Big Island of Hawaii

 Arriving Hawaii

Big Island coastline from the plane.

Upon landing at Kona airport, we were greeted by lava rock

Kona

Beaches are the main attraction in Kona. Opportunities to swim or relax. We saw a sea turtle swimming and several crabs walking on the lava rocks.

Since Kona faces west, it is the perfect location to enjoy sunsets from the beaches.

North Shore

When transitioning to Volcano Village, we drove along the coast in the northern part of the island. 

Visited Waipio Valley. Nice view of the coast. People can hike down to the beach - 1300 elevation difference.

Close up view of the beach at the bottom of Waipio Valley.

Waterfall in Waipio Valley.

Waterfalls

Visited several waterfalls during the drive between Kona and Volcano Village. First was Akaka Falls park. Tip: if you park on the street outside the park, there is no parking charge. The park has a .5 mile trail through a rainforest. This trail includes platforms for a partial view of Kahuna Falls and full view of Akaka Falls. 

Top of Akaka Falls.

Akaka Falls is over 400 feet tall. As a comparison, Niagara Falls is 167 feet tall.

Visited Wailuku River State Park, near Hilo. There are two parts to this park - the Rainbow Falls viewing area and Boiling Pots.

Rainbow Falls. If the sun hits at the right spot at the right time, people can see a rainbow.

Boiling Pots are pools of bubbling water that look like pots filled with boiling water.

Peʻepeʻe Falls

Close up of Peʻepeʻe Falls

Punalu'u Beach

Black sand beach on the east side of the island, 30 minutes south of Volcano Village.  This is a popular spot for sea turtles, and they sometimes walk on the sand. 

Flowers and Plants of Many Colors in Hawaii

Near our condo in Kona

At Rainbow Falls

Along Akaka Falls Trail

Tree flowers near Akaka Falls

The following four pictures are flowers near our condo in Volcano Village. This is a peaceful area and less than 10 minutes from Volcano National Park.

The following three are flowers we saw in Volcano National Park.

Volcano National Park

Volcanoes help create land - they contribute to the Island of Hawaii growing. The entrance to the park is near Kilauea summit. The summit is around 4000 feet above sea level, and is 10-15 degrees cooler - you may want a jacket. Crater Rim Drive goes past steam vents, which deposit minerals of varying colors. There are several observation points to see the Kilauea summit and the caldera, which formed after an eruption in 2018 caused the summit to collapse. 

Lava tubes are caves formed by passing lava. Thurston lava tube is near the main road, and accessed by a short trail through a rainforest. 

A hiking trail near the visitor center goes down to the base of the Kilauea Caldera. 

We hiked across the Kilauea Iki Crater, where lava flowed during the 1959 eruption.

We drove the Chain of Craters Road to the ocean level. Several lookout points where we saw how lava flowed down to the sea and recently created land. At the end of the road is the Helei Sea Arch - this arch will eventually collapse due to erosion. 

Nene, AKA Hawaiian goose, official state bird of Hawaii. 

Departure

Salmon dinner and sunset on our flight out of Hawaii.