Living in the Moment on Hawaii Island

This gallery is comprised of photographs that mirror the inspiring landscape and culture of Hawaii Island.

By: Sponsored The Hawaiian Islands

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Photo By: The Hawaiian Islands

The eccentrically shaped molds of burned tree trunks are just one example of the unique and surprising discoveries that await you when you visit Hawaii Island's Volcanoes National Park. The molds are artifacts of ancient lava flows.

Halemaumau Crater is the home of Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire. Sacred to Native Hawaiians, this is one of many sites where you can witness the unearthly glow of Kilauea Volcano, one of the world's most active volcanoes.

Located on the coast of Honaunau Bay in south Kona, Puuhonua o Honaunau (Place of Refuge) is a 180-acre national historic park that was once the home of royalty and a sanctuary for ancient Hawaiian lawbreakers. Here you can explore cultural relics that include royal fishponds, ancient temples, and burial sites.

As you stroll through the Palace Grounds at Puuhonua o Honaunau, you can stop and learn to play the ancient game of konane -- a kind of Hawaiian checkers played with game pieces of black and white coral.

Honaunau Bay's calm, clear waters help explain why Hawaii Island is known worldwide as a haven for snorkelers, scuba divers, and an astounding variety of marine life including sea turtles, manta rays, and Hawaiian bandit angelfish.

Located between Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the small town of Naalehu, Punaluu Black Sand Beach's jet black shores are an unforgettable sight. Coconut palms fringe the upper edge of sand and you may also discover large honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles) basking on the beach.

Four of the seven existing species of honu (sea turtles) can be found in Hawaiian waters. Once a source of food and tools for Hawaiians, green sea turtles are the most common. A guided Hawaii Island eco tour is perhaps the best way to learn more about them.

The 23 mile-long Chain of Craters Road is one of Hawaii's most spectacular drives. Open from 10 in the morning until 9 at night, the road offers scenic views of rainforests and seacoasts as well as pit craters and steam from lava tubes and ends where a lava flow has literally overtaken the road.

Petroglyphs are lava rock carvings etched into stone centuries ago by Native Hawaiians. There are petroglyph fields at locations throughout Hawaii Island, including Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where carvings of canoes, turtles and human forms depict significant events in the life of the Hawaiian People.

Kilauea is sometimes called 'the world's only drive-in volcano.' The road there climbs 4,000 feet to the summit of one of the world's most active volcanoes. For many, the trip is an opportunity to witness one of nature's most awesome displays of power.

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Living in the Moment on Hawaii Island

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