One of the areas of the Big Island of Hawaii that is least explored by visitors is the region of Kohala, consisting of North Kohala and South Kohala.
A drive north on Highway 270 from the Big Island's western port town of Kawaihae takes you past Lapakahi State Historical Park, the birth site of Kamehameha I and Mo'okini Heiau, through the quiet towns of Hawi and Kapa'au to the beautiful Pololu Valley Overlook.
North Kohala is an area of the Big Island that is still not widely developed, where the roads find minimal traffic and where you'll have plenty of space to yourself to explore the beauty of old Hawaii.
If you're staying at one of the resorts that stretch along Highway 19 from Keahole Airport near Kailua-Kona to Kauna'oa Beach and the luxurious Mauna Kea Resort, your journey to the Kohala Region begins just a few miles north where Highway 19 veers inland towards ranch-land and the paniolo town of Waimea.
