From Polar To Tropical, Hawaii’s Big Island Has It All

March 18, 2015
Hawaii

Imagine if you could visit the lush rainforests of Costa Rica, the dry, hot deserts of Arizona, the green rolling hills of Ireland, and the ice caps of Mount Fuji, all in one day.

Hawaii Island, otherwise known as the Big Island, only takes up 4,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, but it is home to four of the five major climate zones found on the planet. It’s one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world — a place where you can ski on snow and, in a matter of hours, surf in the warm ocean.

According to Pao-Shin Chu, the Hawaii State Climatologist and professor in the department of meteorology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, there are between eight and 11 subclimates on the Big Island. “It’s safe to say,” he told The Huffington Post, “Hawaii has a majority of climatic zones in the world.”

So what’s it missing? The continental climate

Below, take a quick tour through the Big Island’s ecological diversity:

Tropical:

Photograph A long fall by Soumya Roy on 500px

A long fall by Soumya Roy on 500px

Areas like the historic town of Hilo, on the windward side of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, experience an average rainfall of 130 inches a year near the coast, and as much as 200 inches closer to the mountains

Photograph Roots by Dave Weber on 500px

Roots by Dave Weber on 500px

lush hilo

Dry:

kawaihae

Compare Hilo’s nearly-constant rainfall to Kawaihae, on the Kohala coast, which only gets about 6 inches or less every year. Its location on the leeward side of the mountains make Kawaihae Bay one of the driest places in the state. Nearby, in Puako, lies one of the most extensive petroglyph fields in Hawaii

Photograph Puako Petroglyphs by Hannes Biribauer on 500px

Puako Petroglyphs by Hannes Biribauer on 500px

puako hawaii

Temperate:

Photograph Paniolo Country by Mark Rogers on 500px

Paniolo Country by Mark Rogers on 500px

The mid-range areas on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea have moderate temperatures and changeable, rainy weather. Most of the Big Island’s coffee is grown in the temperate or tropical zones because the dark, rich volcanic soil, temperate climate, morning sun, and afternoon showers make a perfect environment for growing coffee