The Hawaiian islands lie in the Pacific Ocean, two hours behind Pacific Standard Time and 10 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.

When it is noon on Wednesday, August 2 in Hawaii, it is:

The natural harmony of sunshine and trade winds creates perfect Hawaiian vacation weather. Breezes blow in from the ocean by day and down from the mountains at night. Temperatures should range from the mid 70’sF (24°C) during the day to the mid 60’sF (18°C) at night.

Water temperatures range from 75ºF at it's coldest in February to 82ºF at its warmest in September/October. It's colder in some areas where freshwater springs percolate from the ocean's floor.

Be prepared for the sheer size and diversity of the Big Island. The island is over 4,000 square miles and a circular trip around on Highways 19 and 11 is a hefty 222 miles. During that drive you pass through dozens of different terrains and climates. Put simply the island is too big and too diverse to see in a few days.

The Kona side of the island has the sunshine. The climate in Kona is as perfect as weather gets. The Kohala resort area has the highest number of sunny days of anywhere in the state. The Kona side also has far more activities available. Since it's on the leeward (toward which the wind blows) and because there are no permanent streams on the entire west side of the island, Kona has the calmest, clearest water in the state. Water sports such as swimming, snorkeling, SCUBA, fishing - name it and it is usually unmatched on the Kona side. This side also has the best beaches on the island, with some, such as Hapuna, consistently rated in the top five in the U.S. (with a few notable exceptions, the Hilo side has poor beaches.) This is one of the reasons why the Kona side has such a high visitor repeat ratio.

But stand by for a shock when you fly into Kona's International Airport for the first time. Kona makes a rotten first impression on the uninitiated airborne visitor. Part of the airport sits atop a lava flow from 1801. The first thing you think when you fly in over all that jet black lava is, "I came all this way for this?" Don't worry, it gets much better.

On the other hand, the Kona side is short on what Hilo has in abundance - green. Whereas much of the Kona side is dominated by lava, Hilo is plant heaven. The weather systems usually come from the northeast so Hilo gets around 140 inches of rain a year. This is a paradise for anything that grows. Hilo has breathtaking waterfalls and beautiful gardens. You won't find one waterfall on the Kona side. Hilo's weather has created beautiful folds and buckles in the terrain.

Hilo's weather is almost always described with one word - "rain". Hilo is the wettest city in the U.S. Annual rainfall is rarely less than 100 inches, usually much more. But rain is not a constant here. Most of the rain falls at night. When daytime showers do occur, they are often intense but short lived. That said, rain or cloudiness will be a factor here. One of the reasons Kailua-Kona is so much more popular than Hilo is that visitors like sunny weather and Hilo can't compete in that area.

Getting Around

Stop by the Destination Management Company's (Kathy Clarke) desk beside the Conference Headquarters for exciting activities available for your family. Space may be limited for some activities so confirm your desired activity as soon as possible.

To view brochures for all of these activities and many more, you can go to Island Source.