Lava flows

We were so entranced by the summit crater we had seen, we decided to stay in the park a second night.  We opted to start our day with an early and quick look at the caldera followed by an exploration of the park.

The lava was continuing to erupt from the summit, but from a different spot on the lake.  It continued to be fascinating.

We continued our day by driving the Crater Drive, 19 miles which travels down the side of the mountain to the coast.  It passes through old flows dating back to 1969.  It filled me with awe to see the vastness of the lava as it had flowed over the cliffs and down into the sea.

At the coast huge cliffs fall into the sea and sea birds were nesting in the cracks and crevasses in them.

Hawaii Volcanos National Park

The volcano in Hawaii is active with lava visible at the summit for the first time in 33 years.  Our apartment is located about three hours from the summit and viewing is best at night when the glow of the lava is more obvious.  We debated making the round trip in one very long day, and then discovered that a campground is located not far from the summit!!!  We decided to go and camp for one night and to continue and circumnavigate the island after seeing the volcano.

This plan presented a challenge as, while we have a tent and sleeping bags, the tent poles are damaged and we no longer have a stove, or dishes, or a cooler or...many things.  Also, the temperatures at the top of the mountain promised to be cooler than the tropical ones we are now prepared for.  The logistics were a bit daunting but we made our plans, bought our groceries and we were off.

When we arrived, we found the campground and pitched our tent.  It was lovely, a grassy area under huge trees nestled against hills.  It had very rudementary facilities, but was just right for a night.  As a bonus, there is a path from the campsite to the summit, which was great as the traffic getting into the park, especially at night is very heavy and parking at the summit at a premium due to the interest in this latest eruption.

We made our way to the summit to see the lava during the day...and it was incredible!  The caldera is a mile away from the observation point, but even at that distance we could see the lava roiling and erupting from the side of a huge lava lake.  The outlook was crowded with people, tourists and locals alike who are coming, sometimes daily, to see this rare sight. 

We returned after dark via the short hike, and the view was even more stunning as we could see the lava lake itself, which is much harder to see in the daylight.  The low clowds glowed with the red of the lav and we could see this glow from the pathway as we approached.  We stood in the rain, and the cool temperatures until we were too cold and wet to continue...it seemed like minutes, but a couple of hours had passed us by as we watched.  We hiked back to the tent where, despite its damaged poles, dry beds awaited.

City of refuge

In ancient times, the penalty for breaking a tabu such as getting too close to the chief or touching his things or even walking in his footsteps (to name a few) was punishable by death.  It was believed that otherwise the gods would be angry, resulting in volcanic eruptions or tsunamis or other disasters.   Violators would be chased down and killed unless they could reach a place of refuge where they could be absolved in a purification ceremony, then return home with all forgiven.   The most famous and best preserved of these Cities Of Refuge is just down the road from our apartment, and we decided to spend the day on the beach there.  We packed a picnic and found a shady spot on the beach and spent a quiet afternoon watching the tide come in.  The black lava stretched out into the ocean and pools form on it.  These make perfect swimming holes as the tide moves in and out.

Mauna Kea Observatory

As we continued down the mountain road we passed the turn off which led to the Mauna Lea Observatory Visitor Centre.  Paul overrode my objections...no food, no warm clothing, etc...and made the turn.  The road climbed to 9,200 feet above sea level and ended at the visitor centre and above the clouds.   We put on every stitch of clothing we had to keep warm in plumetting temperatures  and as it was close to sunset, we climbed to the highest point we could and watched the sun go down and the stars come out.  It was so incredible to see the sunset from above the clouds which filled part of the valley below. 

As night fell, staff from the visitor centre brought out telescopes and trained them on various planets and other objects visible despite the nearly full moon.  It was the first time I had seen the big dipper since we had crossed the equator a week before.  Also, the constellation Orion was back in its Northern hemisphere configuration.  Thanks to Paul's perserverance we had a magical night as an end to a most pleasant day.

Mountain Road

On our way back we stopped at Keokae, a beach park where we could see the huge surf crashing in to the horseshoe bay.  Later, we took the mountain pass going south.  The view was spectacular, with three mountains in view Kilauea, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea as well as the sea far below.  We could see the famous telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea.  It was wonderful.  

Pololu Valley and King Kamehameha

We made our way further north and the landscape changed dramatically.  From desert conditions with black lava everywhere the landscape turned lush and green.  We came upon a famous statue of King Kamehameha, a renowned king of the past who united the Hawaiian Islands.  This statue was made in the 1800's....then lost at sea enroute to Hawaii.   While a relacement was being made in Europe, a passer-by found it in The Falklands where it had been recovered from the sea and put outside a store like a cigar indian.  It was purchased and returned to its intended home, near the king's birthplace.  It is lovingly maintained by the residents of Hawi, the northernmost city on the Island.

Not far away we came to the end of the state highway where a lookout gave views of the beautiful, verdant Pololu Valley and coast line.

Snorkelling

We had heard about a wonderful snorkelling beach about 45 minutes north and we decided to go.  Parking, we were told, was at a premiuim, so we were off early.  We arrived and found parking at the Mauna Kae hotel which is on Hapuna Beach.  It was a marvelous beach with beautiful white sand and trees along its edge for shade.   The snorkelling was  just okay as it was very windy, making it difficult with breaking waves.  We did see some lovely tropical fish...although not for long.    We spent a lot of time bobbing in the waves close to the beach and enjoying the first fully sunny day we had had since arriving.   We stayed until the sun was high and left the beach before we got too burnt.

We decided to continue north and to explore the Kohala region of the island.  We saw a historic site where an aboriginal fishing village ruin was in evidece.  Not far down the road we came to a wonderful diner where we had lunch.  The food was great and decorations were fantastic...very typically Hawaiian.