Frommer’s EasyGuide to the Big Island of Hawaii. Jeanne Cooper
MONUMENT Here stands King Kamehameha the Great, right arm outstretched, left arm holding a spear, as if guarding the seniors who have turned a century-old, New England–style courthouse into an airy civic center. There’s one just like it in Honolulu, across the street from Iolani Palace, and another in the U.S. Capitol, but this is the original: an 8-foot, 6-inch bronze by Thomas R. Gould, a Boston sculptor. Cast in Europe in 1880, it was lost at sea on its way to Hawaii. After a sea captain recovered the statue, it was placed here, near Kamehameha’s Kohala birthplace, in 1912. The unifier of the islands, Kamehameha is believed to have been born in 1758 under Halley’s Comet and became ruler of Hawaii in 1810. He died in Kailua-Kona in 1819, but his burial site remains a mystery.
In front of North Kohala Civic Center, mauka side of Hwy. 270, Kapaau, just north of Kapaau Rd.
Lapakahi State Historical Park
Makai side of Hwy. 270, Mahukona, 12.4 miles north of Kawaihae. dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/parks/hawaii.
Pololu Valley Lookout
At the northern end of Hwy. 270, 5½ miles east of Kapaau.
Pololu Valley
Waimea & Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea
Safety Tips Before heading out, make sure you have four-wheel drive and a full gas tank, and check current weather and road conditions (mkwc.ifa.hawaii.edu/current/road-conditions;
Visitor Center Named for Ellison Onizuka, the Big Island astronaut aboard the ill-fated Challenger, the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station (www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis;
On the way to Mauna Kea
At the Summit It’s another steep 6 miles, most of them unpaved, to the summit from the visitor center. If you’re driving, make sure your 4WD vehicle has plenty of gas and is in good condition before continuing on. Up here, 11 nations have set up 13 peerless infrared telescopes to look into deep space, making this the world’s largest astronomical observatory. The W. M. Keck Observatory has a visitor gallery, open weekdays 10am–4pm, with informational panels, restrooms, and a viewing area of the eight-story-high telescope and dome (you can also visit its headquarters at 65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy., Waimea, 10am–2pm weekdays; see www.keckobservatory.org for details). For cultural reasons, visitors are discouraged from hiking the footpath across the road to the actual, unmarked summit where ancient astronomers and priests came to study the skies and where Native Hawaiians still worship today. No matter: From the summit parking lot you have an unparalleled view of other peaks, such as Mauna Loa and Haleakala, and the bright Pacific.
Another sacred site is Lake Waiau, which, at 13,020 feet above sea level, is one of the highest in the world. Although it shrinks drastically in time of drought, it has never dried up. It’s named for one of the sisters of Poliahu, the snow goddess said to make her home atop Mauna Kea. To see it, you must take a brief hike: At Park 3, the first intersection on the road to the summit above the visitor center, follow the trail to the south for .5-mile, then take branch to the right that leads to the top of a crater and the small, greenish lake. Note: Please respect cultural traditions by not drinking or entering the water, and leave all rocks undisturbed.
seeing stars While Others Drive
Two excellent companies offer Mauna Kea tour packages that provide cold-weather gear, dinner, hot drinks, guided stargazing, and, best of all, someone else to worry about maneuvering the narrow, unpaved road to the summit. All tours are offered weather permitting, but most nights are clear—that’s why the observatories are here, after all—with pickups from several locations. Read the fine print on health and age restrictions before booking, and don’t forget to tip your guide ($10–$20 per person).