Blogs from Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii, United States, North America - page 6

We’re back in Hilo today, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The main thing to do in this port is to go to the Volcanoes National Park, which we did last week. I was eager to do some other big exploration and Jenny was too. We decided to tackle Mauna Kea, the highest peak on the island. It’s possible to drive to the summit of Mauna Kea, but a 4-wheel drive vehicle is required and most rental agencies won’t allow their vehicles to be taken to the summit. It took a bit of extra research on my part to find a company we could use, but I got it all sorted. So first thing this morning, Jenny and I were off the ship and to our rental agency. Then we loaded into our SUV and headed ... read more

Auch wenn ihr uns vermutlich Schreibfaulheit unterstellt, und damit vermutlich sogar gar nicht mal Unrecht habt, waren wir die letzten 3 Tage doch gut genug beschäftigt…und WLAN gabs auch nicht, daher hier eine kurze Zusammenfassung . Seit Donnerstagmorgen sind wir auf Big Island oder Hawai’i unterwegs. Wie der Name schon sagt, ist diese Insel groß, ziemlich groß sogar. Für den ersten Tag nahmen wir uns den Norden vor. Unser bestellter Kompaktwagen ist zwei drei Nummern größer ausgefallen und wieder aus dem Hause GM - ein Pontiac G6. Schicke Rentnerschaukel und obendrein edel ausgestattet. Unterwegs am Strand hat Stephan es dann noch hingekriegt, dass wir eher unfreiwillig den lokalen Pennern einen Taxidienst erwiesen, bevor wir abends am Hookena Beach Park unser Zelt aufschlugen. Da es bereits kurz nach 18.00 dunkel wird, waren wir schon vor um neun ... read more

From the Green Sand Beach I decided to keep going to the other side of the island to the Volcano National Park. I stayed in a cute little cottage in the rain forest, it was probably one of the most amazing places I've ever stayed. Fresh fruit, milk, oj, eggs and more delivered to my door each morning, there was a hot tub hidden in a little hut with candles everywhere and the cottage itself was beautiful inside. The owners were very interested in helping get the most out of the trip, and provided me with maps to the volcano national park, tips for where to see the lava flow, as well as food suggestions for dinner. PS. If you are ever in the area Thai Thai is pricy but worth it for some of the ... read more

Surreal doesn't even BEGIN to describe the awesomeness of trekking to the top of the world's largest active volcano - a 40 mile (64 kilometres to the Canucks) round-trip to over 13 000 feet and back again. Add in all of the factors contributing to its awesomeness - altitude sickness, total isolation (the only people within at least a 30 mile radius), the silence so deafening your ears ring, 2-3 feet of snow, severe winter weather warnings, climbing on hardened rivers of lava, and the only other people to attempt the climb when we did being rescued by a Search-and-Rescue helicopter.... and you can tell it was quite the trek!! Not only can we now brag that we've climbed to the top of the world's largest active volcano, but also the world's single largest mountain... but ... read more

Our first free day, a Friday, dawned pleasant and clear. Ann signed up to go to the Tsunami Museum. Her group left around 9:30 and I left for the helicopter ride about 10. We got our breakfast at Uncle Billy's General Store. Ann and her group of ten met Allen Crawford, accountant for the Lyman Museum. He led them through the small tsunami museum in one of the downtown banks. They saw a video showing the before and after scenes related to where the tsunami hit Hilo almost fifty yeas ago. The Hawai'ian Islands are the capitol of the world in many different ways. They have the most endangered species. Hilo is the rain capitol of the world, having the highest average rainfall of any city. They also have more tsunamis than any place in the ... read more