Kona, Day 3

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Day Three on the Big Island (6/20/09):

Day three was awesome! We spent most of the morning driving down state highway 11, stopping several times on our way to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. We found South Point, the southern most location in the United States. South point is referred to as Ka Lae, and a barren land, covered by dried grass lands, cattle, and an old wind farm that is not really in operation any more. The ocean crashes into high cliff walls with a fair amount of wind (felt like walking out of the front door!). South Point has a small light house of sorts to mark the location, and several local fisherman line the cliff walls hoping for a catch near the landmark. Perhaps the most mystical aspect of Ka Lae is that oviline, which is green and creates a green sand beach, Papakolea Green Sand Beach. It is said that Ka Lae is where Mark Twain wrote is best material.

Just off about 2 miles or so, green sand pockets can be found before completion of the hike. Sheila and I enjoyed the rocks and sand in solitude for some time, a treasured memory.

We then traveled to the "southern most community in the United States", Na’alehu, and spent our time at an outstanding bakery. We sampled Portuguese donuts and mango filled pastries, took in lunch, and casually made our way back to the car to continue the approach to the park.

Another few miles down, we visited the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach-- and yes, the sand is black!It really looked like there might have been an oil spill. The sand was actually much more coarse than the green sand, but we enjoyed it none the less. No turtles to be sighted, however.

The remainder of the day was spent at the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, visiting the Kilauea Caldera, the Halema' uma'u Crater, Thurston Lava Tube, and then driving to a round about, out of the park location to view lava flowing into the sea. With the mists and rains, a rainbow laced its way over the Halema' uma'u Crater for us to view. The Thurston Lava Tube was next on the list, formed many years ago. When flows down, it is much hotter in the middle and cools in a circumferential pattern. Tubes are the result. We also walked through rain forests in the park, which was really cool because the trees serving as a canopy sort of act as a natural umbrella.

The best part of the park was seeing the lava actually flow into the ocean, however, this required about an hour drive out of the park to a viewing location. Several Hawaiian's actually build their homes right out on the old lava flows that have cooled over the years. Apparently, the land is cheap! The lava glows red in the ocean and up the vents at night, making this a memorable event.

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Photos

South Point (Ka Lae), 1
We spent the morning at Ka Lae, a truly magical area to me, hiking and exploring. Olivine, a type of mineral from the volcanoes at Papakolea Beach in Hawaii. We did not make it to the actual beach (about a 4 mile hike), but found a pocket of green sand to enjoy.

South Point (Ka Lae), 2
Sheila in the patch of green sand.

South Point (Ka Lae), 3
Green sand in my hand!

South Point (Ka Lae), 4
The green sand magnified a bit.

South Point (Ka Lae), 5
I still cannot get over how beautiful this sand is, and already look forward to going back to the beach some day.

Ka Lae Fishing Cliffs
South Point is traditionally viewed as a great area for ocean fishing. The wooden structures were used in the past to lower boats down the cliffs and into the ocean.

Punalu'u Beach
On Hawai'i (the Big Island), there are a few black sand beaches, too. We went to Punalu'u, a black sand beach that attracts sea turtles. No turtles on our visit, but it was a cool, misty early afternoon. Sheila painted her nails special for the trip--little did she know that I would use them to show you the black sand!

Kilauea Caldera
When we visited Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, there were a lot of mists and rainbows were all over the caldera and over the Halema' uma'u Crater.

Thurston Lava Tube
Sheila stands just outside the Thurston Lava Tube. The molten lave travels through these tubes and cools quickest on the outside of the tubes.

Lava Flows into the Ocean. 1
We could see the glows of lava going into the ocean.

Lava Flows into the Ocean. 2
We could see the glows of lava going into the ocean.