Hawaii Travel

sunset over south kona

the scent of plumeria

wild pineapple

gifts to the Gods

horses at south point

lava tube

southern tip of the U.S.

Holualoa, Big Island, Hawaii

Kohala coast, Big Island, Hawaii

City of Refuge, Honaunau, Hawaii

South Point, Ka’u, Hawaii

South Point, Ka’u, Hawaii

Honu (sea turtle)

South Kona Coast

Kilauea

Kilauea

Spinner Dolphins, Kealakekua Bay

I hope to share some clearer photos of the dolphins in the future…have to practice my photo taking/kayak paddle balancing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean skills!  These dolphins are oh, so cute, playful and intelligent creatures. It was a real treat to see them spinning, jumping and swimming together.

spinner dolphin!

Exotic Hawaiian Flora!

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Rim of the crater

From Crater Rim drive, you can hike along trails to see steam vents and ominous crater lookouts.

exotic flowers enveloped in sulphuric gases

The volcano is widely believed to be ruled by the island’s notorious goddess Pele.

Is Madame Pele happy or sad?

The park boasts three active volcanoes and a geological history dating back at least 70 million years.

hiking along the crater

The current eruption along Kilauea’s East Rift Zone started in January of 1983, making it the world’s longest in recorded history.

kilauea

Kilauea is a shield volcano, meaning it doesn’t have the explosive gases of the more dangerous strato volcanoes along the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire (Mount St. Helens and Mount Pinatubo in the Phillipines).

hiking the trails

A sunny day at 4,000 ft. inhaling some amount of sulphuric gas, I have to admit my hiking buddy, Sammy and I didn’t last long!

the dancer

We would rather dance!

back to the car for pastries from the southernmost bakery in the u.s.

Too bad we didn’t get any photos of the pastries!

exotique!

You can see the volcano by foot, bicycle, tour bus and helicopter depending upon your budget.  Be sure sure to check the recorded weather forecast (808-961-5582) before heading out to the park. The elements here are fickle-sunny, chilly, rainy, foggy and voggy (volcano fog) on any given day and Pele is unpredictable (typically benevolent but wishy-washy nonetheless!)

Any visit to the Big Island of Hawaii would not be complete without a few hours spent picnicking and wandering around the grounds of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park. Also referred to as the Place of Refuge, this national park is famous in Hawaiian history.

The kapu (taboo) system of ancient Hawaii controlled the lives of its citizens. Women were prohibited from cooking for or eating with men. If  a commoner happened to look an ali’i (king) in the eye there would be punishment…

…and the punishment was death. Fortunately, this City of Refuge was a place where one was spared death if they could make it there alive (bypassing warriors and royalty who lived in the surrounding areas. ) In fact, the only way to reach the sanctuary was to swim through shark-infested, harrowing open ocean.

After priests performed rituals to placate the gods, you could return home with a clean slate. Hooray!