Big Island of Hawai'i

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and the Lava Tour were the main highlights of our trip to the Big Island. We did, however, drive around the whole island and stopped to check out some cool locations. 

The Island of Hawai'i is also known as Big Island or Hawai'i Island. It is larger than all the islands in the archipelago combined and located in the Southeastern most tip of the United States of America. The largest city on the island is Hilo. We landed on the Western side of the island, in the city of Kona. We had booked our rental car from Alamo and thought their service was great. We didn't have to wait at all. We got the keys and the car immediately. The car was in good shape.

From Kona, we drove to Volcano (South of the island) and spent one night and one day there. From Volcano, we drove to Hilo (East of the island) and spent one night and one day there. From Hilo, we drove back to Kona and spent a night and day there. Driving counterclockwise we got to see all parts of the island as well as a short trip to the middle where Mauna Kea (a million year old volcano) is located.

I've already spoken about my first stop at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Our next stop was Hilo. Hilo is closest to the park so if you ever plan to visit the park, Hilo could be a good place to stay. Although, many people drive down from Kona as well. Driving from Kona is a 2.5 hours drive. 

Hilo is the rainy part of the island. It rains all the time. I can't remember any time of the day when it wasn't raining. But because it rains all the time, Hilo is a lot greener than any other part of the island. Hawai'i Tropical Botanical Garden is also located in Hilo. It is a 40-acre valley of natural green house and is a museum of living plants that attracts photographers, gardeners, botanists, scientists, and nature lovers from around the world. 

There are lots of waterfalls in Hilo. My husband went off one morning to check these out. I was wayyy too exhausted after the lava tour to want to walk anymore so I slept the morning off. 

Rainbow Falls

Wailuku River State Park is home to the 80-foot Rainbow Falls and Pe'epe'e Falls which feeds the beautiful pools called Boiling Pots. Rainbow Falls is probably the more famous one because it is right in the middle of the city. Akaka Falls is another gorgeous waterfall that should be on the 'must see' list.

Pe'epe'e Falls and Boiling Pots

While you are in Hilo, do check out the Liliuokalani Gardens. I didn't get to go all the way in but just seeing it from the outside, it looked so gorgeous. If I had more time, I would've stayed here longer. The beach parks are beautiful. There was a cruise ship parked right outside our hotel. The food wasn't anything great. We tried a few places; we didn't like the food at all.  

There was this one breakfast place which we went to. We thought it was better than other food places we checked out. It is called Just Cruisin' Coffee. Although, it is famous for its variety of coffees but I thought their milkshakes were way better than the coffee. It is a drive-through coffee shop with very limited seating in the shop itself. There are a few breakfast options but whatever we ordered was good. 

Veggie croissant at Just Cruisin' Coffee

We read in a guide book that the best place to get good and cheap local cuisine was Cafe 100. We didn't like the food at all. Overall, I can't remember one good restaurants that I thought was worth spending money at.

From Hilo, we decided to take the Saddle road and drive to the summit of Mauna Kea. However, much of Mauna Kea is below sea level; when measured from its oceanic base, its height is 33,500 ft (10,200 m)—more than twice Mount Everest's base-to-peak height of 3,650-4,650 meters (11,980-15,260 ft). Mauna Kea is about one million years old, and thus passed the most active shield stage of life hundreds of thousands of years ago. Today, Mauna Kea's summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation because a number of factors create favorable observing conditions. We didn't have enough time to visit Mauna Kea in the night for star gazing (for what it is famous for) so we just went in the day and came back. Mauna Kea is one of the only places in the world where you can drive from sea level to 14,000 feet in about two hours.

Also, if you are wondering if it is safe to drive on the Saddle Road-- It is perfectly paved and there is nothing wrong with taking your rental car and driving down this road. It is the shortest connection road between Hilo and Kona. 

At Wailoa River State Park

While you're in Hilo, check out the statue of King Kamehameha. It is located at the front of the Wailoa River State Park. Kamehameha I, also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1810. He was one of the most striking figures in Hawaiian history, a leader who united and ruled the islands during a time of great cultural change. 

Also, if you are in Hilo and have some time, go check out the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. It was once wiped out by a lava flow and now there is black sand. Literally, black sand. I've heard it's gorgeous. I got to drive by it but didn't have enough time to stop and click some pictures.

Walking along Alii Dr.

Our next stop was Kona, where it was sunny, busy and touristy. Kona side is very different from the Hilo side. We heard that the Hilo people don't go to Kona and the people from Kona don't go to Hilo. Apparently they don't like each other and both sides think they are superior than the other. We left our hotel and walked along the street and it was filled with tourists and little souvenir shops. I thought it was gorgeous. 

If you get time to do kayaking, I'd suggest to go to the Kealakekua Bay and kayak across to get to the Captain Cook Monument. This monument was built where Captain Cook died. To get there you can go by boat, kayak or hike down a mountain. I've heard the hike is hard. But I've heard snorkeling there is absolutely gorgeous. We only had three days at the Big Island and with a heavy heart, I had to chose to skip this.

I think my husband liked Hilo better and I liked Kona better. I would've liked Hilo more if it didn't rain there all the time. I feel happy where I can hold my camera in my hands and click pictures without worrying about it getting wet. I think the rain factor was the only thing that kept me from enjoying Hilo more, but I do agree that Hilo is way prettier than Kona. I'm a green lover; I love anything rich in the color green.

Hawaiian Shave Ice

While walking around, we decided to try the famous Hawaiian shave ice. I looooved it! I loved how there were just endless flavors that we could try. My best combination yet was litchi, mango and watermelon with lilikoi sauce. Condensed milk will also taste really good on the shave ice.

The next day, we went to check out Hapuna Beach. It is north of Kona and is considered one of the popular beaches of the Big Island. I really wanted to see the Mauna Kea beach as well. Apparently it is the only white sand beach here. But it was further north and had very limited parking space. 

At Hapuna Beach

Hapuna Beach was beautiful and the waves were easy enough for a quick swim in the sea. The water was beautiful and crystal clear. The sea was this gorgeous color of blue. Very picturesque. There were some tourists but it wasn't awfully crowded either.

Ankit + Akoo = Ankoo

There are loads of gorgeous beaches on the Big Island. It all depends on how much time you have and what your priorities are. After a brief swim in the sea and soaking up the sun, we headed back to Kona and got packed up for our flight to Oahu. 

I loved every moment spent on this island. I wish we had more time here. 

Loads of love!

x

Lava Tour

Hello everyone. Yet another beautiful day in Utah today. There's a Fiesta de Mayo taking place at the club house of The Falls so we'll be going there today. Should be fun. 

Well, today's post is about LAVA! :D 

While we were staying at "At the End of the Road B&B," Ray hooked us up with this lava viewing tour company. We were leaving for Hilo that morning, but the site was about an hour and a half away, so we figured we would go to Hilo, check into our hotel, grab some lunch and then drive down to this lava viewing area. 

Call them if you want more information or if you want to book a tour.

This company is called Kalapana Cultural Tours, which runs about five tours a day from Uncle Roberts Ava Club and Cafe. They are able to run this tour, which is over private property, because their family owns all that land. All the other tours are trespassing, and they are gradually being shut down. So it was kind of nice to know that we were all there legally. We were told that tourists that trespass here are charged a fine of $2000 per person so make sure you go with the tour. They charge $100 per person for the tour. Seems a bit steep at the beginning but once you are there and you see all that you do, it'll all just seem worth it.

Address: 12 Kalapana Kapoho Beach Rd, Pāhoa, HI 96778
Phone:(808) 936-0456
Timings: Monday-Friday - 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM,
Saturday-Sunday - 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

This is the pick up point - Uncle's Ava Club

We had the option to do boat tours or helicopter tours (which were more expensive) but then we thought, it would be way way cooler to see lava a few feet away from us. So we chose to do the hike instead and we were so glad we did.

They were on time and picked us up in white mini vans. From the pick up point, we were driven to the site from where we were to hike to get to the lava.

Before starting off, the tour guides gave us a short speech about the place, the people who lived here, when the last eruption took place and took away many homes, what kind of plants thrive here, animals, etc.. We were to hike in a single file so no one ended up in places where they shouldn't be. Because we were going to be hiking on solid lava, it was important to follow the guide because they knew which part was strong enough to walk over. It was sunny, but the wind was cool. We did get thirsty and ran out of water, but the guides had extra water bottles, flashlights (for the hike back) and ponchos in case it started to rain. The tour guides are mostly all native Hawaiians who were once part of the village of Kalapana (now wiped out by the volcano). It's interesting to listen to their stories and hear about how they watched their homes burn down. After everything, they all are happy-go-lucky and really chilled out.

It took us over two hours to get to the site and I was really exhausted. The hike was not hard, it was just very tricky because the terrain was uneven with too many cracks and waves. But the moment we got there, the guides got a message on their walkie-talkie that there was a lava flow and it was flowing into the ocean. So we first decided to check out the ocean flow.

Zoomed-in picture of lava flowing into the ocean

It didn't look that amazing in the day time because the glow of lava had to compete with the sun. 

Zoomed-out pic of the lava

This is how far we were standing from where we could see the lava. The smoke that the lava created was huge. By the way, all these picture were clicked by me so none of them are fake (in case you're wondering).

After we saw this, we hiked up a little bit to see some lava flow from up close.

Ankit and I, a few feet away from lava. I am super exhausted so I look pathetic.

Here we are. The lava was flowing very slowly so we could walk around it and click pictures.The Hawaiians consider lava to be sacred because it is what gives them their home. The reason why Big Island is so big is because it continues to grow everyday. The lava flows down and cools and continues to create land. The locals don't like if you disrespect the lava, if you poke sticks into it or throw things into it. The guides believe that if you poke sticks into the lava, it won't flow on the surface the next day. They also don't want you to do anything to make Pele furious because she will bring her wrath upon everyone. 

A piece of the volcano

The locals say that it is bad luck to take a piece of the lava or the sand home. Some people have had their houses burned, lost their jobs, broken marriages, etc. etc. and have come back to the island to put the pieces back where they belong. Crazy to think that a piece of rock can ruin your life but they strongly believe this to be true. So I decided to click a picture of it for memory.

As it got darker, the glow of the lava became brighter. And before we knew it, there was another eruption and fresh lava began flowing faster. We all filmed this phenomenon from a distance.

It was so beautiful. We weren't scared for even a minute. The entire time we were there, we felt safe and we felt blessed to be able to see this sight of a lifetime. It looked just like what we see in movies. I must have taken about 10 videos. I just couldn't get enough of the sight. It kept flowing faster and it looked beautiful in the dark.

I just love the textures. I love the colors. I would seriously love to paint this. 

My eyes get bigger and bigger as it flows down closer to me!

Many people have asked me if it was hot. It wasn't hot. The weather was great. The wind was cool and we had a little bit of drizzle between the day. If you walk up really close to the lava, it'll just feel as if you're standing too close to a bonfire. After a while, you'll want to move back as your face begins to get hot. The temperature of the lava is an average of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. If you wear contact lenses, don't worry. Both Ankit and I were wearing lenses and didn't feel even a little bit of discomfort the entire time we were there. Also, I had heard that the camera batteries drain out faster than you think. Honestly, nothing happened.

We spent maybe an hour and a half just soaking the place up and continuously clicking pictures. On our way back, we stopped to click pictures of the lava flowing into the ocean again. This time it was cooler because the lava was glowing.

Take plenty of water with you. Don't worry if you run out. It would be great if you have a headlamp. It gets really dark on the way back. Like pitch black kinda dark. The guides provide torches and mine was almost running out of battery. So I kept wishing I had brought my headlamp. Do take some snacks because we did get really hungry and we got back from the hike around 9:30 PM or so. The restaurants nearby were closing. I think the whole trip took us about 5-6 hours to do. It will take longer if you are with a slow group. 

I would strongly suggest doing this hike if you are planning a trip to Hawai'i. This is something everyone should have on their bucket list. We can't explain the joy we felt when we saw this. It felt unreal for a moment. It felt like we were in a movie and everything was fake. But to think we were standing on a volcano, watching lava gush out of it and flow out into the ocean, Oh-My-God. What an experience. This is something I'll remember for a lifetime. 

Thank you, Kalapana Cultural Tours for this phenomenal experience.
xx

At the End of the Road Bed and Breakfast

While we were visiting the Volcanoes National Park, we stayed at "At the End of the Road Bed and Breakfast." I decided to write about this place because we had a beautiful time there. Even though our visit was short, the place and the hosts are definitely worth writing about. Their hospitality and kindness were unmatched and if we ever go back to the Big Island, we would definitely stay here again.

Ray and Lani - The Hosts

It is the home of Ray and Lani and they are both super sweet. There are just two rooms with private bath, which I thought was great because it didn't feel crowded or loud. The rooms have large, glass windows which overlook a beautiful, green garden. It's the perfect place for some peace and tranquility. 

We woke up in the morning to the sounds of birds and the sun shining on the green all around us. They had everything we could possibly need in the room. The bathroom was fully equipped with all the toiletries, towels and hot water. The room that we stayed in was for two people and the room next door could sleep three people.

The Living Room

Ray and Lani were both very welcoming and did everything to make us feel at home. They gave us a nice variety of options to choose from for breakfast. I loved the fresh papaya. I'm not big on fruits but I just loved the papaya.

My breakfast plates

So you can see, I had bagel, croissant, banana bread and papaya. There was butter, jam and toast as well with a glass of juice and a cup of coffee. During breakfast, we were also joined by the family next door which was wonderful because it's always great to make new friends. What more could you want in the morning? Great breakfast and great company. 

The Dining Room

We were talking about how we didn't get a chance to see lava and Ray, so kindly, hooked us up with this lava viewing tour. I'm so grateful to him for doing this for us because if he hadn't, we would've never seen the most spectacular thing we had ever seen, yet. He even printed out a map for us so we could find the place. How many people bother to go so far to help strangers so they can have a good trip? We were so pleased at the couple's gestures. We walked in smiling, we walked out happier.

The Entrance

If we were staying at some hotel, there was no way we could have known so much about the place and the tours. At the same time we got to meet some wonderful people. This is the first bed and breakfast we have ever stayed at and we were a little skeptical about it. But I'm so glad we came here.

If you ever plan on visiting Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, this is the best place to stay. It is located at the end of Haunani Road (hence the name) and the house is built on 6.5 acres of rain forest land. It is a mere five minutes drive away from the park and a variety of restaurants. You definitely won't regret booking this place.

In the end, we'd like to thank Ray and Lani again for making our trip so memorable. If we ever come back to the Big Island, we'll plan a longer stay at this wonderful bed and breakfast. 

Loads of love!

xx

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Aloha!

As soon as we landed in Kona, at the Big Island of Hawai'i, we picked up the rental car and drove straight to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. This park was established in 1916 and encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Kīlauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes and Mauna Loa is the world's most massive and active volcano. The park was recognized in 1980 when it was named a World Biosphere Site by UNESCO and later in 1987, it was designated a World Heritage Site. It is located in the south part of the Big Island of Hawai'i. The park encompasses diverse environments that range from sea level to the summit of Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet, where the climates range from lush tropical rain forests, to the dry and barren desert. There are several hiking and camping opportunities within the park for tourists. 

The first thing we did was get to the park's visitor center and ask the ranger for eruption updates. Luckily, there had been an eruption from the Pu'u'o'o vent, but the lava was flowing in the Kalapana area. The main entrance to the park is from the Hawaii Belt Road. The Chain of Craters Road leads past several craters from historic eruptions to the coast. It used to continue to another entrance to the park near the town of Kalapana, but that portion is now covered by a solidified lava flow. The rangers suggested that we should hike over the solid lava from the end of the park road to get to the Kalapana site which was going to be an eight hour hike. Spending eight hours to get there just didn't seem practical.

Chain of Craters Road

This is one of the views you can see at the end of the road

This is why the road is closed. It is now covered with lava

We then went to check out the Thurston Lava Tube.

The entrance to the tube

The lava tube was created when lava had traveled beneath the surface after being expelled by a volcano during an eruption. The lava ceased but left this long cave-like tunnel behind. It was quite fascinating to walk through that tunnel knowing that lava had once traveled through here.

Inside the tube

After this, it had begun to get a little dark, so we decided to head to the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum to see the Halema'uma'u Crater. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is located here on the rim of the Kīlauea Caldera. The observatory monitors four active Hawaiian volcanoes: Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, and Haleakalā. Because Kīlauea and Mauna Loa are significantly more active than Hualālai and Haleakalā, much of the observatory's research is concentrated on the former two mountains. 

The observatory has a worldwide reputation as a leader in the study of active volcanism. The Halemaʻumaʻu Crater is a pit crater located within the Kīlauea Caldera and according to Hawaiian Mythology is known to be the home of Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire and Volcanoes. According to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory the crater is currently active, with lava in an open vent fluctuating from 70 to 150 meters below the crater floor.

Madame Pele

We had heard that the glow of the lava pool inside the Halema'uma'u Crater can be seen after dark, so it was the perfect time to check it out. Since it was our first night here, seeing the lava glow at night was super exciting.

Here is a hazy pic to give you an idea how it really looked at night. It was dark and this is the best I could get with a point-and-shoot so bear with me.

It was way cooler to witness this than any of the picture clicking really. There was a crowd of people who had just come out at night to witness the glow of lava. For a first-timer, it is quite a scene.

This is how the Halema'uma'u Crater looks like in the day

The next morning we decided to do the Kīlauea Iki Trail. Kīlauea Iki is a pit crater right next to the main summit caldera of Kīlauea.  It is beautiful. It takes you through a lush, green rain forest and into the crater. The walk through the rain forest is absolutely gorgeous. It took us about an hour and a half to do the trail and it was by far the best hike we have done, yet. 

My tip would be to do the hike early morning around 8:00 AM or so because the weather would be just perfect at that time. Also, do the trail counterclockwise. It's less tiring, trust me. Carry plenty of water. We carried our jackets and wore long pants but really, there was no need for it. I had heard that there could be bugs so I wore long pants, but a few minutes into the hike, we started feeling so hot. Luckily, we were both wearing Columbia pants so we unzipped the pants from the knees. While you're in the rain forest, it'll feels as if it never really stops drizzling. It's the nice sort of drizzle though; not the type to make your clothes all wet. 

After an hour or so, you'll descend into the crater and the picture above is what the first sight of the crater will look like. You'll basically walk through this pool of hard lava and get to the other side of the crater. The trail will ask you to follow stacks of rocks so you don't end up going on places where you shouldn't be. From a distance, you'll be able to see steam vents. I'm guessing that's a place you shouldn't wander into.

Excuse my crazy posing. Just the way it says on the board, you are to follow the stack of rocks and won't get lost. This part of the trail is fairly simple. I read in a lot of places that you should wear good footwear and long pants and carry a gallon of water each, etc.etc... Honestly, I had a 16 oz water bottle, I wore my tennis shoes and shorts. And by the time I finished the trail, I wasn't exhausted or anything (and I'm not your average fit person). So I think, this trail was very relaxing, beautiful and different from any other trail I've ever done. 

Along the trail, you'll see this plant. It's the Ohi'a tree. There's a legend that Ohi'a was a very handsome Hawaiian chief and Madame Pele fell in love with him. She asked him to come and stay with her forever but he denied because he was in love with this beautiful maiden, Lehua, his girlfriend. Madame Pele was enraged. Pele was known for her angry tantrums and jealousy. When she got angry, she would call forth burning lava to destroy everything around her. Because Ohi'a had defied Pele, she was furious and turned him into this ugly tree so he could never be with Lehua again. When Lehua saw this, she sat at the base of the tree and cried because she had been separated from her lover. When the God's saw her, they felt really bad. But Pele's magic was too strong for them to undo, so they turned Lehua into a beautiful flower on the tree so both the lovers could be together forever. Now it is said that if anyone plucks this flower from the tree, it rains, because Lehua cries when she is separated from her lover. 

I realized that the locals really believe this story to be true, so I didn't dare pluck the flower. I wouldn't pluck any flower, anyway and I didn't need rain on my beautiful trip, either. The locals told stories of how some tourists didn't believe in the story, plucked the flower and it poured on them like crazy. It was quite interesting. 

I would highly suggest doing the Kīlauea Iki trail, the Thurston Lava tube, driving down all the way to the end of the Chain of Craters road and definitely visiting the Jaggar Museum at night. There was another trail that took you to the petroglyphs but I didn't think it was interesting enough. There was no lava flowing within the park so we didn't see anything here.

The park is open 24 hours a day year-round, including ALL holidays. Kīlauea Visitor Center is open daily from 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Jaggar Museum is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The entrance fee is $10 per vehicle, valid for a week.

That's it for now. I'll update on the lava viewing sites tomorrow.

Take care!

x

Back from Hawai'i

Aloha everyone!

I just got back from an awesome ten day long vacation in Hawai'i. Hawai'i is just so beautiful. 

I spent some of the best days there with Ankit, Ankur Bhaiyya and Astha. The four of us celebrated our anniversaries together. Sometimes I can't believe it has been a year since I got married and moved to the States. The year just flew by. 

We spent the first four days of our trip in the Big Island of Hawai'i and the remainder of the time in Oahu. At the Big Island, we visited Mount Kīlauea, a shield volcano and one of the largest active craters in the world. We had the opportunity to see the lava flowing and get as close to it as few feet away. Phenomenal view and sight of a lifetime.

Well, since I was on a long trip, I have loads of things to share and over the next few days, I'll write about the places I thought were worth visiting. I'll also be writing about where to stay, the food, dos and don'ts, etc. 

Stay tuned! :)

x