Hawaii Island - "The Big Island"
Orchid Isle Real Estate is operating from the district of Puna, which is located on the southeast coast of Hawaii Island - also known as "the Big Island". Most people make the logical mistake that Honolulu, Waikiki, Pearl Harbor and all the rest of what the island of O'ahu is famous for would be on the Big Island of Hawaii. They are not. Adding to the confusion are the many names we have for our island. Some call it the "Orchid Isle", due to the 100,000 plus species of orchids grown here. Sometimes we are referred to as the "Volcano Island", which is also pretty reasonable since we are sitting on Kilauea, an active and often very spectacular volcano. "Big Island", however, is the name most people who live in the state call this magical place. The Big Island is a land of myths and legends that are never really far from our minds, since we are always conscious of the mountains, the jungle, the sea and especially the volcano -- the natural elements that gave rise to the legends and myths themselves. According to Hawaiian legends, Hawaii's Big Island is the home of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire. For many years Pele shaped and formed her new abode, using red-hot lava to create her unique fortress. Early Hawaiians respected and honored Pele, and made offerings to please her or placate her wrath. Today, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park preserves and features the region's unique volcanic features, its early human history and the plant and animal life that are part of this special bioregion.
Environment
The Hawaiian Islands have a wide variety of plant, marine and animal life. Vegetation zones include: coastal, dryland forest, mixed open forest, rain forest, subalpine and alpine. More than 90 percent of the native plants and animals living in Hawaii are found nowhere else in the world, and a greater variety of fish exist in Hawaiian waters than elsewhere. Hawaii is sometimes called the Endangered Species Capital of the World. At least one third of all the endangered species in the United States are found in Hawaii including the Nene Goose (official state bird), the Humpback Whale (official state marine mammal), the Pacific Green Sea Turtle (Honu) and the Hawaiian owl (Pueo).The Hawaiian Islands
With over 2,000 miles from the nearest landfall, Hawaii is the most remote island chain in the world. Hawaii consists of eight major islands plus 124 minor islands, reefs and shoals, strung across the Pacific for over 1,500 miles. The eight major islands are Oahu, Maui, Hawaii (known as "the Big Island"), Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe (uninhabited) and Niihau (privately owned). Each of the major islands has a personality all its own. Oahu is as different from Molokai and Maui as Kauai is from Lanai and the Big Island. With their collective mass of 4.1 million acres or 6,450 square miles, these islands form the fourth smallest state in the United States. Hawaii's story is that of creation - islands born from the Pacific depths some 40 million years ago. Hawaii continues to be shaped by the capricious forces of fire, magma, rains, and winds. About 30 miles southwest of the active volcano Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii, the newest island in the chain, Loihi, is forming - the newest land on earth.Weather
Weather on all of the Hawaiian Islands is very consistent, with only minor changes in temperature throughout the year. This is due to year-round warm sea surface temperatures, which keep the overlying atmosphere warm as well. In practical terms, there are only 2 seasons: the summer months (called Kau in Hawaiian) that extend from May to October and the winter months (Ho'oilo) that run from November to April. The average daytime summer temperature at sea level is 85 degrees F. (29.4 C) while the average daytime winter temperature is 78 degrees (25.6 C). Temperatures at night are approximately 10 degrees F. lower.
The islands are an incredible collection of many diverse micro-environments, each with its own unique weather, plants and animals. As a result of the shielding effect of volcanic mountains and the differences in weather found at various elevations, there are as many different climate zones. All this creates the beauty of tropical rain forests, cool alpine regions, stony deserts and sunny beaches - all within the span of just a few short miles.
Through most of the year, Hawaiian weather patterns are affected primarily by high-pressure zones in the north Pacific that pump cool, moist trade winds down onto the island's northeastern slopes. This holds true for most of the summer and approximately half of the time in the winter. These winds are forced up-slope by the mountain heights where their moisture condenses into clouds that produce rain. Most of the rain falls in the mountains and valleys on the windward (northeastern) side of the islands. It is this weather phenomenon that creates the rich tropical environment for Hawaii's flowers and verdant greens. The wettest months are from November - March, but winter rains do not generally disrupt vacation plans, since the weather is much localized. This means that if it is raining where you are, there is almost always a sunny spot to be found around the coast.
The action of trade winds here means that there is always a cooling breeze. The strength of this wind builds as the heat of the day rises and reaches a peak in the afternoon, only to diminish in the evening and start again the next day. Several times during the year the trade winds will stop completely and the wind will switch around to come out of the South or West, bringing stormy or hot sticky weather. Islanders sometimes call this "Kona" weather, because Kona means leeward or South, and this points to the direction from which these weather systems arrive. Stormy weather comes to the islands, primarily in the winter and sometimes lingers for several days.
Water and Surf
Hawaii's near-shore water temperatures remain comfortable throughout the year. The average water temperature is 74 degrees F. (23.3 C), with a summer high of 80 degrees F. (26.7 C). Wave action varies dramatically between winter and summer, and between island coasts. Summer waters are typically very gentle on all beaches. This changes in the winter on many north-facing beaches, as storms far out into the Pacific Ocean swell towards the islands, building large breaking waves for the enjoyment of surfers.
As with island rains, wave conditions are often much localized, so if there is too much surf on your beach, you can usually find calmer water at a more sheltered beach. Strong currents can make any beach unsafe at any time during the year, but this is particularly true in the winter.