One of the best places to experience relatively untouched, native Hawaiian wildlife is within the boundaries of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The park service takes great pains to keep the area free of foreign plants and animals that have come to dominate so much of the real estate of Hawai'i. Ohia tress and ferns are among the larger plants that are first noticed by visitors to Kilauea, particularly the beautiful red "lehua" blossoms of the ohia.

Hawaiian mythology is rich in legends that describe the origins and characteristics of many of the native species. For instance, the local name of the tree fern, hapu'u, literally means "breath of the hill". The story behind this name, as described by my friend Jay, a park ranger with a general knowledge of Hawaiian culture, is that the young hapu'u grows upward until it is too heavy to support itself, at which point it falls over. New roots spring from the fallen trunk, and again it grows towards the sun. Again gravity pulls it back to the ground, and so on... This cycle continues, like long slow breathing, thus earning the fern species its name.

Elsewhere around the island a variety of tropical plants and animals thrive. The frequent rain on the east side of the island supports the growth of lush vegetation. Take a nice cool stroll through a forest of tall bamboo at Akaka Falls state park, situated on Mauna Kea's northeastern slopes. Or chill out with a slow drive along the old roads of the Hamakua coast, during which you will cross numerous valleys cut by waterfalls, blanketed with the shiny green reflections of huge, wet leaves.

Most of the animal wildlife that is easily seen by visitors resides in the ocean. However, no discussion of the Big Island would be complete without mentioning the nene - the Hawaiian goose, which incidentally is also the state bird. The nene are lucky to exist as a species today. Prior to human arrival, they had very few natural predators. As such, they developed habits that made them relatively easy prey for foreign invaders. For instance, they nest on the ground, turning their eggs into quick snacks for passing mongoose (which were introduced in a vain attempt to control the rat population). Intense protective measures had to be taken to stabilize the nene population, and it hangs in a tenuous balance, requiring constant human supervision. So far it has the beginnings of a success story, and you can often see nene in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

But it is the sea life experience that thrills most ecotourists. Go to any beach with a bit of reef and you are likely to encounter turtles, dolphins, scores of brightly colored reef fish, and other marine dwellers. At night some hotels shine bright lights into the water to attract plankton, which in turn attracts huge manta rays - you can see them gliding by just offshore while you sip your maitai at the waterfront bar! A couple of places that are almost sure bets for checking out green sea turtles are Punalu'u black sand beach (southeast coast) and the bay adjacent to Pu'u Honua O Honaunau (southwest coast). Bring a mask and snorkel!