The Big Island of Hawaii was my home for a number of years and remains one of my favorite destinations. The largest of the Hawaiian Islands, it encompasses a full range of environments, from arid desert to tropical rainforest. Plentiful rainfall on the Hamakua Coast and in the Hilo area – the northeast side of the island – makes for lush forest and a number of waterfalls that are great subjects for nature photography.
The best known of the Big Island’s waterfalls is Akaka Falls. A short walk in Akaka Falls State Park on the Hamakua Coast leads to a great view of Kolekole Stream plunging 442 feet into a deep bowl. A few feet further on the trail, you can get a look at cascading Kahuna Falls. A couple of small trickling waterfalls and a bamboo forest are also good photo subjects at Akaka Falls State Park.
Further north on the Hamakua Coast, near the community of Hakalau, Umauma Stream pours over lava cliffs to form a triple waterfall. The best view of these falls is from World Botanical Gardens, which is also a great place to photograph tropical plants and flowers like bromeliads, orchids, and ginger.
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, just north of Hilo, is the location for Onomea Falls, and another great place for photography with an extensive collection of exotic flora.
Vying with Akaka Falls as the most popular and most visited of the Big Island’s waterfalls is Rainbow Falls, just a short distance from downtown Hilo. The best time to try and catch the rainbow formed when the sun hits the spray of the waterfall is between 9-10 am. I recommend that photographers get there a little earlier, because right about that time busloads of tour groups arrive so it can be difficult to get in position for just the right angle on the falls.
If you’d like to see more photographs of Hawaii Island, please see my Big Island photo gallery.
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