Been thinking about a Hawaii island getaway? Do it! Except for the relatively small area affected by the Kilauea eruption, roads are open and businesses — including hotels, restaurants and tour companies — are operating as usual. Even better, the top-notch activities and attractions below won’t set you back a penny. Check the websites for more information.
Kahuku Unit, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Not all of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is closed. The Kahuku Unit, a 50-minute drive south of the main entrance, welcomes visitors to talks that provide eruption updates and an overview of the natural, cultural and historic attributes of the area.
At hands-on cultural programs you can make a lau hala bracelet, ti leaf lei and more. Guided hikes explore diverse landscapes from pastures to lava fields to native forests. Ka‘u Ohana (Family) Day will take place noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 16.
>> Where: Mauka side of Highway 11 near Mile Marker 70.5, Kau
>> Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays
>> Phone: 808-985-6350
>> Website: nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm
Panaewa Rainforest Zoo
More than 80 animal species make their home amid stands of bamboo, orchids, bromeliads and palms on 12 lush acres of a forest reserve. Bengal tigers Sriracha and Tzatziki always draw crowds. Also vying for attention are alligators, monkeys, anteaters, iguanas, macaws, tortoises and creatures with strange names such as binturong, kinkajou and northern blue-tongued skink.
Kids will love getting acquainted with turtles, goats, chickens, guinea pigs, miniature horses and more at the petting zoo, open 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays
>> Address: 800 Stainback Highway, Hilo
>> Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Christmas and New Year’s Day
>> Phone: 808-959-7224
>> Website: hilozoo.org
Mokupapapa Discovery Center
The largest contiguous conservation area in the United States, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument covers 582,578 square miles of the Pacific, starting 100 miles northwest of Kauai. It harbors an amazing diversity of birds, flora, fauna and marine life, many unique to Hawaii.
Mokupapapa Discovery Center was established in 2003 to raise awareness about that aquatic wonderland. Highlights include a 3,500-gallon saltwater aquarium with endemic fish from Papahanaumokuakea, including an orange-margin butterflyfish, one of only five on display in the world (the others are at Bishop Museum and the Waikiki Aquarium).
View videos from research expeditions; peruse exhibits on topics such as marine debris, coral reefs and the endangered monk seal; and climb aboard a model of the famed voyaging canoe Hokuleʻa.
One-hour talks beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month revolve around conservation themes. On Sept. 20, representatives from Liquid Robotics (liquid-robotics.com) will discuss how their wave- and solar-powered robots gather and transmit ocean data.
>> Address: 76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo
>> Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays
>> Phone: (808) 933-8180
>> Website: 808ne.ws/papa-center
Kamaaina Observatory Experience
Once a month, local residents can visit two of the 10 world-renowned observatories atop Mauna Kea’s summit. Not normally open to the public, these facilities have partnered with the Imiloa Astronomy Center (imiloahawaii.org) to present a 6.5-hour tour that sparks interest in astronomy and the cultural, scientific and environmental significance of the mountain.
Upcoming dates are Sept. 15 (Keck and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility), Oct. 20 (Canada France Hawaii Telescope and Gemini), Nov. 17 (Subaru and East Asian Observatory) and Dec. 8 (Keck and Submillimeter Array). Subaru is the only observatory that can be visited at other times; details are at 808ne.ws/subarutours.
>> Meeting place: Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station at the 9,200-foot elevation of Mauna Kea. Transportation from there to the summit is provided.
>> Tours: Reservations must be made online. Two tours, limited to 24 people each, are scheduled on each date. Tours run 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
>> Email: imiloa.koe@hawaii.edu
>> Website: kamaainaobservatoryexperience.org
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel art tour
More than 1,600 museum-quality artifacts and artworks from Japan, India, Thailand, New Guinea, Fiji, Hawaii and other Asia/Pacific countries adorn the lobby, hallways and courtyards of the “Grande Dame of the Kohala Coast.” The priceless collection includes chests, carvings, drums, sculptures, statues, Hawaiian quilts and kapa (tapa) dating between the sixth and 20th centuries.
Following the wishes of Laurance S. Rockefeller, the hotel’s founder, only a few pieces are framed or in display cases. He considered Mauna Kea his home, and he wanted guests to experience it without barriers or “Don’t Touch” signs. A 75-minute tour is led by art aficionado Patti Cook, who directed public relations for the hotel for 20 years.
>> Address: 62-100 Mauna Kea Beach Drive, Kohala Coast
>> Tour: 10 a.m. Saturdays; no reservations required, and you don’t have to be a hotel guest. Meet in the lobby.
>> Phone: 808-882-7222
>> Website: 808ne.ws/mkea-arttour
Petroglyph tour
Canoes, turtles, fish, stick figures, geometric patterns and more — the meaning of kii pohaku (petroglyphs), pictures carved in lava rock, is unclear. Some scholars think they are records of noteworthy events, from births to battles. Others believe they have religious significance. Still others claim they are signs left by travelers as they passed through an area — akin to initials carved on a tree.
Some 25,000 petroglyphs cover a 2-acre lava field in Waikoloa Resort; the oldest date to 600 A.D. Hawaiian cultural practitioner Michaela Larson shares insights about the intriguing drawings during a one-hour walk.
>> Meeting place: Lake side of Island Fish and Chips, Kings’ Shops, 250 Waikoloa Beach Drive, Waikoloa
>> Tours: 9:30 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays; no reservations required
>> Phone: 808-886-8811
>> Website: kingsshops.com/weekly-events
Greenwell Farms Coffee tour
In 1850, Henry Nicholas Greenwell left England and settled in rural Kona, where he devoted his life to ranching and farming. Fourth- and fifth-generation Greenwells oversee the family’s coffee business today.
On a 30-minute guided tour of 150-acre Greenwell Farms, you’ll learn about coffee cultivation, harvesting, processing and roasting. You’ll get up-close looks at Arabica trees, some more than a century old and still producing. The tour concludes with samplings of various brews.
>> Address: 81-6581 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua
>> Tours: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; no reservations required
>> Phone: 808-323-2295
>> Website: greenwellfarms.com
Bread baking
Once a week, the aroma of sweet, white and whole-wheat bread baking in a wood-fired forno wafts from the pasture below the Kona Historical Society’s headquarters. The forno is a reproduction of the igloo-shaped stone oven used by Portuguese immigrants who settled in Kona in the 1880s.
The society’s staff, visitors and kamaaina roll dough, shape it and place it in pans for baking. Warm loaves are sold for $8 each, first-come, first-served until they’re gone.
>> Address: 81-6551 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua
>> Hours: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursdays
>> Phone: 808-323-3222
>> Website: konahistorical.org
