STORIES

Hawai‘i’s Big Island (usually “the Big Island” for clarity by everyone except locals who correctly call it Hawai‘i) is a place of primal power and elemental spirit. Diversity is its middle name and almost unbelievable superlatives are its calling card. Let’s start with her -est claims to fame. She boasts the clearest skies on the planet; the two tallest mountain peaks in the world as measured from the sea bottom; Hawai‘i’s best collection of world-class resorts; the most active volcano; the southernmost point in the U.S.; the most powerful telescopes in the world; the calmest waters in the state; and the most feared Hawaiian goddess (Pele). Variety and dichotomy are the spice of Big Island life. She is ...