“Weather-Proof” Loop

☀️⛅⛈️Wherever the clouds go, Waikoloa keeps the lights on – and the sunset clock never skips. North & North-West 🌊🌈 1️⃣ Pololū Valley Lookout – cliff-edge + black sand (powder-fine), 20-min downhill hike = knee workout, NO uphill shade. 2️⃣ Hawi / Hala‘ula – artisan ice-cream + gallery crawl – Kohala Coffee Mill mac-nut cone = mandatory. 3️⃣ Hapuna Beach – widest white ribbon on island, gentle slope = toddler-safe, parking $5 fills by 10 am. 4️⃣ Waikoloa – sunshine bubble – hotel row, daily 18:10 sunset = guaranteed gold sky even if Hilo pours. West Coast Kona Side 🐢🌺 5️⃣ Kiholo Bay – turtle cove + turquoise lagoon, 15-min walk from gravel lot, bring water shoes – lava cheese-grater. 6️⃣ Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau NHP – ancient refuge site – hand-carved tiki, shoreline lava maze, $20 park pass covers 7 days. Volcano National Park 🌋🔥 7️⃣ Steam Vents + Sulphur Banks – geothermal sauna at roadside, egg-smell selfie = free. 8️⃣ Kīlauea Iki Trail – 4 mi loop, descend into cooled lava lake – rock oven at noon, headlamp handy for steam clouds. 9️⃣ Thurston Lava Tube – 15-min walk, lit tunnel, crowd before 09:00 = empty. 🔟 Devastation Trail – moon-scape, 20 min one-way, zero shade – sunset glow if lava active. Chain of Craters Road – 38 mi to ocean, 0 gas station – last bathroom @ Kulanaokua‘i, black-cliff sunset if you time it. LIVE LAVA VIEWING – check USGS daily, after 20:00 = glow visible, bring jacket = 4,000 ft = 8 °C wind. East Hilo Side 🌿🍍 Laupahoehoe Point – basalt fingers into ocean, big-wave spray, free parking. Hilo Farmers Market – Wed & Sat biggest, papaya $2, lychee $3/lb, sample everything. Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve & Garden – $25 self-guided, orchids you’ve never Googled, misty fairy-path. Banyan Drive – 1-mile canopy tunnel, 1933 banyan arch, free stroll. Akaka & Rainbow Falls – skip-able unless waterfall FOMO; Rainbow = 5-min pull-off. Lili‘uokalani Gardens – Japanese bridges, koi pond, free, sunset reflection = zen. South-East Puna + Ka‘ū 🖤💚 Pohoiki Warm Springs – volcanic hot tub, slippery algae, flip-flops ON = avoid butt-slide. Punalu‘u Black Sand – turtle guarantee, coarse lava grit – prefer Pololū for finer sand + fewer people. South Point – southern-most US cliff, locals dive 30 ft, watch, don’t copy. Green Sand Beach (Papakōlea) – olivine crystals, 2.5 mi hike or 4WD, green dust in teeth = souvenir. Weather Cheat 🌤️ Waikoloa = sun bubble – rain shadow from Mauna Kea; sunset 365 days. Hilo = liquid sunshine – 10 min drizzle, rainbow 70 % of afternoons. Volcano = 4 seasons in 1 day – pack fleece + rain shell. One-Line Wrap Big Island = colour wheel: white beaches, black lava, green sand, red lava glow – rent the 4WD, pack the jacket, clear the SD card – every mile is a new filter. #US #Hawaii #Honolulu