Trip Index
Since we were starting from the Waikoloa area, I decided to drive along the north side of the Big Island on Highway 19, a 2.5 hour journey.
Last trip, we went the southern route and it took quite a lot of time. We dropped by the fruit stand again as it was on the way; this time, the mom was there. Unfortunately she was out of longans.
We stopped in
Akaka Falls State Park to view Akaka Falls. The weather was overcast and it looked like it just rained, which was not surprising as
Hilo is one of the wettest cities in the world. The entrance fee is $5 per car in the parking lot or $1 per pedestrian. We ended up parking on the road just outside of the official parking lot and walked in, paying the pedestrian rate. A state park employee policed the entrance and collected money.
The path to Akaka and Kahuna Falls is a circular loop, fully paved and includes some stairs. I had been here before and remembered that I couldn't really see Kahuna Falls very well from its vista point off the loop, so we walked half the loop towards Akaka Falls through lush rain forest, took pictures and returned to the car.
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| a paved flat section |
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| Akaka Falls |
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We then headed to Hilo in search of lunch. I had looked through my copy of the "
Big Island Revealed" guidebook for suggestions, and a Thai restaurant called
Sombat's was recommended. It was hard to find, situated in a corner of a old faded building called "Waiakea Kai Plaza". (you can see signage from the main highway) When we got there, the place was closed for the holidays, but was to re-open January 2. We ended up parking downtown and eating at
Cafe Pesto as it was one of the few restaurants still open for late lunch. I didn't take any pictures of the food as I was extremely hungry, but it was standard fare.
I had found our home for the next two nights on VRBO: "
Pele's Secret Garden". It was just as pictured and filled with all sorts of nice surprises like fresh fruit, a bottle of wine, breakfast items and a welcome letter from the owner. It felt like staying at a friend's home again, with all the basics and so much more.
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| local fruit |
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| wine |
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| a warm welcome from the owner |
For New Year's Eve, I made a reservation for the restaurant in
Kilauea Lodge on OpenTable. There are very few restaurants in Volcano as it is a small "village"; I booked it three weeks in advance and the earliest seating I could get was 7:30pm. When we arrived, the restaurant was packed. It was festively decorated for the holidays. Happy New Year!
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| decorated hanging umbrellas |
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| mai tai toast |
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| "alpine" soup |
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| asparagus soup |
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| bon appetit! |
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| duck a l'orange |
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| rack of lamb |
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| in front of the "International Fireplace" |
To start 2013, we headed to
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; it was open on New Year's Day! We made our way from the Jaggar Museum to the Thurston Lava Tube, then down the Chain of Craters Road to the Sea Arch. We were fortunate to always be ahead of the tour buses at every stop.
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| at Kilauea Caldera |
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| entrance to Thurston Lava Tube |
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| inside the lava tube |
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| lava devastation along the Chain of Craters road |
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| help me out of the lava! |
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| Holei Sea Arch |
We drove back up to the summit, then went on a hike across
Kilauea Iki crater. It was four miles round-trip through cracked and uneven terrain plus some steep footing and stairs, so it was a testament to how tough my parents were to complete the hike wearing just sandals, plus my mom was carrying a big purse! Though they made it through the hike, I would recommend wearing sturdier shoes. (I forgot to tell them before we left the house, and Kaleb carried my mom's purse in his backpack part way into the hike) The last eruption happened in 1959, but steam still escaped from vents and cracks, and the ground was warm to the touch.
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| those small specks out on the crater were people halfway along the trail |
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| stairs down |
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| fauna |
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| uneven terrain |
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| Mom leading the way towards the steam vents |
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If you have bandwidth and time to watch a video of the steam vents:
After the hike, we went back home for dinner. Later that night, we set out again to look at the caldera in the darkness, something to take advantage of when your lodging is only ten minutes away from the park versus three hours from Kona. There was hardly any light in the parking lot. I would recommend bringing a flashlight as well as a jacket as it gets chilly at this higher elevation.
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| "liquid hot magma!" |
Tomorrow, we set out for Kapoho and the Lagoon House!
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