Blogs from Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii, United States, North America - page 2

We spent the next 3 days on the island of Hawaii, i.e. the Big Island. The north-east side, near Hilo town and the Volcano National Park, is just amazing. Lots of greenery, beautiful flowers, trees, birds, waterfalls and of course, the active volcanoes. Not to miss when in Hawaii!... read more

Aloha, Our first stop was the Island of Hawai'i. It was formed many centuries ago by volcanic eruption. This is the largest land mass on earth that was created by a volcano. It is said that when the Goddess Pele is angered, a volcano erupts. The island sinks about three inches per year because of the weight of the lava. So much of the island is vast expanses of grey, however vegetation grows back quickly--the 100 plus inches of rainfall each year makes that possible. The Island of Hawai'i boasts eleven of the thirteen weather systems from snow on mountain tops to rain forests. The only two missing are full Saharan and Arctic. Sugar cane was the main crop for many years, but now they grow only enough for their own use. The Dole plant closed ... read more

Day 7 The Big Island in Hawaii the volcano tour - 19 June 2015 This was our chance to visit Hawaii’s only active volcano and see the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, known to the locals as The Big Island (its real name is Hawai'i Island). Our inter-island excursion started after we were picked up from our hotel at 4.15am to catch a plane to Hilo on the Big Island. Steve, our tour guide, met us at Hilo Airport. He drove us all around Hilo which was excellent. Hilo was a busy farming and fishing area in early times, which evolved into a commercial centre for the sugar industry in the 1800’s. Downtown Hilo was built around its crescent-shaped bay and became the seat of county government. In 1946 and 1960 the town was nearly swallowed ... read more

Day 20 – Jan. 30, 2015 – Port of call: Kona, HI on the Island of Hawai’i – Weather forecast: partly cloudy – temperature: 75°F/24°C – actual: 84°F/29°C and sunny down at sea level but later in the morning up on the mountain the clouds descended on the peak Today we were required to use the tenders once again as there is no deep-water pier for docking on this side of the big island. Once ashore we met up with our drivers and the two twelve passenger vans that we would be using on our four-hour shore excursion entitled: Kona Coffee, Gold Coast & Cloud Forest Adventure. The official description stated that on the slopes of Hulalalai Volcano we would enjoy a 1¾-hour walk through a 70-acre tropical cloud forest sanctuary. Then enjoy a tour of ... read more

A 5am wakeup call might sound early to some but with the help of jet lag it was a walk in the park for us. We were the first hotel pick up, luckily there were not many others to pick up on the way to the airport. By the time we checked in and got a coffee it was time to board the plane and after only a 45 minute flight we were in Hilo, also known as Hawaii Island or Big Island. Since I was a teenager, visiting Big Island had been a dream after I first read about Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano. It has been continuously erupting since January 3rd 1983, almost my exact birth date. I remember reading that you could book a trip to cycle alongside molten lava as it ... read more