Blogs from Big Island, Hawaii, United States, North America - page 33

Hey Flew over to Kona on the Big Island from Honolulu on the 9th September on the tiniest Plane ever. By the time we arrived it was getting pretty dark so we had the option of hiring a car or paying for a Taxi to the hostel we'd earmarked to stay in Kona. After muchos hanging around the Car Rental companies we found out that because we were both under 25 there would be an extra surcharge of nearly $30 a day for us to hire a car, We had seen one company offering no surcharge on under 25 drivers on the internet so we thought we'd check it out the next day. Hiring a car is pretty much essential on the Big Island because the public transport here isn't great and relative to Oahu everything ... read more

Hawaii (11th - 17th September, 2006) San Francisco to Honolulu to Kona (Hawai'i/The Big Island - Spencer Beach Park) "Happy 26th Birthday Bern and Elizabeth and just for your birthday I'm taking you both to Hawaii and I'm coming too!!!!" Very high security alerts flying in the States on September 11. We were no longer able to carry liquids on the plane due to problems at Heathrow in the last month. After arriving in Honolulu we flew straight out again to Kona on The Big Island. Our forward planning started to get a little bit lax, having booked a flight to Kona the night before, booking a car when we arrived at the airport and then just having to find a campsite when we arrived. Kona (Hookena Beach Park) A lady in a security buggy woke ... read more

We arrived in Kona this morning. We are anchored out of the harbour and must take a tender to go ashore. Our plan is to go ashore around noon. There is a big crowd of eager shoppers that can’t wait to get ashore and visit Hilo Hattie’s! Our visit to the Parker Ranch has been cancelled. Not everyone on this ship is searching for the Paniolo! There's much more interest in the free shuttle to WalMar. It’s a warm and sunny and a beatutiful +28 C. This is Paradise. It's a day to put flowers in our hair and dance the Hula.... read more

Underway on the USCGC WALNUT My short fly by to check on the house in Alexandria and the fam in California done, it was on to Hawaii. So what did I do in the first few days after I was out of the Coast Guard? Well I was out on the 1st of July, swore in to the Reserves on the 7th of July and flew out to Hawaii for a week underway with Meg on the WALNUT on the 15th of July. So much for flying solo. It was great to see Meg and get underway again. I hadn't seen Meg since her and Bob's wedding so we had lots to catch up on. The house she and Bob have is even better than the last, no pool but instead of one deck overlooking the ... read more

At some point during the week the idea of seeing a volcano became compelling. I suppose it’s that living against a ridgeline of volcanic rock gives one a new appreciation for lava. We have weekends off, so I flew over to the Big Island, staying in a Bed and Breakfast in the town of Volcano (!!), outside Hawaii Volcano National Park. While part of Kiluea is very active, it’s mostly active underground. After dark, however, you can see lava glowing in the distance. Nearby they’ve left the lava flow from 2003 to harden across the road, which does bring the whole reality of volcanic activity home. Aside from going to see the lava flows, the park offers a road around the Kilauea Caldera, for an up close look -- or as up close as I want ... read more