ALOHA... Day 6

We spent all day at Hapuna Beach, which is on Conde Nast Traveller's list of the world's best beaches. We agree!

I had my own hole.

I LOVE THE BEACH!

I wish this day could be longer!

ALOHA... Day 5

On our fifth full day in Hawaii, we drove across the island to the South Kohala Coast. On our way we stopped at Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano. Here I am taking a break on a hike up a cinder cone. Mauna Kea is in the background.

After driving to the Visitor's Center part way up Mauna Loa (our car seriously worked overtime to get there), we continued across the island to Waimea for lunch, where by chance we came across the world's greatest playground. (Seriously, it was HUGE!)

By late afternoon we arrived at our intended destination--the beach!

I had my own hot tub.

Woo hoo!

ALOHA... Day 4

We went to the Rainforest Zoo. Before we even got inside, we had lunch with one of the locals!

There were lots of animals, to include a great collection of birds like parrots and mackaws, but
the free-roaming peacocks (tons of them) were the biggest hit with us. In fact, this picture takes place while a white tiger was eating his dinner right across the street. The tiger was devouring
raw chickens literally within 5 feet of us, but I was more interested in the peacocks and chickens
having their dinner nearby.


Courting

After the zoo, we enjoyed the views of Rainbow Falls, just north of Hilo.

ALOHA... Day 3

We spent the day at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. This area is called Sulphur Banks, and reminds mom of parts of Yellowstone.

Dad almost fell in one of these steam vents. These are nonsulphurous, and are really impressive.

This is the steaming Kilauea Caldera. For at least 100 years (until about 1924), this caldera was a seething lake of lava that tourists came to view. Now it is hardened lava with steam and sulphur vents, and is still a very active volcano. There is still a lava flow on the other side of the rim. In fact, part of the rim drive and hike was closed because of new activity.

Inside the Kilauea Caldera, is the Halema'uma'u Caldera, very active, indeed. The last time it erupted was 1982, but you can see, it's still blowing off a lot of steam!

Kilauea Iki Crater

We hiked down into the Kileuea Iki crater. When Kileuea Iki erupted in 1959, the whole crater floor was bubbling lava, and it's fountains reached record heights of 1900 feet!

There were cinder cones that we could climb (background), and it was a bit eerie to be in the crater looking up.

Still some activity here! Daddy said the steam was hot!

Being on the crater floor gives you a sense of being on mars or something. Although the hardened lava looks like broken concrete, it's surprisingly light and springy under your feet.

That's Mom and I on the crater floor, as viewed by Dad, who was standing on one of the cinder cones.

We spent the rest of our daylight hours exploring Chain of Craters Road, which traverses lava fields from multiple eruptions. (Signs indicate what year each field is from, but they all run together as far as you can see until you reach the sea.) Toward the end of the road, which ends at the ocean, we hiked to the Pu'u Loa Petroglyths. Most of it is actually depressions in the petroglyth field that served as receptacles for the umbilical stumps of their babies. Some people still practice this tradition here in order to bestow their children with longevity.

ALOHA... Day 2

Orange Boys--We didn't mean to, but Daddy and I dressed alike. Orange is my favorite color.

Mom and Dad enjoyed a scenic drive while I napped in the back seat.

Our drive ended at the scenic Waipi'o Valley.

It was so scenic that we hiked down to the bottom of the valley... on a road/trail that was >25% grade the whole way!

The Hike

We trekked down the road (this picture doesn't do the steep grade justice)...

... and the views were worth it.

We made two river crossings...

... and again, the views were worth it.

After exploring the valley interior, we hiked back down to the beach. I got a little silly.

And again... the views were worth it!

The Beach

Seeing as how we were in Hawaii, we had to spend some time at the black sand beach in the Waipi'o Valley, especially since it was so remote. I loved jumping over the waves.

Check out the views!

I couldn't get enough of the beach, even after Mom and Dad got me ready to go back in the pack.
Up the trail we went. Whew! A hike like that sure wears a boy out!

Last Stop

What? Did you think we were done?! On the way home, we stopped at Akaka Falls. I used the construction sign to point out letters I know.

Ahhhh, the views!

ALOHA!

We just got back from our trip to the Big Island. There is too much to share in one blog post. (307 pictures, but we're not going to post them all!) So we are posting in installments. Here's a sample of Day 1 of our trip.

First stop... the Pahoa Farmer's Market! We had great fun, and Mom found Thai sticky rice that we saved for lunch. It was just like she remembered from Thailand! I played the drums, socialized with the locals, and was an all-around hit!

Next stop... Lava Trees State Park. Lava passed through this area and covered the trees, then cooled, leaving hollow lava trees. This was a fun walk.

Some of the "trees" were pretty big!

Before this picture, we stopped at a thermal pool and went swimming for a couple hours. Mom was having so much fun that she forgot to get the camera out! Last stop... the end of the road--literally. We drove to the end of Highway 130, where lava passed through and cut off the road. The steam in the background is where an active lava flow is entering the ocean.

We hiked along the lava cliffs toward the active flow until we ran out of daylight.

Stay tuned for Day 2 of our Big Island Adventure!