Hawaii

I went to Hawaii in 2012 but apparently didn't blog about it.  Weird.  I went with my family and we stayed on Oahu and Maui, and did day trips to Kauai and Lanai.  I loved Kauai.  Maui had moments of beauty.  Oahu made me sad, that such a paradise was turned into a generic urban nightmare.  I was good, I didn't need to go back to Hawaii. Except for one place.

The Big Island.  AKA, The One With The Volcanoes. 

Yup, I wanted to see lava.  What surprised me was that there was so much history on this island!  I've been trying to learn more about the native people, and have been able to piece together a decent timeline thanks to a few websites and podcasts, but seeing the ruins of native Hawaiian settlements was really amazing.  There was a whole village on my hotel grounds!  I did the free morning tour and learned a lot about how the Hawaiians lived with the land before Westerners arrived.  (Are they Westerners if they come from the East?  Labels are hard on a round planet).   I also went to Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park  to see the ruins and totems there.  I learned about the importance of kapu, the unwritten law code that ordered society, and how those who violated it were cast out to this place.  This was a hugely pleasant surprise, as I wasn't really expecting much history in Hawaii.  

The big highlight, though was Volcanoes National Park.  I got there around noon, after a few stops, and went right to the crater observatory to see the giant pit.  And whoa- there was actually bubbling lava.  It was shooting up over the rim from the lava lake below in a spectacular display of Mother Nature.  I'd wanted to walk out to one of the floes, but the lava had shifted and it was a 12 mile hike to see it.  That was a little further than I dared to venture alone, especially since I'd be returning after dark.  The lava show at the crater more than made up for it, though.

I spent the afternoon driving through the park.  I went to a few overlooks of other craters, and drove down to the coast through the many fields of past eruptions.  There's something so cool about lava rock, the sharp black with lots of twists and turns frozen into it.  I could have taken a thousand pictures.  I also went and walked through the lava tube, which was... damp.  But the giant fiddleheads on the way there were pretty cool!  

Come evening, I returned to the observatory and staked out a parking space.  I picnicked for dinner and then went back up as the sun began to set to see the most spectacular natural wonder- the glowing crater.  It varied from angry red to cool yellow to a white hot glow from the depths.  I don't even really know how to describe it, it was just wild.  I'm so glad I stayed until sunset to see it.  

The rest of my time in Hawaii was relaxing.  I read a lot of books and got really sunburned.  I went snorkeling in the bay and saw some fun little fish but no turtles.  I did see Manta Rays feeding from the hotel balcony one night, which was wild.  They are HUGE.  

I'm good with Hawaii, now, I think.  I can find palm trees and beaches a lot closer.  But the Big Island definitely impressed me, and I wouldn't say no to a chance to return. 

Love the colors here

Sunset from Kailua

The white blob is a Manta Ray

Volcano Crater just after sunset

Hawaiian Ruins