I have been asked this a lot! Hawaii (the state) consists of a number of islands. Hawaii (the island) is the biggest of these islands, hence called The Big Island. If you say you are "in Hawaii" you could be on any of the islands. If you say you are "on Hawaii", you are on the Big Island! Kona is on the west coast of this island, the drier side. It is sometimes referred to a Kailua-Kona.
What surprised me when I saw it the first time was the black lava everywhere, especially visible from the highway when travelling north of Kona (where the airport is), spewn years ago from the volcanic mountains in the center of the island.
A very windy highway takes you south of Kona, and then over to the east side which is rainforest, and much rainier than Kona. Here is the city of Hilo. Travelling north of Hilo you go through many gulches, deep ravines! Eventually the road turns west again, on the north part of the island, and you come to the Parker Ranch, the biggest ranch in the USA! Then only 20 minutes from Waimea, you are back on the beach on the west coast!
It is a fascinating island! Nothing like I ever expected when I thought of Hawaii!! Wind turbines, cows grazing, bamboo in the rainforest, lava tubes, roads too snowy to drive on, black sand beaches, quick warm showers and torrents that make driving nigh impossible, hot pools warmed by active flowing lava streams, palm trees of all kinds, lazy honus (turtles), surfers and spinner dolphins that distract you from Sunday's sermon (because I sit outside!), and the "end of the world" (a cliff to jump off of into the waves way below.....I never did it, but a lady older than me did!).
So that's a glimpse of Kona and the Big Island! If you leave Edmonton at 6:00 am, you can be there by early afternoon (Kona time)!
