On your next Hawaiian getaway, drive to see volcanic cliffs on the Big Island, Waimea Canyon on Kauai or the beautiful beaches of the North Shore on Oahu.
Chain of Craters Road, Big Island (Island of Hawaii)
Living up to its name, Chain of Craters Road, within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,
hopscotches from one geothermal wonder to another, from volcanic sea
cliffs and its namesake craters to a natural bridge by the sea. Though
the route runs for just 30 km, it’s best to take your time on the drive.
Put aside at least a half day, as you’ll want to make several stops
along the way to take in the cinder fields and areas where liquid hot
lava has covered the road, leaving black rock in its wake. You can
sometimes even catch a glimpse of the lava flow from Kilauea, but if
not, head to the parking lot of the Jaggar Museum at sundown to spot the
reflected glow from a nearby lake of lava.
Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway and Kokee Road, Kauai
Running a little more than 30 km on Kauai’s sun-soaked south shore, the Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway has dozens of worthy stops, including the National Tropical Botanical Garden and Old Koloa Town,
whose plantation-style buildings have been preserved in a
still-charming main street lined with shops. Just beyond the Holo Holo
Koloa Scenic Byway, about 35 minutes from the Poipu resort area, Kokee Road
(part of State Route 550) provides several surreal opportunities to
pull off at overlooks and take in the multi-hued colours of Waimea
Canyon. Formed over millions of years, Waimea’s deep reds, greens and
even blues cut a path across more than 22 km of Kauai and are known as
the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
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North Shore, Oahu
An hour’s trek from the flash of Waikiki, Oahu’s North
Shore remains wild, lined with (often empty) natural beaches, amazing
surf at Sunset Beach and the Banzai Pipeline, and friendly
neighbourhoods where signs along Kamehameha Highway exhort passersby to
“keep the country country”—a subtle message that residents intend to
maintain the quiet charms of this side of the island. Be sure to stop at
legendary Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, as well as Kualoa Ranch, where a number of blockbuster movies, including Jurassic Park,
have been filmed. Tucked away down a short path along the highway,
Kawela Bay has also been captured on film; it served as a stand-in for
Panem’s battleground in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
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