| The Big Island of Hawaii -- the island that lends its | | | | what the Hawaiians call mana, a sense of |
| name to the entire 1,500-mile-long Hawaiian | | | | spirituality that's still apparent in the acres of |
| archipelago -- is where Mother Nature pulled out all | | | | petroglyphs etched in the black lava, the |
| the stops. Simply put, it's spectacular. Hawaii | | | | numerous heiau (temples), burial caves scattered |
| vacation homes on the Big Island put you in the | | | | in the cliffs, sacred shrines both on land and in the |
| center of the action: fiery volcanoes and sparkling | | | | sea, and even the sound the wind makes as it |
| waterfalls, black-lava deserts and snowcapped | | | | blows across the desolate lava fields. Your Hawaii |
| mountain peaks, tropical rainforests and alpine | | | | villa is your point of entry into a fabulous world of |
| meadows, a glacial lake and miles of golden, black, | | | | wonders. |
| and even green-sand beaches. The Big Island has | | | | If you're into water sports, the Big Island is |
| an unmatched diversity of terrain and climate. A | | | | paradise. The two tall volcanoes mean the water |
| 50-mile drive will take you from snowy winter to | | | | on the leeward side is calm 350 days a year. The |
| sultry summer, passing through spring or fall along | | | | underwater landscape of caves, cliffs, and tunnels |
| the way. The island looks like the inside of a | | | | attracts a stunning array of colorful marine life. |
| barbecue pit on one side and a lush jungle on the | | | | The island's west coast is one of the best |
| other. The Big Island is the largest island in the | | | | destinations in the world for big-game fishing. And |
| Hawaiian chain (4,038 sq. miles -- about the size of | | | | its miles of remote coastline are a kayaker's |
| Connecticut), the youngest (800,000 years), and | | | | dream of caves, secluded coves, and |
| the least populated (with 30 people per sq. mile). It | | | | crescent-shaped beaches reachable only by sea. |
| has the highest peaks in the Pacific, the most | | | | On land, hikers, bikers, and horseback riders can |
| volcanoes of any Hawaiian island, and the newest | | | | head up and down a volcano, across beaches, into |
| land on earth. Five volcanoes -- one still erupting -- | | | | remote valleys, and through rainforests without |
| have created this continental island, which is | | | | seeing another soul. Bird-watchers are rewarded |
| growing bigger daily. At its heart is snowcapped | | | | with sightings of the rare, rapidly dwindling native |
| Mauna Kea, the world's tallest sea mountain | | | | birds of Hawaii. Golfers can find nirvana on a wide |
| (measured from the ocean floor), complete with | | | | variety of courses. This is the least-explored island |
| its own glacial lake. Mauna Kea's nearest neighbor | | | | in the Hawaiian chain, but if you're looking for |
| is Mauna Loa (or "Long Mountain"), creator of | | | | Hawaii accommodation to get away from it all and |
| one-sixth of the island; it's the largest volcano on | | | | back to nature in its most primal state, that might |
| earth, rising 30,000 feet out of the ocean floor | | | | be the best thing about it. Where else can you |
| (of course, you can see only the 13,796 ft. that | | | | witness fiery creation and swim with dolphins, |
| are above sea level). Kilauea's eruptions make the | | | | ponder the stars from the world's tallest mountain |
| Big Island bigger every day -- and, if you're lucky, | | | | and catch a blue marlin, downhill-ski and surf the |
| you can stand just a few feet away and watch it | | | | waves in a single day? You can do all this and |
| do its work. Steeped in tradition and shrouded in | | | | more on only one island in the world: the Big Island |
| the primal mist of creation, the Big Island radiates | | | | of Hawaii. |