Big Island Highlights Pt. I

It’s definitely colder during the winter here in Three Rivers than it was in Carlsbad, or maybe it’s just the drafty 70 year old house we’re living in. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. While there’s about four feet of snow up in the Giant Forest now, there’s none in our yard and isn’t likely to be any all winter long. But, it has rained almost four inches since October and it’s definitely more humid, because the clothes out on the line don’t dry near as quickly. As everyone says about damp cold – it chills you straight to the bone. Unlike the southwest, which gets monsoon rains, it’s dry with hardly a cloud in the sky here in the central valley and foothills of California all summer long. Sometime in October a switch flips and all the sudden we start getting cloudy days with rain. That rain falls as lots of snow up on the mountains, but unlike the powdery quality of the Rocky Mountains, Sierra snow is more commonly referred to as “cement” due to the high moisture content. I marvel at the influence the ocean currents have on our weather here, that it can create such dramatic differences between summer and winter.

But enough about all this cold weather, rain, and snow. What better time to revisit fond memories of balmy Hawai’i? Our friends Julie and Brian accepted jobs at Haleakala National Park back in February. After we moved to California, a trip to Hawai’i quickly moved up our priority list. Flying to Hawai’i is no small feat. It’s the most remote island chain on the plant, so flight time from LA is about five hours with a two to three hour time change, depending on the time of year (Hawai’i doesn’t observe daylight savings time). I greatly admire those Midwesterners and East Coast residents who make the trip, because the jet lag can be significant. Given that it takes so long to get there and the fact that I’ve got a lot of time off right now, we decided to go for two weeks and add on a trip to the Big Island.

My first trip to Hawai’i was over eight years ago, when I went with my friends Jen and Brian to Oahu and Mau’i. Jen and Brian have since returned MANY times to the islands and had lots of wonderful suggestions for places to go and things to do on the Big Island, which is confusingly named Hawai’i, the same name obviously given to the entire grouping of islands, hence the need to refer to the island of Hawai’i as the Big Island. We took a 45 minute flight from Mau’i to the town of Kona in a very tiny nine-seat commuter plane and then drove the southern route over to Volcano (~100 miles), making lots of stops along the way. We went to Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park in the Kailua-Kona area, which is a small park preserving the traditional fish farming techniques of the native Hawai’ians. There’s a short walking trail between the park and the boat marina to the south, which leads to a beautiful little beach edged with palm trees where you can see the walls of the fish ponds sticking up above the turquoise blue ocean water. You take a swim and watch green sea turtles hunting for small fish right off shore. We also had a fabulous meal at Thai Orchid Cuisine in the industrial/shopping district south of the park (Jen also recommended Killer Taco, which we searched for, but of course we only found it after we had settled on the Thai restaurant. Thankfully, the disappointment factor was low.)


Further south, you come to Pu’uhonua o Honaunau , Place of Refuge, another national historic park. This was a religious compound for the highest members of Hawai’ian royalty, and also a place where individuals in trouble could seek protection and forgiveness for laws they had broken. The park is in sight of a crowded snorkeling beach just to the north and to the south is the wild, undeveloped coastline, but in this place under the graceful palm trees, you are overcome with a tangible sense of peace and stability. We so enjoyed the afternoon we spent in the park and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an opportunity to learn more about the ancient Hawai’ian people.

As you continue south on the main highway, keep an eye out for the South Kona Fruit Stand . Jen recommended this place for its fresh passion fruit lemonade and she was so right! They sell a wide variety of tropical fruits grown on their property up the hill from the stand and also provide a tempting array of homemade tropical drinks, smoothies and desserts. You should definitely check it out!

As you continue down around the south side of the island, you see fewer and fewer towns. This is truly a wild and undeveloped place by Hawai’i standards. If you’re looking for Hawai’ian coffee, take a chance and stop at one of the small farm stands along the way. We decided to stop at Ailani Orchard to sample their organic coffee and macadamia nuts. If you go, be sure to watch out for the free roaming turkeys on the property, as they seem to feel very strongly that they have the right-of-way. This is not the verdant, mountainous coastline of your Hawai’ian dreams. One lava flow after another has coated this area in thick black pahoe’hoe and ‘a’a, which are the two main types of volcanic rock on the island. New life quickly takes hold in those lava flows and you will see trees and other vegetation slowly beginning to take back the land.

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is the number one tourist destination in the state for very good reason. Here you have an opportunity to look through a window into the underworld and see powerful geologic forces in action, any time of day or night. Kilauea Crater is currently the most active volcano on the island. In 2008 a new vent opened up in Halema’uma’u Crater, which leads directly to a large pool of magma below. Throughout the day you can see the plume of steam and noxious gases being emitted from the vent, but the real show is at night. Light from the orange molten lava reflects off the plume, giving the entire vent an eerie glow, easily visible from the Jaggar Museum overlook. The plume acts as a mirror, reflecting a world rarely visible on the earth’s surface. Although the surface lava flows have been greatly reduced in recent months, you can still also see lava pouring directly into the ocean on county land outside the park. We opted out of this adventure, due to lack of time and necessary equipment. You should take at least two flashlights with you if you go to observe the lava flow at dusk and a pair of protective gloves would be a good idea as well, because ‘a’a is sharp as glass, should you trip while walking over uneven ground in the dark to get back to your car. We weren’t completely disappointed, because you can see the steam plume from the far southern part of the park. To know that I was in sight of new land being created at that very moment was thrill enough for me…for now.

The sleepy artist colony of Volcano is just a five minute drive from the park. If you decide to stay, plan your meals ahead of time and stock up on provisions in Kona or Hilo before you arrive. The town does cater to tourists, but it doesn’t bend over backward for them. Few restaurants are open for dinner and many have limited daytime hours. We found some good salads and soups at Café O’hia, but chose to make most of our dinners at our hostel using produce we purchased from the Hilo farmer’s market. We stayed at the Holo Holo Inn , which provides dormitory and private accommodations for a very reasonable price. Our private room with a shared bathroom was just $56/night. Because it was the off-season, I actually never had to share the bathroom and we had total access to their hostel kitchen, which was stocked with everything you could need, including beautiful dishware made from a local pottery artist.

In my next installment, I’ll give details on our time spent in the Hilo area and talk about the sights to see on the northern route back to Kona. As for now, I need to wrap up so I can finish packing before my trip to Chicago tomorrow. I’ll be home for ten days to visit family and friends, and then return to Three Rivers for a bit before heading to Minneapolis for Christmas. I hope you all are enjoying the joyous holiday season!