Four Fun Ways to Experience a Multigenerational Trip to Hawaii’s Big Island

July 28, 2015By: Newswire

Helicopter view of The Big Island // Photo by Joe Pike

The Big Island Visitors Bureau recently released tips on planning the perfect multigenerational trip to the destination, specifically focusing on four fun ways to make the trip memorable.

Love To Learn

Kona Boys caters to multigenerational guests with ocean activities at its Beach Shack, located on the sands of Kamakahonu Bay in the heart of Kailua-Kona. Options include waa (canoe) paddling, and excursions detailing the rich history of Kailua Bay and the canoe's role in Hawaiian culture. In addition, Kona Boys' “Day at the Beach” package includes kayaking, snorkeling and stand up paddle boarding for groups of all sizes.

In Hilo, Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii offers visitors unique learning opportunities to explore the connection between Hawaiian cultural traditions and astronomy. The center features interactive exhibits, a 3-D full-dome planetarium and special programs designed to engage children and families in the wonders of science and technology. From now through September 27, 2015, families can learn the art and science of paper folding with Imiloa's new “Epic Origami” exhibit, showcasing works by Waimea artist Bonnie Cherni and other guests.

Get On Board

Ocean Sports‘ daily “Snorkel Adventure Cruise” includes a continental breakfast and deli-style lunch complementing a 3.5-hour trip to a reef along the Kohala Coast. Children will love jumping off the anchored boat or taking a turn behind the steering wheel as it cruises the coastline. Grandparents will appreciate the comfortable deck seating and easy water access via each catamaran's “staircase to the sea” ladder. Meanwhile, parents can relax in comfort, knowing that everyone in the family is happy and having fun.

Fair Wind Cruises in Kailua-Kona welcomes families aboard two vessels. Hula Kai, a 55-foot Teknicraft power catamaran, takes guests to pristine snorkel spots, offering up spectacular Kona Coast views along the way. On Fair Wind II, a custom-built, 60-foot aluminum catamaran with a covered deck, ocean fun for guests begins with two 15-foot water slides and a high-jump platform. Equipped with windowed boogie boards, swimming noodles, custom-made view-boxes and inner tubes, the entire family will enjoy the ocean safely under the watchful eyes of experienced, lifeguard-certified crew members.

Expect the Unexpected

KapohoKine Adventures offers “Secrets of Puna” as a private tour for large family groups looking to immerse themselves in the lush greenery and stark, black lava flows of Hilo and the Puna district. The tour includes a visit to Kalapana, the historic Hawaiian fishing village engulfed by a 1990 lava flow from Kilauea volcano. It also includes stops at the black sand beach at Kaimu, the jagged lava cliffs of MacKenzie State Park, the sentinel-like tree molds of Lava Tree State Monument, and an intimate barbecue lunch at the historic Star of the Sea Painted Church.

Ten minutes south of Kona International Airport at Keahole, hidden amidst acres of hardened lava, is the oceanside oasis Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, one of Hawaii Island‘s five National Park Service sites. A tour through the history of the area's long-ago Hawaiian residents takes visitors to kii pohaku (petroglyphs) etched in stone and the Kaloko and Aimakapa fishponds, one of the first aquaculture systems created by early Hawaiians.

Be Entertained

A distinct cultural and educational experience, Island Breeze Luau, held at Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, takes place alongside Ahuena Heiau, a sacred temple restored by King Kamehameha the Great between 1812 and 1813. Families will be enthralled by graceful hula performances, Fijian and Maori dances of war, a Samoan fire knife dance, an imu (underground oven) ceremony and more.

Founders' Day at the Kona Coffee Living History Farm in Captain Cook offers up a day of family-fun activities bringing the story of the Kona Coast's pioneer coffee farmers to life. The farm is open throughout the year. But the Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union-sponsored Founders' Day, happening Oct. 24, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be a special afternoon and morning.

The free event, which celebrates the sustainable farming practices of the area's coffee pioneers, will include a lunch prepared by Hawaii Island chef Sam Choy, Kona coffee tastings, entertainment, artisan demonstrations and tours of the historic farm and farmhouse, founded in the 1920s.

Big Island Visitors Bureau (BIVB) is a chapter of Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, Hawaii's tourism marketing agency for North America.

Visit www.gohawaii.com/hawaii-island