Photography Tour in Kona

Free Photography Tour in Kona with Roamee Pro

Roamee Pro, also known as Roamee, offers a free photography tour route in Kona. The audio walking tour can include stops such as Ali'i Drive — This 9.6-kilometer coastal road stretching from Kailua-Kona south to Keauhou was named for the Hawaiian ali'i (royalty) who once lived along this shore. The road passes Hulihe'e Palace, a 19th-century royal vacation home now operating as a museum, Mokuaikaua Church built in 1820 as the first Christian church in the Hawaiian Islands, and Kona's famous seawall where locals fish, jog, and watch some of Hawaii's most spectacular sunsets over the calm Kona waters., plus hidden gems like Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park — This 467-hectare coastal park north of Kailua-Kona preserves one of the most significant concentrations of ancient Hawaiian archaeological sites in the islands, including Kaloko fishpond, a 3-hectare enclosure bounded by a massive stone seawall that ancient Hawaiians used to farm fish. The park's beaches are a major resting site for endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles, and its lava fields contain over 200 petroglyphs depicting human figures, canoes, and spiritual symbols. and Two Step (Honaunau Bay) — Named for the two natural lava-rock steps that serve as a convenient entry point into the water, this shore-dive and snorkeling spot just north of Puuhonua o Honaunau offers some of the Big Island's best underwater visibility, often exceeding 30 meters. The rocky shelf drops off quickly to a coral-covered slope where divers encounter yellow tang, moorish idols, octopus, and occasionally manta rays cruising along the reef wall at dusk..

Use this page as a starting point for a Kona walking tour, a free route, or the Roamee app for Kona. Roamee Pro keeps the route flexible so you can follow the stops, skip ahead, or explore nearby streets at your own pace.

• •Ali'i Drive — This 9.6-kilometer coastal road stretching from Kailua-Kona south to Keauhou was named for the Hawaiian ali'i (royalty) who once lived along this shore. The road passes Hulihe'e Palace, a 19th-century royal vacation home now operating as a museum, Mokuaikaua Church built in 1820 as the first Christian church in the Hawaiian Islands, and Kona's famous seawall where locals fish, jog, and watch some of Hawaii's most spectacular sunsets over the calm Kona waters.

• •Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park — This 467-hectare coastal park north of Kailua-Kona preserves one of the most significant concentrations of ancient Hawaiian archaeological sites in the islands, including Kaloko fishpond, a 3-hectare enclosure bounded by a massive stone seawall that ancient Hawaiians used to farm fish. The park's beaches are a major resting site for endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles, and its lava fields contain over 200 petroglyphs depicting human figures, canoes, and spiritual symbols.
• •Two Step (Honaunau Bay) — Named for the two natural lava-rock steps that serve as a convenient entry point into the water, this shore-dive and snorkeling spot just north of Puuhonua o Honaunau offers some of the Big Island's best underwater visibility, often exceeding 30 meters. The rocky shelf drops off quickly to a coral-covered slope where divers encounter yellow tang, moorish idols, octopus, and occasionally manta rays cruising along the reef wall at dusk.

• ›Work the edges of the day. The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset (plus the blue hour just after) give warm, low, directional light that flat midday can't.
• ›Shoot Ali'i Drive wide for the establishing frame, then hunt the details — a doorway, a sign, a texture — that tell the same story up close.
• ›Chase reflections after rain: puddles, wet cobbles, and glass turn an ordinary street into a symmetrical frame.
• ›Turn around. The best shot is often behind you — and quieter spots like Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park give you angles no one else is posting.
• ›Photograph people with respect: a nod or a smile first, and skip anyone who clearly doesn't want the lens. Better photos, fewer problems.