We arrived in the evening, threw our bags in the minivan we rented as both our transport and accommodation and headed for Kilauea, the world's most active volcano. We parked the van just outside the rim of the volcano and realized the seats in the van only folded with the cushion side down (never again Chevy!) . We had to move the middle row captain's chairs behind the rear bench and try to sleep on the leftover floor space, which besides being too cramped and hard anyway turned out to be freezing due to the elevation. Dang.
The next morning we headed off at dawn since we needed to maximize our time and the van floor wasn't the most comfortable place anyway. We spent the morning driving through the national park, stopping every few minutes at the awesome sights along the way.
We were so impressed with this place. It's like nothing we've ever seen before. It's like being on another planet.
I looked back at the photos I took and I don't think they do the place much justice. Gazing at hundreds of acres that were once covered in lava is a sight to behold.
The warning signs throughout the park remind you that this is in fact still a very active volcano.
This just adds to the thrill of being there. People die in this park, although rarely and usually due to not heeding the warning signs. Still, it gives a sense of adventure like you are an explorer in uncharted territory.
After our morning in the park, we drove around to the west side of the island. This is where you will find Kona, home of the famous coffee and Captain Cook, named after the famous explorer who was celebrated as a god here upon his arrival but later killed and dismembered after overstaying his welcome. How's that for Aloha?
We picked up some coffee beans at the local video rental store off a tip from a local and scored a couple giant pillows at a thrift store to make the van tolerable. Then we went snorkeling in a protected reserve before dinner. We got a second tip that manta rays could be viewed from the Sheraton Resort instead of paying for a boat trip. They shine floodlights on the ocean and this illuminates the plankton that they feed on. It was an amazing sight. One looked to be about 12 feet across, gracefully gliding through the water.
After viewing the manta rays, we decided that the covered sun loungers by the swimming pool might make a more comfortable bed for us that night. Exhausted from the long day with little sleep, we drifted off but never really fell soundly asleep. We both had been running scenarios through our heads of what would happen if someone confronted us. Finally, a hotel employee came by with a flashlight and asked if we were ok, probably thinking we got drunk at the bar. I responded that I was fine and rolled back over. The man walked away without a fuss but Claire, having apparently practised a routine in her head over the last hour, went through with it anyway. "C'mon honey, let's go back to the room." We lay there laughing and decided we felt too guilty to have a good sleep despite the comfort. We headed back to the van and slept in the Sheraton parking lot, much more comfortable than the first night thanks to the extra pillows.
Day 2:We started the day with another snorkel hoping to spot some turtles. We saw everything but. It was really good visibility and there were thousands of fish, but we couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed not seeing any turtles. Then someone told us to go to the other side of the harbor, which was another protected area. We didn't even have to put on our snorkel gear. There were seven turtles within a few feet of the water's edge.
Claire was satisfied having seen the turtles so we decided to press on. After the best coffee we've ever tasted at Kona Moutain Coffee, we continued on our clockwise route to Mauna Kea, which at 13,796 ft at the summit has some incredible views. Of note, when measured from the sea floor Mauna Kea is about 32,000 feet making it technically taller than Mt. Everest. Our van wasn't 4 wheel drive, so we didn't risk the summit road, but we got close enough. The view is breathtaking, both figuratively and literally since the air is noticably thin at that altitude.
We took some photos and scrambled back to the van to head for our next destination, the Mauna Loa macadamia plantation just south of Hilo. We listened to the live election coverage on AM radio as we descended through the foggy hills. We made it to the plantation just before closing and scored some cheap chocolate covered macadamias.
We had one stop left...
While visiting Volcanoes National Park the day before, we found out that there was an active lava flow going into the ocean, but it was outside the bounds of the park and would have been hours out of the way to Kona so we gave it a miss. We decided to try and make it down there to have a look before heading back into Hilo for our flight. When we first got there it looked like the road just ended. There were warning signs and beyond was a very dicey looking road.
Claire expressed some uncertainty as to whether we could safely continue. I ignored her and floored it. Turns out there was a parking lot and about a hundred people at the end of the scary road which made us feel much better. They had marked an apparently safe trail to where you could catch a glimpse of the flow in the distance. The lava is brittle and pretty dangerous to walk on. We slightly regretted not buying flashlights from the vendors at the entrance for the walk back which was in darkness, but we stayed near people who had them. Even though the viewing area wasn't as close as I anticipated, seeing earth in the making was something I'll never forget.
In 48 hours the Big Island had delivered.
