Hawaii 2019

We continue on our northward journey from Hilo today. It doesn't look the best weather, and it does start to rain. We turn off the main drag onto a scenic drive along the coast. We don't always see the best views due to rain. Then we stop at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. It has been planted along the valley, so to go down we take the golf cart service!! Then we wander though the various groups of tropical plants. Plus a waterfall and lake area. Many plants are in flower from ferns and palms to delicate orchids. We have umbrellas for the occasional shower. It is spectacular how it has been developed. After a stop for coffee we head for Akara (442 ft) and Kahuna Falls (100 ft). The Kahuna Falls are hidden in foliage, while the Akara Falls are spectacular. This is the reason why it's good to rain. Lunch is in the quaint town of  Honomu, before heading to the coastal area of Laupahoehoe Point, a rugged and rocky area where the seas are can be very rough. It is remem...

It is the Thanksgiving Holiday today .... so traffic is light which is good but my museum is not open. Anyway, the day stayed sunny and bright, great for waterfall viewing! The Rainbow Falls are first followed by the Pe'epe's Falls and Boiling Pots. These are both easy walks from the car parks. Ted is in the pictures today.  A coffee break after this "strenuous" two waterfall viewing and then to the Tsunami Museum, which we can now confirm is closed. We stop at the library to view the Naha Stone, a test for royalty to see if they were worthy. Further down the road is an impressive statue of King Kamehameha The Great the last king to lift up the 2.5 ton Naha Stone!!. A little further on is the avenue of Banyan Trees, planted by some very famous people and the Liliuokalani Gardens, a Japanese themed garden in remembrance of all the pioneer Japanese who came to work in the Sugar Cane industry in the 1860's on wards. Ted gets some pictures here. Plus we get some g...

Our day is to be spent looking at lava and what destruction volcanoes can unleash. We travel the Chain of Craters Road from the top of the Kilauea Caldera to the sea. That is a 4,000ft or 1220m drop in elevation. We have several stops along the way, as other craters exist down the mountain side, plus where the lava crossed the road in previous eruptions. We tried for a lookout but the road has not been reopened after last years lava flows. Then there is the new land formed as the lava flowed into the sea and the amazement that strips of forest survived where other places were just enveloped by the lava. At the sea cliffs is a lava arch and sea caves. It is a fascinating drive. We started with beautiful blue skies but end with a couple of showers of rain. On return to Volcano, we pick up some lunch and then wander through the country side on our way to a black sand beach. The roads start as 2 lane, but the further south we go, the narrower the roads get. Many have had to be rema...

A variety today. Our first stop is a tour of the lava tube caverns at Ocean View, the Kula Kai Caverns and Lava Tubes. Not a long drive so easily found. Our group is 9 in total with the other 6 going on the longer tour. So down we go the few steps and into the caverns. It is a fairly easy walk. We have a briefing before we enter and though we don't go far into the tubes, we do learn a lot about volcanoes, eruptions and lava flows. On our journey south we do see the southern most point of the USA but it is not recommended for hire cars and then a hike to make the point. But we do venture down to a black sand beach to see if we can find some turtles. It is pretty rough so not a good day for turtle hunting! We move upwards now to Volcano National Park, where we stop at the Visitors Centre to grab some info on the Crater Rim drive. It was a loop once, but the 2018 eruption and subsequent lava flows have made it more of a one third crater rim drive. There are still a few stops to ...

Our first attraction today is a Seahorse Farm. Some 20 years ago over 4 million seahorses were taken yearly from the wild to furnish the natural medicine trade and another million were taken for the aquarium / pet shop trade. So these guys are now breeding seahorses to try and fill a lot of the orders for the pet shop trade. We get to "hold" a seahorse!! In the water of course. Next we're off to a living history museum. We do a self guided tour about the birth and subsequent rise of Kona coffee. After lunch we venture to Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park, and view the monument to the death of Captain Cook. It is on the other side of the bay but the 2km walk to see it up close was not on our agenda. A very pretty church, St. Benedict's Church is our last attraction for the day. A small church where the original priest painted various scenes on the interior walls to give the illusion of a bigger cathedral. It is still in use today. A mixed bag of attractions ...

We set off on a walking tour of the township of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, Hawaii. First stop is Mokuaikaua Church, the first one in Hawaii established 1820. It is made of volcanic rock, held together by coral mortar. It is suppose to be simple but lovely inside. Well it is under renovation and inside looks like a building site (looking through a window). So outside shots are taken. We then try for Kamakahonu compound which was once the capital of Hawaii, back in the early 1800's. However the gate is locked so nothing much can be seen here!! Not doing well on my walking tour. The pier is just a pier and the shops are pretty touristy as we make our way back to the Hulihe'e Palace. The Palace is a two storey / six room house and we really saw the palace in Honolulu, so it is agreed we probably don't need to waste money on seeing this one, now a museum. Last stop is the farmers market which has a few fruit stalls, some jewellery stalls, clothing stalls and the Hawaii...

We say farewell to Kauai today. Before we go though we do see the rain, and more rain and some more rain. Lucky we don't leave the hotel until it stops. We pass through a tree tunnel along the road before we have brunch. Then off to the airport for our flight to the Big Island. There is a delay because the auxiliary power is acting up, and then the refuelling truck is late and then it breaks down so a replacement is sent for, and then we leave!!! Not long and we land at the Big Island with it's lava flows and moon like landscape ... such change in such a short trip .... we pick up our new car, a Ford Taurus named Doc, and onto a new adventure. Tree tunnel Tree tunnel