Lava Rock Realty|Hawaii Homes and Land : Big Island Info

It Takes Courage to Live on a Rock! For a day, a week, a month, a season, or a lifetime... visiting, living and playing on the Big Island of Hawaii is a humbling, awe-inspiring experience! From winter snow on the tallest mountain on earth, Mauna Kea (when snowboarding watch out for the sharp lava rock underneath the snow!), to red-hot streaming lava flowing into the ocean, the Big Island has it all, and then some!

Home to 11 of the world's 13 climate zones - Hawaii's "Big Island" is not to be confused with any of the other islands in the Hawaiian Island chain. All those other islands fit inside the Big Island - twice - with room left over! This is not the "main" island of Oahu, home to Waikiki and millions of tourists. This is The Big Island! Home to honu (turtles), every color sand beach possible, the birthplace of King Kamehameha the Great, thousands of waterfalls, Hawiian Paniolos, Kona coffee, the southernmost point in the United States, and of course the home of Pele, goddess of the volcano. This is not your ordinary island - this is The Big Island.

Fast Facts:

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the only World Heritage Site in Hawaii, and the only live volcano flowing in the U.S.
Mauna Kea is the world’s tallest mountain at 33,000+ feet (9 kilometers) when measured from the ocean floor.
Hilo is the Big Island's capital, and the second largest city in the state.
Kona is home to the Ironman World Championship every October.
Currency - U.S. dollar. This place feels like another country, but it's the 50th State!
Language - The only state with TWO official languages - Hawaiian and English
Time Zone - Hawaii Standard Time, HST. GMT-10 hours. 2 hours behind PST, 3 hours during Daylight Savings Time, Hawaii does not observe Daylight Savings.
Area Code - 808 for all land and cell phones.
High Speed Internet is widely availalbe all over the island.
Transportation - Rental cars available at both Kona and Hilo airports and some hotels. The public bus is Hele-On and travels around the entire island.
Clothing - CASUAL! NO SUITS or TIES! Hawaiian shirts and slippahs (flip flops) are the norm. "Resort wear" for fine dining. Be careful with stilleto heels! Much of the Big Island is rocky and unpaved!
Layers and jackets/warm clothing needed for Volcano, Waimea and visits to Mauna Kea.
Waimea (Kamuela) is home to the Hawaiian cowboy, the Paniolo.