Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, Honaunau

Visited here on our last trip to the big island. It is a good history lesson for how Hawaiians used to live. The ground is Rocky because of all of the lava. If you have kids watch them close so they don't get hurt exploring. The rocks are in their natural state & haven't been secured along the paths. My kids enjoyed pick up different sizes of lava rock & noticing the weight differences. The old villages we're well displayed also. We spent about an hour exploring. If you want to complete the Jr. Ranger program they said it takes about 4-5 hours, something we wanted to do but didn't have time for. Lots of palm trees and coconut. They also have a few Hawaiian games. We saw a sea turtle in the bay area & it is located near a popular swimming area.

Definitely worth the time to go down and see the city of Refuge. The walk through the state park was fascinating. We saw a huge herd of wild goats! The palm trees are spectacular. Nearby snorkeling was a lot of fun.

Great spot to go to for a day. The national park had a great interpretive trail that led through the remains of a culturally important Hawaiian site. An incredible ~10’ high lava rock wall is still standing that stretches around the ancient refuge. The interpretive shows are definitely worth seeing to learn the significance behind the site. There’s also a longer hike along a cliffside trail with stunning scenery and lots of feral goats. Be sure to hike a little past the ramp up the cliff and around the bend towards a concrete tomb because the trail leads to a beautiful cove you can look down on. Definitely worth the hike!! Right next to the park is Two Step, a beach made from sheets of cooled lava jutting. The snorkelling is excellent here (although it can be challenging to safely get into and out of the water from the rocks). Sea turtle sightings are very common!

This place epitomizes the beauty of Hawaii. Peaceful, serene, sacred. Very well maintained park with lots of different spots to explore. There is a beautiful grove of palm trees outside the lava wall, and it leads to a smooth lava rock area with lots of tide pools. Be careful if it's sunny when you're here, as it can get very hot and overwhelming quickly. Bring a hat and plenty of water and you'll be fine.

This is one of the better places to snorkel on the Big Island. The water can be entered either from a beach to the left or by way of a lava outcrop which will quickly get you into deeper water. And there is the bonus of being next to a National Historic Place that has excellent displays of old Hawaiian culture.