Big Island tour

My friends Usha and Peter recently came to visit me from Switzerland. So it was the perfect opportunity for me to tour around Oahu to places I still had not seen. We also made a trip to the Big Island where Kilauea Volcano, a live volcano still continues to erupt and shapes the island to this day. It made me realize again, what an amazingly beautiful place Hawaii is and how fortunate I am to be surrounded by such beauty here. So different from the fast paced life in the big cities I'd been gravitating to and energized by in the past. I finally find myself learning to appreciate the slower pace of life here. However, nothing stays the same. Who knows how long I'll stay here. Perhaps there is a time and place for everything. For now, perhaps this is a good break...

Sunset at Sunset Beach at Northbeach on Oahu

Usha and Peter, enjoying the sunset at Sunset Beach on the northbeach area of Oahu 

Once we arrived on the Big Island at Kona on the west coast, we began a road trip along the north coast past a quaint little town that seemed lost in the 1950s called Hawi. Then we got a little lost and somehow ended up at this place - the Palolu lookout at Hapuu Bay. There was a hiking trail that led to the black sand beach below. We couldn't resist and began our hike down. The view was beyond spectacular.

Palolu Lookout of Hapuu Bay on the northeast coast 

View towards the valley at Hapuu Bay while hiking down to the beach below 

A stunning black sand beach, created from a volcanic eruption in the past

Another amazing landscape  of Waipio Valley at the end of the Honoka'a-Waipio road on the northeast coast 

The next day, we drove south along the west coast to another infamous black sand beach - Punalu'u Black sand Beach. The beach is too rocky for swimming though the deep blue water was tempting but it's where the sea turtles lay around in the sun. That was a pretty cool sight.

Punalu'u Black sand Beach on the southwest coast of Big Island 

Punalu'u black sand Beach

Passing by the Puako Bay area on the west side of the Big Island, we stopped to walk along a portion of the Ala Kahakai trail to see interesting ancient petroglyphs left by the Hawaiians before there were road on the island. These petroglyphs were revered as sacred charms that protected the travelers from harm and evil spirits.  

Petroglyphs left by the ancient Hawaiians on this ancient trail that once hugged the west coast of the Big Island

We stayed at the Volcano Village for a couple nights and got a chance to see the glow from Kīlauea Volcano which erupted in 1952 and still erupts occasionally to this day! Thankfully, the wind wasn't blowing the sulfuric fumes our way that night.

One of the many craters n the Volcano Park with a live volcano behind

Kilauea Volcano during the day

Kilauea volcano glow at night

Another live volcano within the Volcano Park

A bizarre sight within the Volcanic park where there was only lava from horizon to horizon, barren of any vegetation

A natural volcanic formation of an arch created by the crashing sea waves

Entire shelfs of lava have collapsed into the ocean before so we were warned to proceed with caution

A natural lava formation called Pele's Hair, created when the lava cools as it flows

A natural ground explosion as the lava below cools at a different temperature from the lava on top

The scenic road that once was here in a lush expensive neighborhood, ending abruptly with the lava flowing through

This place once used to be a lush tropical neighborhood for the rich, now covered by miles of lava 

The different colors of the lava up close, formed by minerals like copper, cobalt, sulphur and calcium

Lava Trees Park in Pahoa in the Puna District of the Big Island. It preserves lava molds of the tree trunks that were formed when a lava flow swept through a forested area in 1790. Somehow, these petrified lava logs were an elegant reminder of the trees that once lived here before the live trees that exist there now stand.

Petrified tree stumps at the Lava Trees State Park

Beautiful jurassic trees at the Lava Trees State Park in the Puna District

This Ahalanui Hot Spring area is a natural hot spring salt water pool area because of the volcanic heat from below, making it a comfortable swim, as fresh water from the sea pours in. I didn't take a dip this time but I hope to return one day and lounge in the water for a long long time.

Ahalanui Hot Spring Park at Pahoa (East coast of the Big Island) 

Ahalanui Hot Spring Park