ASHS Annual Conference - American Society for Horticultural Science

Hawaii’s Big Island — Fast Facts
Climate: Average temperature: 75°–85° F.
Highest Elevation: 13,796 feet (Mauna Kea).
Hawaii’s Big Island is the youngest and largest of the
Hawaiian Islands.
Island nickname: Hawaii’s Island of Adventure.
Island Flower: Red Lehua Ohia.
Major Airports: Kona International Airport (KOA) in Kona on
the west (closest to Conference site).
Hawaii Island is the birthplace of King Kamehameha the
Great, who fi rst united the Hawaiian Islands under one rule.
Kealakekua Bay was the site of Captain James Cook’s fi rst
Big Island landfall in 1779.
Time Zone: Hawaii Standard Time (GMT-10 hours), 5 hours
behind U.S. East Coast, 6 hours behind during Daylight Saving
Time (Hawaii does not observe Daylight Saving Time, March
through November).
Area code: The area code for all of Hawaii is (808)
Of all the islands, Hawaii’s Big Island is the most ecologically
diverse, with natural environments ranging from the desert plains
of Ka‘ū to the rain forests above Hilo, to sometimes- snowcapped
Mauna Kea. There are said to be all but two of earth’s main climate
zones on Hawaii Island: the Arctic and the Saharan.
Major industries include astronomy, tourism, and
agriculture.
Source: Hawaii Tourism Authority
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Notice for International Registrants:
Please allow suffi cient time to contact the proper offi cials in your country and
obtain the necessary visas for travel to and from the conference. If you fail to
obtain a travel visa, requests for registration refunds will be granted only if the
visa application has been refused and ASHS is informed of this 30 days prior
to the start of the conference. The request for refund must be accompanied
by a copy of the refusal letter from the embassy. A request for refund may be
denied if these conditions are not met.
Scenes from Hawaii, courtesy of Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau.