Kamehameha was born in the Kona area around 1760 and went on to forcefully unite the Hawaiian Islands
in the early 1800ths.
The tourist industry is concentrated at the dry West Coast
around
Kona, while the rural East Coast features lush rainforests and mighty waterfalls.
Hilo is Hawaii's main
city. The area is prone to Tsunamis.
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a must do for every visitor, here you can see the red hot
stuff.
Each year the
Iron Man World Championship is held in the Kona area, only the best athletes are allowed to compete in this
grueling triathlon.
We visited Hawaii several times, lastly in July 2001.