Kohala Coast, Big Island of Hawaii
The big island is full of diversity, from sea level surf to a snowcapped mountain and an active volcano. Out of the 5 major climates on earth, the big island boasts 4 of them; Humid Tropical Climate, Arid & Semi-Arid Climate, Temperate Climate and Polar Climate.
The Kohala Coast is the northwestern section of the island north of the Kona airport and stretching to the islands northern tip. It’s Paniolo (Hawaiian Cowboy) country with rolling hills filled with cattle, sheep and horses. The Parker Ranch is the largest ranch on the islands, founded in 1847.
From the high hills, the coast below looks like a ragged little line, but it’s here on the Kohala Shoreline that the Big Islands largest resorts and beautiful beaches call home.
Beautiful isn’t it? The weather up here is cooler than at the beaches as the elevation reaches over 5,000 feet. The road from Hawi to Waimea coming south looks almost an unreal almost glowing green. This must be similar to Ireland. These photos are not color corrected, it’s truly emerald in color. What you find is that the little micro climates set up by the mountains, prevailing winds and annual rainfall make up these unique little eco-systems with character all their own.
It was getting late in the day and the lowering sun made the sheep have a wooly halo on their backs. Goodnight Big Island and thank you for another beautiful day on island heaven.
Captain Dan’s Tips for the Kohala Coast: This is one of our favorite parts of the Big Island. Give yourself at least a day to explore and if you are going to hike or swim you will need more time. I am attracted to airports by nature so I like to drive down the narrow road to the Upolu Airport on the north end of the island. On a clear day you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of Maui and often there are whales just off shore. Also make sure to drive along the coast (highway 270) one way and drive the upper road (highway 250) on the way back towards Waimea. These two roads are just a short distance apart but you will get completely different views and climate. If there wasn’t an ocean out there you would swear that you were in Montana going down highway 250.