Lehua honey gives a Big Island food stop a connection to the island’s native forests. Start with the visit you want: a taste and a jar to take home, or time with a beekeeper and a live hive. Those are different commitments.

Our first planning question is where you are already spending the day. Big Island Bees is in Captain Cook, so use that visit as an anchor for a Kona food day rather than building a drive around an assumed harvest season.

Lehua honey comes from the blossoms of ʻōhiʻa-lehua. The University of Hawaiʻi’s Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death program identifies ʻōhiʻa (Metrosideros polymorpha) as Hawaiʻi’s most abundant native tree. That is the connection between the honey and the forest-care advice below.

Big Island Bees describes its ʻōhiʻa-lehua honey as white, smoothly crystallized and spreadable, with a delicate flavor. Those are the producer’s descriptions. Ask to compare it with other floral varieties before deciding which jar to take home.

Ask the producer about current lehua supply before driving out or promising jars to people back home. Check its current product page rather than assuming September or October guarantees a particular harvest or stock level.

For a different honey stop, Rare Hawaiian Honey Company sells kiawe honey. Its contact page lists a tasting room, shop and visitor center at 71-1580 Hawaii Belt Road in Kailua-Kona, with visitor hours of 10 a.m.–4 p.m. HST Monday–Friday. The operator asks visitors to call ahead because hours can change seasonally. Use that physical visitor address, rather than its Kamuela mailing address, to plan your drive.

Big Island Bees: screened hive viewing. The operator’s beekeeping tour page lists Monday–Friday departures at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Its headline says approximately 90 minutes; the details say 1–1.5 hours, so allow 90 minutes plus your drive. Watch a live-hive demonstration from behind a screened area, sample honey varieties, and browse the museum afterward. The operator says protective clothing is unnecessary and asks visitors to bring a water bottle. For a taxi or rideshare visit, prearrange the return pickup as the operator advises. Our Big Island Bees guide puts the stop in its island context; confirm current availability on the operator’s page.

Rare Hawaiian Honey: a suited bee safari. The Bee Safari enters a working apiary, visits the production facility and finishes with honey food pairings. The operator lists two hours and a check-in 15 minutes beforehand. Bee suits are provided, and closed-toe shoes are required. Safaris run on selected days; check the booking calendar rather than assuming the tasting room’s weekday hours are the safari schedule.

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Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death is caused by two fungal pathogens. The University of Hawaiʻi’s program explains that infected trees can appear to die within days to weeks. Its visitor precautions are useful before any forest walk:

• Avoid injuring ʻōhiʻa and leave ʻōhiʻa wood and plant parts where they are.
• Clean shoes and gear before and after entering forests. Brush off soil, then spray with 70% rubbing alcohol. Wash clothes with hot water and soap.
• If your vehicle picks up mud, wash its tires and undercarriage with detergent and remove the soil.

Keep those steps in your plan when combining food stops with forest walks. Follow the land manager’s access instructions for each site.

Read the floral variety and producer’s description together. Big Island Bees describes a white, smoothly crystallized lehua honey; Rare Hawaiian sells kiawe honey. Do not use color or pourability as an authenticity test, or assume every pale Hawaiian honey is lehua. Ask the seller which blossoms the bees worked and whether the jar contains other ingredients.

Use the jar label and the producer’s product description to identify its floral variety.

For a Kona food day, anchor on one booked visit and add another stop only if your day has room. Use our coffee farm guide to choose a farm, then check its location and appointment requirements alongside the honey operator’s address and departure time. Our Big Island farmers markets guide helps you find a market on a day it operates.

Keep the two honey visits separate in your planning: Captain Cook for Big Island Bees, the published Hawaii Belt Road visitor address for Rare Hawaiian Honey. A honey’s floral source is not the same thing as its tasting-room location. Our Kailua-Kona region guide and Big Island lodging guide can help place those stops within the rest of your stay.

Use Save for Later on this page to keep the two visit options in My Trip. Before you go, confirm the tour slot or tasting-room hours and ask about the honey you want to buy.