A great way to get oriented to the Big Island is to go for a long drive. It's possible to drive completely around the island in a day, with time to stop here and there to catch a few of the sights. Going clockwise from Kailua-Kona, you can drive north on Hwy. 19 along the Kohala Coast to Kawaihae and then up the hill to Kamuela/Waimea. From there, it's down to Hilo and then on Hwy. 11 through the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A few more hours around and up the west coast, and you're back to Kona.

You can also travel east and west over the Saddle Road (Highway 200). It's a hilly two-lane road over the tall saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and some car rental agencies don't want their renters driving that way. It is, though, an interesting and scenic drive connecting Waimea and Hilo.

Another way to get oriented is to take a circle-island or other commercial day tour on a bus. Polynesian Adventure Tours conducts circle-island and volcano tours. 329-8008 1-800-622-3011 www.polyad.com sales@polyad.com

Robert's Hawaii can also take you for a spin around the Big Island or tour through the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. 329-1688 1-800-831-5541 www.robertshawaii.com

To find out what's going on while you're on Hawaii, pick up a copy of This Week: Big Island, which is distributed in many tourist venues.