Travel and Leisure

1) Fire and Falls Adventure Tours. The iconic, breathtaking fire and falls tours the big island's plentiful on-going volcanic eruptions and mind-blowing waterfalls. There is a multitude of ways to views these natural wonders, beginning with simple hiking tours to full fledge airborne heli tours. It's basically left up to your budget and your measure of adventure. But either way, the big island of Hawaii offers what most never see in their lifetime: boiling hot lava spilling into the sea, misty mountains of water cascading into chasms of un-penetrable depth. The lava will make you marvel, while the waterfalls make for a quick cooling bath or a wondrous romantic encounter. These sights are good for the young, the old and the young at heart. In other words, they are reasons alone to visit the big island. Don't delay or sit them out by staying at the hotel pool.

2) Visit the coastline. Don't just sit on one patch of white sandy beach, although the shore of Waikiki might hold you hostage. Instead, get out there and tour the entire swath of unbridled coastline. Again, depending on your stomach, you can travel by foot, rented jeep, canoe, zodiac, power boat, helicopter (ask to leave the doors open for a truly magnificent experience) or flipper. Each piece of beach seems to be vastly different. From the cooling lava rock to the pristine patches of sand so fine, it's a miracle to think the waves actually could pound it so fine.

3) As you visit these beaches, don't just sit there; get wet. As gorgeous as the shimmering tops of the waves and the sun blanched sand is, there is an entire other universe that waits just below the surface of the warm water. Grab a flipper, a snorkel or even a scuba tank to chill with thousands of kinds of salt water fish and coral reef formations. There are plenty of tours, glass bottom boats and even free diving expeditions you can embark on. There are also night excursions for the strong willed- experience incredible sights of manta rays, sharks, and other fish in the darkness. Either way, be sure to see all sides of this Big Island paradise, both the dry and the wet.

4) Zodiac Raft Whale Watching. There's really no better way to go out and sightsee for whales than to do it in a vessel that is smaller than they are. Talk about getting your heart racing. Get on your Captain Ahab here and go after the big fish in a small boat!

5) Take a surfing lesson. The beaches at Kona and Waikiki are incredible spots to learn how to surf. The reason? Mild, long point breaks that allow for smaller waves to cascade gently in to shore. You'll find lots of surfing locals to help you here; learning to surf is big business on the big island.

6) Leave the tennis, golfing, sunbathing and shuffleboard behind. With all of these incredible natural wonders to bask in on the Big Island, leave the more pedestrian forms of leisure on the mainland.