Kona District, Hawaii

Kona is a district on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi in the state of Hawaii. It is well known for its special Kona coffee and for hosting the Ironman World Championship Triathlon each year. The district of Kona is split into two parts: North Kona, called Kona ʻAkau, and South Kona, called Kona Hema.

The biggest town in Kona is Kailua-Kona. Other towns in the area include Kealakekua, Keauhou, Holualoa, Hōnaunau, and Honalo. All of these towns are part of Hawaiʻi County, which helps manage the area.

Description

In the Hawaiian language, kona means the dry side of an island, unlike ko‘olau, which means the wet side. Long ago, in Ancient Hawaiʻi, each big island had a leeward area called Kona. The big island of Hawai‘i gets wet, northeast winds that drop rain on the windward side, leaving the leeward side dry. Sometimes, the winds change and bring storms from the west, called Kona storms.

Kona is famous for hosting the Ironman World Championship Triathlon every October in Kailua-Kona. It is also home to important historical places like the Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park, where Captain James Cook passed away in 1779, as well as Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park and Honokohau Settlement and Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.

The slopes of the Hualālai and Mauna Loa volcanoes create perfect conditions for growing coffee, making Kona coffee one of the world's finest. Kona is also where the international Christian group YWAM and the University of the Nations have major bases.

In popular culture

The Kona District inspired a song called "Kona Coast" by the Beach Boys, which appeared on their 1978 album M.I.U. Album. An asteroid named 284891 Kona was discovered in 2009 by astronomers at the ESA Optical Ground Station and is named after this area. The official name was shared by the Minor Planet Center on January 16, 2014 (M.P.C. 86717).

Transportation

Kona International Airport is located in North Kona. This airport helps people travel to and from the area.