The Big Island’s Kohala Coast Delivers a Luxurious Lesson in Hawaiian Culture. Text & Photos by: Matt Kettmann. I am hot on the heels of Uncle Gary’s flip-flops, trying to keep up as he leads me on a ...

A Kohala mainstay since 1965 and the coast’s first resort, Mauna Kea is situated on the crescent-shaped Kaunaoa Beach, a natural white sand beach that is arguably the hotel’s main attraction.