The Big Island

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We arrived at our host’s place in Hilo in the midst of a couchsurfing party where we met a bunch of great local people. On top of our “To Do” list for the Big Island was the Volcanoes National Park. Here we saw the remnants of lava flows that have shaped and continue to shape the landscape of the island. Seeing the toxic plume bellow out of a new hole in the Halema‘uma‘u Crater and lava splash into the air, against the black of the night as it flows into the ocean is quite amazing. And thankfully we didn’t have to contend with too much ‘vog’. After a couple of days we went to stay with another CSing member who resided atop a hill with a magnificent view out over the town and the ocean. Our host took us up to an observatory on Mauna Kea, which is the highest mountain in Hawaii and by looking through high powered telescopes we saw the planet Saturn. While up there we enjoyed an informative talk from a volunteer and witnessed the hubble space telescope pass over head and a couple of ‘shooting stars’ too. Also in Hilo we visited the nearby Rainbow Falls, Pe’epe’e Falls and adjoining boiling pots, all of which were scarcely worth the visit due to limited water flow. We took a rushed couple of days to circumnavigate the big island. Firstly we drove north and visited the Akaka Falls which were nice and continued along the Hamakua coast which is home to some of the most spectacular coastline of the region. We stopped off to see Waipi’o valley and was duly rewarded with the awesome view. This valley is simply too steep for normal vehicle to travel so 4WD is required and nerves of steel apparently too. For the more energetic and adventurous there is also a sheer passageway of stairs leading down to the beach, we of course opted to enjoy the view from the lookout only. We headed home for the day through Waimea and cut across the island via Saddle Road, which takes you through unusual landscapes and past the base of Mauna Kea. The next day we headed over to the Kona coastline on the west side of the island. We saw absolutely beautiful beaches, with white powdery sand, exotic blue coloured waters and huge wild turtles swimming about. Hapuna Beach State Recreational Area was a highlight, it apparently rates in the top ten beaches of the world! Along the coast we didn’t get much of a chance for gazing out at the ocean as the road was predominantly inland but we did see plenty of coffee plantations. We weren’t sure what to expect with the black sand beaches in South Kona but as it was on the way home we decided to pay them a visit. They kind of just looked wrong but very pretty at the same time. That night we caught a movie with our host.

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Photos

Lava Flow
Yes there used to be a road under here until Moana Loa started to erupt over 20 years ago.

Lava Flowing into the ocean
A spectacular show when the lava flows into the ocean. As the waves crash against the cliffs, lava splashes into the air.