Located on a nine-acre campus above the University of Hawaii-Hilo, with spectacular views, the center, formerly known as Maunakea Astronomy Education Center, is where families and students from all walks of life explore the connections between Hawaiian cultural traditions and the science of astronomy.

Visit BigIsland.org for maps and driving directions to the Hilo area and its many attractions.

Photo by  Flickr Creative Commons by MGShelton

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If you’re wondering if Hawaiians hand out pineapple instead of candy on Halloween, there’s only one way to find out: Come on out, wearing your best Elvis costume, of course.And while you’re here, don’t miss Hallowbaloo, Oahu’s most totally awesome art and music festival that takes place on October 31. (Coincidence? I think not.)

Other Halloween celebrations around the islands:

• Halloween in Lahaina, Maui is always fun, and draws a big crowd. Sounds like this year, there’s going to be an effort to curb the “Mardi Gras” atmosphere and make things a little more  family-friendly. Find other kid-friendly Halloween activities at About.com
• The Big Island’s Outrigger Hotel does a lot of things right, including hosting “Spooky Tales” each year. Ask about this year’s schedule.
• Kaimuki Halloween Costume Contest is scheduled for October 24th in Honolulu. See the special events calendar for more information.
• Check with the Hawaiian Human Society to see if they’re sponsoring another doggie costume contest this year.

Photo by –Creative Commons, by nayrb7

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It’s been while since I was at O’s, and in fact, I still remember when it was called Oodles of Noodles.  But now Oodles of Noodles is all grown up– in fact, I think the name alone makes this quite apparent.

O’s Bistro is now in the same location at the Crossroads Mall in Kona on the Big Island, near Wal-Mart and Cold Stone, which makes it possible for you to eat too much, but you can buy a bigger pair of shorts for the ride home.

But what endears me to O’s  is that they’ll make you a nice little order to go, or for you to finish making at home, and put it on a nice little platter that you can return the next day.  It’s the little things like that that make you feel like you have friends in town, even if you’re just there for a week.  Happy eating.

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 If you think Kona’s just about the coffee, consider also its grapes.  For one, The Volcano Winery at the 30 mile marker in Volcanoes makes award winning wines that can’t be had anywhere but in the great state of Hawaii.  (For a list of states to which you can have wine shipped, check out the rates and availability here.)

Attend a tasting, or just take a tour. And when your friends ask you how it tastes, tell them, “Like chicken.” Gets ‘em every time.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by jesiehart

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Every year in Kona, Hawai’i, the Ironman triathlon world championship basically takes over the city.  This year, on October 11, 2008, over a thousand athletes run, bike, and swim the grueling course that has made Ironman–and Kona–famous.While I don’t know many triathletes (they always seem to be training instead of combing the beach for that perfect shell), my favorite Ironman story is about Major Bill Connor, who won a lottery spot in this year’s triathlon, and is training for it in Iraq.   Now THAT’S multi-tasking.  Way to go, Bill, we’re rooting for you.

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

Arguably none of them stayed and savored the islands like Mark Twain, however,  who has been touted as penning some of the best travel writing about Hawaii that’s ever been written. Not to ignore the greats, however, Jack London wrote a glorious piece on his island experiences in the late 1800s.  And then James Michener wrote the novel Hawaii in the late ’50s.  Wow.

Not as in, “Wow, that’s a great book,” but as in, “Wow, James Michener’s blue pencil must be broken.”  Just as a hint, he covers about 4 bazillion years of Hawaii’s history, starting with the first volcanic eruption that mothered the islands themselves, and ending with a discussion of what Tom Selleck’s favorite hair care products were while filming Magnum P.I. episodes. I joke.

And now you can sleep where they slept and hang out where they hung out. (The famous authors, not Tom Selleck.)

Volcano House hotel  Back when Twain stayed here, it was a primitive hostel, not the grand structure it is today. Crater-view rooms start at about $200/night. Call ahead, however, and ask about the vog before you go. The volcanoes area on the Big Island has been evacuated this year due to active lava flow reducing air quality to dangerous levels.

The Namakani Paio campground is three miles away in a grove of towering koa, ohia and eucalyptus trees. The Volcano House runs cabins there that you can get for about $50 a night. (Bathrooms and hot showers are separate there.)

See the monkeypod tree in Waiohinu (look for the sign), planted by Twain himself.  You’ll find the Shirakawa Motel (808-929-7462) just down Highway 11.

He’s not a best-selling author, but he was the king. (Long before Elvis came.) And he slept on the grounds of the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel (800-367-6060)  It was, after all, his capital.

Elvis really did sleep at The Cocoa Palms Hotel on Kaua’i, along with lots of other celebs from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s.  (And I’ve slept there too. Tell your friends!)  Unfortunately, you can’t sleep there anymore.  Hurricane Iniki wiped the place out in the ’90s, and it was never restored to its previous splendor.  Ask your resort concierge or ask around about taking a walking tour through the property.

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

But did you know that the the nettle caterpillar (Darna pallivitta) is armed with bristly spines that can sting? People can suffer itching, a persistent rash, welts and blisters lasting a couple of days. What’s more, heavy infestations of the pest can defoliate plants in a few days. That’s why cities occasionally spray for them with a pesticide that does no harm to humans.

First discovered on the Big Island at an ornamental palm nursery in Hilo, the caterpillar is  now established in Waiakea, Kea’au, Kurtistown, and Hawaiian Paradise Park, among other communities. Left to mature, stinging caterpillars become the Asian moth.

Photo by the Hawaii State Department of Agriculture.

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The last time we were at Mauna Kea beach on the Big Island, the red flags were up, indicating rough conditions. We had our boogie boards with us, and as a lifeguard came out of the water, he warned us, “Be careful out there. People get their necks snapped on days like today.”  It sounds harsh, but he knew what a lot of people don’t: That sharks may make the headlines, but drownings claim far more lives.

Although the state of Hawai’i is serious about their lifeguards, most drownings occur at beaches where there aren’t any.  

The City and County of Honolulu has a staff of 200 professional lifeguards (the largest in the nation) and so to educate people about ocean safety, and how that beautiful blue ocean is to be respected as much as it’s to be admired, the state has launched several websites, including Hawaii Beach Hazard Forecast. Kaua’i keeps its own excellent beach and surf conditions Web site, with daily updates from lifeguards around the island.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by Unobtanium 

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Hawai’i is actually comprised of a chain of 137 islands, islets, and shoals. Only seven of these islands are inhabited year round and four are the main attractions: The Big Island, O’ahu, Maui, and Kaua’i.

At first glance, Hawai’i is a lot like a little piece of Americana wrapped in ti leaves and served with poi. The atmosphere is unlike what most of us travelers experience at home, but it seems not so far away. But at over eighteen hundred miles from the nearest continent, the Hawaiian Island archipelago is the most isolated grouping of islands on Earth (Macdonald, Abbott, and Peterson, 1984).

Polynesia, which means “many islands,” covers a gigantic, 16 million square mile triangular geographical area of the Pacific, with Hawai’i at the northern apex, New Zealand at the southwest corner, and Easter Island at the southeast corner. Within that triangle lie thousands of islands, which have all been explored, colonized, and/or inhabited at one time or another. According to the Polynesian Cultural Center on O’ahu, there are over 30 different groups of Polynesian people living within or near the Polynesian Triangle. In addition, the Polynesian Cultural Center also provides information on several other Polynesian island groups, including the Cook Islands (the site of a season of Survivor, of all things), Niue, the Tuamotu archipelago, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna.

Stay tuned for more posts on the entire chain of Hawaiian Islands, which were once referred to as The Sandwich Islands.  Kind of makes you hungry, doesn’t it?

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by Justin Brockie

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Best hike across what looks like a moonscape before finding yourself on a deserted black and white beach with a terrific array of tidepools:   Kiholo Bay  on the Northwest side of the Big Island.
Best beach for swimming with turtles and the occasional school of spinner dolphins: Tunnels Beach on Kauai.

Best giant-sized bathtub: Queen’s Bath on Kauai. (Pictured)

Best beach that requires four-wheeling first:  Mo’omomi Beach on Molokai. (Visit during the summer months for best results.)

Best beach that’s totally unsuitable for swimming: Shipwreck Beach on Lana’i.

Best beach for windsurfing locals: Baldwin Beach  on Maui’s north shore.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by ericrichardson

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler