Volcanos and Such on the Big Island

The Big Island of Hawaii That Is

I spent two days on the big island of Hawaii, so called the big island because its actual name is Hawaii.  The first day I spent based out of Hilo on the eastern coast of the island.  This was the day I decided I would visit Hawaii Volcanos National Park to see some flowing red lava.  

Cruising around the Big Island in the convertible I rented.  The last minute upgrade was 100% worth it.

So after I disembarked from my cruise ship at the port, I climbed into the free shuttle of the rental car company I reserved a compact car with (Thrifty, more on that later), and was deposited at their rental office at the airport.  As I stood in line mulling over the $30 I was about to spend on a compact grey ford focus (or similar) the line of convertible mustangs in the parking lot caught my eye.  The longer I stood in line (which wasn't very long) the more I wanted one, especially after all the fun I had with the jeep I rented on Maui.  Fifteen minutes later when I reached the counter, I was sold on a convertible without the employee having to say a thing.  I agreed to pay the $20 difference and soon I had keys in my hands to a white ford mustang with the top down.  We climbed in and drove towards the national park.

Fumeroles, vents in the ground through which steam escape near volcanos are abundant in Hawaii Volcanos National Park.

The drive was pleasant weaving first through little towns then through the Hawaiian jungle, until we reached the line at the park entrance.  It turns out a lot of other people wanted to visit the park that day too.  We sat patiently in line until it was out turn at the window.  A flash of our annual national park pass, a map, and we were off to the visitors' center.  Although we saw plenty of evidence of volcanic activity well before we reached the visitors' center.  Fumeroles were venting steam all along the road.

Posing with the main caldera of Kilauea Volcano.  It is unsafe to venture further.

The park road basically encircles the very large crater of Kilauea, with the visitors' center at one end of the drive.  The visitors' enter also has a scenic viewing area where the main active crater can be safely viewed.  While I couldn't actually see the boiling magma chamber of the crater, it was easy to imagine from all the steam and smoke billowing out of the hole.  Originally we were going to follow our trip to the visitors' center with a hike out to see the flowing red lava on the plains below by the ocean, but a few weeks before our arrival the volcano decided it didn't like where it was spewing lava.  So that vent closed up and a new one opened on private land where lava was destroying plants, houses, and anything else that got in its way.  It is needless to say the situation was both a bummer for us who now lacked the opportunity to see red rowing lava and the land owner whose property was begin destroyed.

One entrance to the Thurston Lava Tube, the largest lava tube I have ever seen.  As a geologist who actually seeks these things out, that is saying something.

So instead we drove around the crater the opposite direction to see the Thurston Lava Tube.  I was not super excited to see the lava tube since I'd visited so many already, but I changed my mind once we got there.  The lava tube is huge.  I am pretty sure an elephant could fit inside.  Just thinking about all the hot bubbling magma required to form that tube kind of scared me.  I suddenly started thinking I didn't want to be so close to an active volcano after all.  So I walked a little faster through the tube than I normally would and headed back to the parking lot where the trail head for the next hike I wanted to do started.

Stopping for a quick photo in the dark depths of the lava tube.

There is a secondary crater to Kilauea in addition to the one by the visitors' center.  It's not super active, making it safe enough to climb down into and walk across, although straying off the marked path is very dangerous.  We opted to walk the portion of the trail that encircle the crater from above, allowing views into the crater below.  It was a nice scene, but there was no flowing lava and a chicken like-bird ran after me after I walked past its resting place near the trail.  I wouldn't say I was scared of it, just really startled when a wild animal started chasing me though the jungle lunging its beak out to try and peck me.  

Emerging from the lava tube unsinged, victory!

Our cruise ship was scheduled to sail past the part of the park that borders the ocean, so we opted to skip that portion and head back to Hilo for a lunch of poke (chopped raw tuna with sauce and seasoning).  We also walked around the Kona's farmers' market before getting back in our car and deciding staying in Hilo was not the best use of our time.  Compared to chic/quaint Maui with its art galleries and mom and pop conner stores or Oahu with its clean downtown high rises and awesome beaches, Hilo was just run down and dirty with a lot of closed stores and museums.  Just like any other country or state in the world there are awesome places and not so awesome places.  When a not so awesome place appears, I just go somewhere else.  

Standing on the rim of the secondary crater of Kilauea.  The main crater vents steam off in the distance.

With the map from the rental car company in hand I decided the somewhere else I wanted to go was Akaka Falls State Park.  Home to two glorious waterfalls, one of which tops four hundred feet. Akaka Falls was a sure bet.  Even the drive to Akaka Falls was superb.  We chose the scenic route (so labeled on the map) which cut in and out of the coastline through lush low hanging vegetation.  We even extended our journey to the falls by pulling over and buying coconut with a straw in it from a stand for a snack.  

The bird (chicken) that attacked me on the hike.

Parking at Akaka was a little difficult.  The parking lot was extremely small and harbored only a couple vehicles.  One of the park employees informed us we could park outside the park on the side of the road and walk in instead of waiting for a space in the parking lot.  The only problem was that the sides of the road outside the park were jammed with cars too.  So we had to wait anyways, although not as long as if we waited for a space in the lot.

Akaka Falls State park is fairly well developed, with a board walk providing access to the two viewing platforms of the waterfalls.  My boyfriend and I had ditched our hiking boots in the car and completed the boardwalk in flip-flops.  Although a boardwalk, quite a few stairs were involved leaving some winded visitors panting on their way back to the parking lot.  While the views of the falls were impressive I wouldn't say the trip from Hilo took much time, it certainly did not eat up our remaining time.  So we headed back to Hilo and after driving a round looking for something that peaked our interest decided to just return the car and get back on the ship.  We would want a nap before the late night viewing party of the volcano anyways.

Akaka Falls north of Hilo, in the midsts of a state park.

Before our nap we decided to grab a snack.  This was during the time when the cruise ship was pulling away from port.  I realized as I munched on my sandwich we had forgotten our boots in the trunk of the car.  Thankfully we were on a cruise in the US and close enough to land for me to get cell service.  I immediately called the rental car company.  The lady who answered said that one of the cleaning crew had found one pair of boots in the car (my ten year old $50 high techs), but my boyfriend's brand new $100+ boots were no where to be found.  She said she would check again and call me back.  Ten minutes later we pulled too far from shore and I lost cell service.  

Hawaii gives a whole new meaning to the term scenic drive on the eastern coast of the Big Island.

I assumed our shoes were lost and my brother who lives in Hawaii and I talked to right before I lost service agreed.  His car had just been broken into on Oahu and his phone was stolen.  However, the next day I heard back from the woman who said the other pair of boots had been wedged under one of the seats and that's why no one saw them the previous day.  All I had to do was pay for the $15 cost to ship the boots to my brother's house on Oahu (our last destination of the trip) and they would ship them out that day.  I gave her my credit card number for the charge and thanked her profusely for  taking the time to return our stupidly expensive foot ware.  I would like to reiterate that thanks now.  I used Thrifty Rental Car on Hilo and not only did I save over $100 compared to the ship excursion prices, with the added freedom of changing my plans as the day went on, but they found and shipped my lost personal belongings back to me on Oahu.  Furthermore their system of retrieving and returning cruse ship passengers to the pier was seamless.  Thank you Thrifty employees.

Beautiful coastline abounds north of Hilo.

Of course our time viewing the volcano was not yet over.  That night at 11 PM the ship sailed in the view of the volcano.  I could faintly see the orange glow of the caldera, because the lights of the ship were so bright it ruined my night vision.  It was not helped by all the extra lights brought up for the viewing party which was more dance party than viewing party.  Most of the employees in charge of the viewing party mistakenly said the volcano could not be seen due to poor visibility when I could see it so long as I cupped my hands around my eyes to block out the light of the ship.  I was disappointed that the viewing party was not better handled.  Just turning off some of the ship's lights would have made a world of difference.

Want to read more about my time in Hawaii?  Check out my post about snorkeling and paddle-boarding on Oahu, the ride on the Pineapple Express at the Dole Plantation, or visiting Iolani Palace.  Interested in the other islands?  Read about my time hiking and riding a submarine on Maui or visiting the Kona Brewery on the Big Island.