Hawaii
Hawaii (夏威夷) 主要是由八個群島組成 – (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau(你好島), Kauaʻi(卡艾島), Oʻahu(歐胡島), Molokaʻi(莫洛凱島), Lānaʻi(拉奈島), Kahoʻolawe(卡胡拉威島), Maui(茂伊島), and Big Island(大島), 1959年才變成美國第五十州.

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Hawaii's coastline is approximately 750 miles (1,210 km) long, which is fourth in the United States after Alaska, Florida, and California.  Hawaii is one of two states that do not observe daylight saving time, the other being Arizona.

大部份的航班先飛往歐胡島的檀香山國際機場, 然後再轉機飛往各島, 部份主要城市有直飛其他各島 但班次可能不多.

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Big Island (大島) 分為六大區, 有二個機場 – 西邊的Kona & 東邊的Hilo. 大部份遊客飛往Kona, 因為Kona天氣比較好, 飯店和餐廳選擇較多, 而且有美麗的海灘和購物商店, 整體的旅遊相關設施比較完善.

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但是, 如果你喜歡自然景觀 – Water Falls, Rainballs, Volcanoes National Park, Mt. Mauna Kea (Hawaii’s tallest mountain, stands at 13,796 ft (4,205 m) but is taller than Mount Everest if followed to the base of the mountain, which, lying at the floor of the Pacific Ocean, rises about 33,500 ft (10,200 m))等, 就比較靠近東邊的Hilo (我這次參加的攝影團就在Hilo).

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Between Kona & Hilo, 如果你開北邊的Hwy190 + Hwy19, 大概開二個半小時; 如果你開南邊的Hwy11, 大概開三個半小時. 如果你租車, 租車合約是禁止開上橫跨東西段的Hwy200/220 (所以要問清楚各家規定). 如果你是探險型遊客, 建議租四輪傳動, 因為有些路況不佳, 加上有些地區手機訊號弱, 人煙稀少, 萬一車子出狀況很麻煩.

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Big Island的活動很多, 這裡介紹幾個活動讓大家參考:

西邊 Kona area:

* Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co. – self-guided factory tour, observe the processing of 100% Hawaiian macadamia nuts and try out free samples in 7 different flavors.

* Kona Brewing Co. -Daily Brewery Tours at 10:30 and 3, Try 12 uniquely crafted Kna micro-brews on tap (我老公的最愛, 餐廳的食物也很讚喔)

* Greenwell Kona Coffee Farm – Daily tour from 8:30-4:30, free tasting. (其他Kona Coffee Farms還有MountainThunder.com, Honalea.com, ucc-hawaii.com, konablueskycoffee.com)

* Atlantis Submarines -  看海底景色

* Kokua Kailua Hulihee Palace Concert & Village Stroll (Art, Food, Music event) – 每月有一個週日 from 1-6pm on Alii Dr (10/16, 11/20, 12/18 for 2011, check website for 2012 dates).

* Holualoa Artist Village – on Hwy 180, over a dozen unique shops & galleries. Most open 10-5pm from Tuesday to Saturday.

東邊 Hilo area:

* Hawaiian Vanilla Company – Vanillery Tour, Presentation and Tasting, Experience Luncheons, Upcountry Afternoon Tea.

* Volcano Winery – Wine tasting and Tour

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* Zip Line – 選擇很多, 端看你想去的地點. ZipLine, KapohKine Adventures, UmaumaExperience, Eco Adventures, 

* Helicopter Tours – 選擇很多, 價錢大同小異. Safari, Paradise,

* Hawaii Forest & Trail – Waterfall tour, Volcano Day/Night Tours, Mauna Kea Summit & Stars, Birdwatching, Kona Coffee Tour

* Mauna Kea Summit Adventures

* Volcano Artists Studio Tour & Sale – 11/25-17 from 10-4pm. 19-3834 Old Volcano Road Volcano

* Paradise Art Studio Tour – 12/3-4 from 10-4pm.

如果你要找便宜或B&B的住宿, 以下是幾個我看到的Flyers, 好不好就要你自己另外做功課了 – B&B Association, Holo Holo In, Hilo Backpackers Hostel, Hilo Bay Hostel, Arnotts Lodge, Dolphin Bay Hotel,

Hawaii's Sales Tax Rate (2011) for groceries, clothes, drugs and restaurant food is between 4% to 4.712%, Hotel Room Tax is 13.5%. 我發現不論在哪個國家, 越高級的飯店, 不但日宿費高, 許多Service要額外收費, 例如停車, 無線網路, 當然可能設備較齊, 地點越好, 風景越佳.

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我這次的三天大島行程是將地圖左右向對折後, 左半邊的行程(Kohala, Kona, 部份Ka'u)歸在Kona, 右半邊的行程(Hamakua, Hilo, Puna, 和火山國家公園這半邊的Ka'u)歸在Hilo, 分幾篇文章刊出, 另外還有一篇是我的Photo Workshop.

ps. 你在大島各地看到賣夏威夷花或果樹的種子或接枝都是可以帶回加州的, 包裝背面會註明. 我因為不確定天氣是否合適, 所以就沒有買了, 不然我還挺想帶一個上面那個很有夏威夷代表性的雞蛋花回家種呢.

 

相關閱讀: Kona1, Kona2, Hilo1, Hilo2, Big Island Photo Workshop.