Iv'e only been over in the Hamma Kua side for 5 1/2 days and wow is it different over here. If you have fallen victim like I was to the "Hawaii is all tropical and its all beaches for days" let me fill you in.
Not only is Hawai'i a vast chain of Islands all ranging in size and weather patterns, climates, types of people, but the Big Island in particular has some of the most diverse living on the planet. The Big Island of Hawaii has a wide variety weather patterns. Of the 13 climate zones on Planet Earth Big Island has 11 of them. You can go from the beach to a snow covered mountain in a little over an hour!
You have everything except the Sahara desert and the Arctic! You can go from 1.5 inch annual in Waikaloa to 211 inches annual in Kahuna Falls.
I was much lower in elevation in Pahoa on Puna side than where I am not and it makes a HUGE difference. There are very few tropical looking things up where I am now. It feels more like woods mountain forest with big old growth Ohea and Koa tress than anything. No palm trees up here let me tell ya. Im in the forest. Kinda feels like an overcast Rockie Mountain day when the sun isnt out. If you don't go into town for a few days (which is a literal 4x4 trip down the mountain) you can absolutely forget you are on a tropical island. Its really crazy.
I dont have many pictures yet mostly because I have limited internet usage but Ill get some up soon so
I can share more about where Im at now.
The coolest thing is on a clear day I can the see observatory on Mauna Kea (which is 10,000 plus feet elevation up) from my back yard, talk about the cleanest air on the planet geezzzz. Pretty cool.
