HILO, Hawaii _ The first time you fly into the Kona Coast on Hawaii's Big Island, you'll be struck by two things: the nearly relentless sunshine (moderated by volcanic smoke that locals call "vog") and the vast, barren fields of black lava rock stretching northward, more testimony to this island's active volcanoes.
The first time you cross the island to the town of Hilo, you'll likely notice two different things: (A) It rains. A lot. (B) It's very green.
Two massive volcanic peaks, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, split this island and serve to "catch" the weather systems that ride on trade winds from the east.
That means the Hilo side gets the rain _ and it also means the Hilo side gets something pretty special in Hawaii: waterfalls.
