Day One
Our first stop, just an hour or two after landing, was at the Lava Tree State Park. We were told that there was not much to see here but in fact it was an impressive drive through a forest full of large trees and a nice 20 minute walking trail around various lava trees.
Phil and I are standing next to a pretty large lava tree, created when lava solidified around the tree and burnt out the inside leaving a hollow mold. Cool.
Further along we came across this coastline.
Phil loved this bit. You can just see him standing to the right of Pams shoulder. Not content Phil bounded along the tops of the rocks to stand at the very end, right where the white water was. No doubt he had a big smile on his face, but he was too far away to see (I did take a picture though!).
Eager to have a swim we found this gorgeous black sandy beach that we were told about. Lim (the manager) had mentioned that dolphins are often spotted playing off the beach and sure enough we were treated to this awesome sight. They jumped out of the water, spinning about, and came pretty close to some of the more adventurous people who swam out with snorkling gear to get a closer look.
I reckon the dog here was eying up our wiggling toes and about ready to pounce on them.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention it was a bit of a nudist beach. Its against the law in Hawaii to go natural, but this beach is known for stripping off. Not every one was bare, its up to you, but we all decided we would have a go (yes, thats Phil on the left and me on the right).
I have to say it was very nice in the water, however we had to be careful getting in and out as the waves were breaking on some large pebbles. I got sucked backwards into the surf at one amusing point while trying to get out - feet in the air and all. Luckily I had my trunks on that time!
Phil and I stopped to have our picture taken next to this wrinkled up lava flow. We saw many like these alongside the bulldozed trail and the picture below left shows a close up.
Below Pam is making her way along the trail. It was not an easy trail and we only managed to get our little car across the first two sections of lava - 4 wheel drive next time! Originally there was a road but recent eruptions have resulted in lava flowing across the road forcing it to close.
Finally signs that we are on the right track and getting closer. A huge sign warning of all the dangers - did we care?
From this point is was another 15 minute walk to the flow, but we could see the steam plume clearly from here, but no lava yet.
The last walk across the flows, where the was no track, was the hardest. Most of the recent flows had a glass like covering that crunched when walked across, breaking up into little pieces; this is why you need some good boots as these shards are very sharp.
There were quite a few blobs of lava, and this one took my fancy! I wonder what made it turn up at the end like that?
At last we reach the flow - and what a sight. Just to see this going on only 100m away from us was totally amazing and astounded us all (a bit like being on the nudy beach really). The very brightest point in this pic is where the lava is pouring out - as if from a tap. There was no lava visible on the slopes leading down to this point as it had all traveled underground through a lava tube.
The two pictures below show the flow erupting a little more violently. There were a couple of blow outs bigger than these but trying to catch them on camera was tricky, better just to sit and watch (the binoculars came in handy for a close up view).
Day Two
We went straight up to the Volcanoes National Park where you essentially drive about a set trail on Kilauea itself, stopping off at various points along the way. The route we took yesterday to the lava flow was not the usual route for tourists but one that only locals and residents are supposed to use (ooops, another state law broken).
Looking at the Kilauea Iki crater, formed in 1959, you really do not get any idea of scale at all, but there are people walking down there among the steaming vents and it is is about 2 miles across!
A quick shot of all three of us as we enter the Thurston lava tube, named after Lorrin A. Thurston who helped to establish the park.
This was a nice little walk through a fern valley leading up to the lava tube entrance. The trees are so different here than back home, not just in type but mainly by the sheer size of them.
Phil is standing in the middle of the tube so you can get an idea of the size of this thing. Tubes are formed when the ceiling and sides start cooling and harden, the remaining lava then drains away. Imagine it being filled with fast flowing red lava.
This is the sort of tube that would be carrying the lava we saw on the previous day to the waters edge.
For the next stop we had to get out of the car and walk a good 20 minutes to a point known as Pu'u Loa.
There are LOTS of rock carvings at this site, indicating that the Hawaiian people thought it a very powerful site. In this particular carving you can see holes surrounded by circles. Into the holes would be placed the umbilical cord of new born children to promote a long life.
The rock carvings are called Petroglyphs and you can just make out the figure of a person (with a triangular body) in this one. I was lucky to get two clear shots of these as it was quite tricky to know if they would show up or not.
Phil walked back slightly off the main trail and came across many more carvings, some in much better condition too.
Phil and Pam at the sulphur banks.
The ground was awash with yellow sulphur which you could certainly smell and there were many vents around us giving off fumes. They do warn you about the possible effects of breathing in the fumes, but everyone heads through to look down into a nearby crater all the same!
You had to be a little cautious where you placed you feet, although I did note that any vents that were on the trail had been carefully blocked with smaller boulders to prevent people from getting a foot stuck.
Kinda makes you wonder what was right under our feet though - if anything. They must be certain that the whole place is stable? Cue for another American TV disaster movie - wonder why no has done it yet. It would be great, hundreds of trapped tourists trying to escape, people falling down to a fiery death or being overcome by sulphur fumes...
Our last evening was fueled by my aim to go up to the Onizuka Visitor Center on Mauna Kea and have a good look through some of their telescopes. The drive up was pretty bad through the clouds and rain, but when we did finally break through we had this superb view behind us which made it all worth while.
We could only reach the visitors centre at 9,600 feet in our car, the summit is at 13,796 feet. This is where all the huge white domed observatories are located. A tour trip up there would take several hours and cost, so that trip will be saved for the another time.
Not long after we saw the best sunset of my whole 8 week stay. It really was totally amazing being this high up for a sunset. Imagine it at the very top!
At the visitor centre we were allowed to gaze through three telescopes they had set up. I was so excited I forgot to ask what size they were - bigger than mine anyhow. We were able to see Mars, Alpa Centuri (a triple star), and several galaxies. Also they pointed the scopes at a star which had blown up and you could just make out the ring of the explosion. Excellent - what a great finish to our trip to the big island.
