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Hawaii's Main Attractions

During our online chat (most Mondays at 2 p.m.), you ask and we answer your travel questions -- mostly. Here's one we couldn't get to last week.

We are heading to Hawaii's Big Island for five days. Besides the usual (Volcanoes National Park), what are other places that we absolutely should not miss?

Nothing quite puts life in perspective like coming face to face with a torrent of molten magma, so be sure to see Kilauea, which has been erupting continuously since 1983. You can hike or take a helicopter tour. Playing in the water (swimming, surfing, fishing, boating) is an obvious must; consider a snorkeling or kayaking trip in gorgeous Kealakekua Bay, off the Kona coast. Two more ideas: Explore the island's coffee plantations (get a driving-tour map from the tourism office) and stargaze atop 13,796-foot Mauna Kea. With only five days you can't do it all, but try to drive around the island a bit to get a sense of its size and extraordinary diversity: It's the largest and least populated of all the Hawaiian islands, with scenery ranging from snowy to lush to desolate. For more info: Big Island Visitors Bureau, 808-886-1655, http://www.gohawaii.com/bigisland.

-- K.C.S.