14. Puuhonua O Honaunau Landmark
Rte. 160, a narrow coastal route, crosses the crusty lava of the Keei plain as it heads south toward Honaunau Bay and Puuhonua, the island’s only remaining ancient place of refuge. Until 1819 the protocol of daily life in Hawaii was governed by kapu, a sacred code of rules and prohibitions. Sanctuaries like the one here were set aside for defeated warriors and transgressors, who were spared execution and reinstated into society if they managed to reach one of these havens.
Highlights at the 180-acre historical park include ancient royal fish ponds, a wall fitted with jagged lava, a heiau that once held the remains of 23 chiefs, and countless wide-eyed tiki idols. From Puuhonua Rte.160 winds through groves of macadamia nut trees. A side road leads to St. Benedict’s Church. Its interior is embellished with folksy biblical murals — the handiwork of a priest.
15. Milolii
A paved spur off Rte. 11 descends to the black sands of Hookena Beach Park, a good spot for surfing. Farther south, a narrow road weaves across sterile lava flows toward Milolii, where fishermen ply the waters in motorized outriggers, one of Hawaii’s last fishing villages.
16. Ka Lae
As the drive rounds the southern tip of the island, take the turnoff at South Point Road for a visit to Ka Lae, the southernmost point in the United States — nearly 500 miles farther south than Key West. Some historians believe that Hawaii’s first settlers landed here, perhaps as early as A.D. 150.
17. Punaluu Beach Park
Rte. 11 passes through Naalehu — the southernmost town in America — before angling north to squeeze between the coastline and Mauna Loa’s massive shoulder. Up ahead is one of the region’s best recreation spots, Punaluu Black Sand Beach, made popular by its blacksand beach and sea turtles.
18. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
As Rte.11 climbs between Mauna Loa, the world’s most massive mountain, and Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano, the drama mounts with every passing mile. The Hawaiian islands grew over millions of years as rivers of lava poured from their volcanoes, and the spurts of glowing red lava that Kilauea coughs up remind us that the process continues today.
Leaving the visitor center, follow Crater Rim Drive for 11 miles encircles Kilauea Caldera. Stops along the way include the Jaggar Museum, panoramic overlooks of multiple craters, and short walks to steam vents. The half-mile-Devastation Trail winds through what had been an ohia forest before a 1959 eruption devastated the area. At Thurston (Nahuku) Tube, thick tree ferns and ohia trees nearly engulf lava tunnels, leftovers from an ancient flow.
Barren landscapes quickly give way to forested slopes as the loop draws to a close. Descending 4,000 feet from volcanic marvels to a black lava shoreline, the drive reveals more of the scenic diversity of Hawaii’s Big Island paradise.
