Volcano & Pahoa, The Big Island

We have LOVED visiting Volcano!  This is one stop we will definitely make again.  We love the rainforest, the cooler temperatures, and the amazing flora.  There's a ton of hiking to do, and there is nothing else I can think of to compare to seeing a volcano and the devastation it can create.

Where we stayed it was only 5 minutes away from Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Jagger Museum is a great pace to learn about the volcano and view the crater. 

 Kilauea Volcano by day....

And night...

Not since Tsay Keh Dene, have I seen stars like this!

Well, minus the volcano cloud also known as VOG.

Aaron is talking with the ranger to get the scoop on the Halema'uma'u Crater hike we would be doing the following day. (Pictures of the hike are below)

  

I was very taken with Pele, the goddess of fire.  If she commands your attention like she did for me check out The Legend of Pele, How Pele Came to Hawaii, or Mutli-Cultural Education.

Our first stop after the visitor's center was the fissure.  This is where NASA did their training for their mission to the moon.  Pretty cool!

 

 Even where it seems nothing would survive, there is life in Hawai'i.

We really enjoyed checking out the Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs.  There is a such a pull to be in places with a deep sense of history with connection to those before and the stories the land can tell...

 

I took a moment to give thanks and show respect for the land of the Kanaka Maoli.  To those who are unfamiliar with Coast Salish traditions, we raise our hands as a expression of our gratitude.  

The lava flows are pretty amazing, & there are so many different textures and forms the lava takes.

The drive along Chain or Craters Road ends abruptly where the road was taken over by the lava flows from Pu'u 'O'o vent that occurred between 1986 & 1996.

The following day we did the Halema'uma'u Crater hike...

 Volcanic steam vents

Looking down on where we will be hiking... Aaron, are you sure about this?

The cone

Making the final decent to the bottom of the crater.

 

Aaron? Aaron?  Where'd he go?

 

*Please note, no actual Aarons were harmed in the making of this blog;)

Looking back across the crater at the path we just experienced...

The Thurston Lava Tube

 

 

WE DID IT!

On our way to the Hilo airport to fly from The Big Island to Maui we did a side trip down to Pahoa.  This was the last day, and the first time we really saw the affects of the recent hurricane.  There was no power and hydro crews were working furiously.  Ice was being given to people at community centers which were also open for showers.  There were numerous places with countless trees down and it made me think of when Stanley Park had been decimated by the windstorm in 2006.  Both the Lava Tree State Park and the Malama-Ki Forest Reserve were pummeled.  I didn't get many pictures, because there wasn't much opportunity to pull over with the repair crews working away, and I was just so taken-back by it, and felt a real sense of sadness for the trees.

And yet there are still some pockets completely untouched...

Next stop... Haiku, Maui!

Waikoloa, Kohala, & Kailua-Kona, & Hilo, The Big Island, Hawaii

With the slower pace Hawaii has offered us, the Kona coffee every morning & the fresh Hawaiian pineapple every night there is a good chance we may never leave.  We arrived the Monday after our wedding and settled in to the condo we rented in Waikoloa Village.  Waikoloa Village was the perfect place to be as it was quick to access so many other parts of the island.  We hunkered down for a couple of days to decompress from the busyness of the wedding and for Aaron to finish up his school work.While he did that, I managed to read a bit of my textbooks for the upcoming semester and I also read the users guide for my Sony NEX6 camera Aaron got me for Christmas.  I figured this was the perfect time to try it out for the first time... PS I love it!

 Lots of geckos!

A gaggle of turkey...

After some time to decompress we went out to explore Kohala, and any sites along the way.

After passing through Waimea you go to the end of the road with Polulu lookout to greet you at the end of the journey.  (You may notice on this holiday Aaron tends to take pictures of me taking pictures...)

How could we pass up a photo op with Mr Fig!

We popped down to Kailua-Kona so Aaron could get some snorkeling in.  I prefer hanging out on the beach & had some fun with my camera.

Speaking of donkeys... there's one now...

We did an evening sunset boat ride & snorkel with Manta Ray.  most of this was captured on video rather than pictures.

The crew

The next adventure was taking Saddle Road which follows the base of Mauna Loa volcano to Hilo.

We stopped at What's Shakin' for lunch, I had a Taro Burger (they even had gluten free bread!), Aaron had an Ono Wrap. and we shared a passion smoothie... DELICIOUS!

Next up was 'Akaka Waterfall.

 A very fun day of adventure!

Our last day in Wailkoloa we did a day trip snorkeling tour on our way to Volcano.  Aaron LOVES to snorkel, me not so much... I don't really like getting wet, I love being on the water rather than in it.  This trip met both of our desires and I actually really enjoyed the snorkeling.  We saw lots of sea caves, bottle-nosed dolphins, spinner dolphins, flying fish, and a massive array of tropical fish while snorkeling.  Our guides were pretty awesome too:) We snorkelled at two locations the Captain Cook Monument, and the Place of Refuge.  It was an awesome day!

 

 

So there you have it, week one of our honeymoon.  I can't wait to share the pictures of Volcano next!