Kohala coast on the Big Island of Hawaii
The Big Island of Hawaii is BIG. Unless you are staying for an extended amount of time, it helps to target your visit to one or two parts of the island and hopefully come back another time. This post will focus in on the northwest and North Kohala Coast.
~General Tips For Visiting Hawaii Gluten Free~
~Stay in a place with a kitchen. Grocery stores have plenty of gluten free options and local farmer’s markets/fish mongers have amazing local and fresh options.
~Hawaii is a great place for picnics, especially if you’re up for exploring the smaller beaches that you can only access by trail.
~Higher-end resorts tend to be more successful preparing and serving gluten free meals. If you don’t stay at one, you can still make reservations at their restaurants and beach bars. Make sure to call ahead to find out what their gluten free options are.
~Beaches are open to the public, even the resorts’ beaches.
~A note about the Volcano. If your primary interest is seeing active lava, check on the volcanic activity before you go because it’s a long drive from the northwest area of the island, definitely a day trip, or even an overnight trip. Sometimes the lava is easy to get to, sometimes it’s a longer hot walk/hike over lava rock and sometimes there isn’t any visible activity. You can always check out the volcano by helicopter; take a look at Big Island Helicopter Tours.
~Two Local Fish Mongers~
1) Da Fish House
This is my favorite place to pick up fresh local fish. Sometimes you get lucky and the fish arrives when you do. If you can eat gluten, Da Fish House does sell Poke that you can take away and/or they can build you a bowl for lunch. That being said, you can buy your fish of choice and make your own Poke with gluten free ingredients in the kitchen at your place.
2) Ocean Fresh Fish
Ocean Fresh Fish is a new fish monger for me. You can sign up to receive a text about their daily offerings. They sell both local seafood as well as seafood from Alaska, Washington and Oregon. While not everything is local, sometimes it’s nice to pick up a favorite that you’d get at home, like salmon.
~Two trails~
1) Pololu Valley Lookout & Black Sand Beach
A bit east from the small town Hawi*, on the north side of the island, is Pololu Valley lookout and its black sand beach. If you’re an early bird, it’s a great place to watch the sunrise. It is also a great place for a picnic lunch. The hike is short, only a 1/2 mile, but very steep; you drop about 500 ft in that 1/2 mile. Kids can do it, but they might not love the walk back up; luckily there are plenty of places to stop, rest and check out the views.
*As for the little town of Hawi, it’s a fun place to stop and wander around. I can’t say anything about safe gluten free food options, other then picking up food from the store and grabbing a coffee or tea, but the town is full of great little shops that sell local art, crystals, clothes and other home decor.
Also, the road between Hawi and Waimea takes you up and over the Kohala Volcano, it’s a beautiful drive with amazing views.
2) The Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site & part of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is a 200 mile trail that goes from the north end of the island, down along the west and south coasts, through the Volcano’s National Park and into Puna on the east side of the island. In the section of trail between the Mauna Kea Beach Resort, which has an amazing beach, and the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, there are a couple of beautiful and protected sandy beaches: Mau’umae Beach and Spencer Park Beach.
The Mau’umae Beach does not have any facilities and can be reached via a small service road within the Mauna Kea Resort, but the resort gate only hands out 10 passes per day. It can also be reached by walking south on the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail from Spencer Park Beach.
Spencer Park Beach has a parking lot, bathrooms and outdoor shower facilities as well as a couple old phone booths.
The Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site is great to visit for local history and can be reached from the Kawaihae Road or by walking north on the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail from Spencer Park Beach. Click here to learn more about Pu'ukohola Heiau.
~Fresh Produce & Flowers~
Near Da Fish House, Spencer Park Beach and the Pu'ukohola Heiau is a small covered fresh produce and flower stand that is tucked into a parking lot and is open daily. I would recommend going there before you go to a larger grocery store and stock up on very fresh and local produce.
Tip: let the woman know when you’d like your fruit to be ripe and she will pick out the perfect piece, and go there early in your vacation to buy flowers for your place.
~Mauna Kea Beach Resort Luau!~
You can find more detailed information about how we went to and safely ate at the Mauna Kea Luau by checking out this previous blog post.
While this is a small sample of what you can do on The Big Island of Hawaii, I hope it is helpful.
~Safe Travels~
If you would like additional support navigating living gluten free…
Disclaimer:
While we have more than eleven years’ experience of navigating the world as the parents of a child with Celiacs, we are not physicians, nutritionists, or other licensed medical professionals. The material and content contained in the Services is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for consultation, diagnosis or medical treatment by a licensed medical professional. Please consult your doctor for any medical or health-related questions. The information contained in the Services should NOT be used to disregard medical or health-related advice from a physician or licensed medical professional.