Kailua-Kona does not give a good first impression. I remember looking out the plane window at the miles and miles of black barren desert and thinking, “Oh no! What have I done? Why did I decide to come here? Please, take me back to Kauai! I will learn to love the crowing roosters!”
But it got better. MUCH better.
We arrived at our rented condo in Waikoloa, a resort town 30mins north of Kona, late Saturday night. The only place we could find to eat was the Macaroni Grill. The food was good, and Mom and Grandma filled the table cloth with crayon scribblings. We started our plans for our trip to the beaches and Volcano Park.
Sunday, we drove down to Kahaluu Beach for snorkeling. The place was crowded, but the snorkeling was great! I relaxed my body and just floated in the waves and let the brightly colored fish swim around me. I even saw a couple of squid swim by (we didn’t tell them about all the calamari we’d eaten), and large sea urchins. My grandma is afraid of water, but Mom and I convinced her to try snorkeling. She was nervous and uneasy the entire time, but she was out there quite a while and enjoyed herself. She saw a sea turtle and an eel.
After snorkeling, we headed to Alii Drive in Kona. Mom bought fresh mango and papaya at the farmer’s market, which we ate for breakfast the next couple days. We stopped at the most beautiful art gallery I have ever seen. The talent and command of light these artists showed was astounding. If I had thousands of dollars to spend, I would spend it here and decorate my house with it. I tried to find the website for the place, but no luck. Guess I will have to take you all there to show you.
We had dinner a restaurant called the Kona Inn. Our table overlooked the ocean, and sipped on mai tais (virgin strawberry daiquiri for Mom) and munched on calamari and salads as the sunset. The Kona skyline lit up and the high energy feel of nightlife took over. We finished dinner and walked through the shops. Mom and Grandma found a booth advertising volcano helicopter rides, and since they couldn’t afford to go, they made me go to take pictures for them.
Monday, we drove over the north side of the island to the Hilo side. The scenery changed from black, barren desert, to country western with cacti, to cow pastures, to forest, to rain forest in a matter of two hours. We stopped several times to admire the waterfalls, the plants, and the ocean views. The most memorable was Umauma Falls, a three tiered waterfall 16 miles north of Hilo. We also stopped at Laupahoehoe State Park, a memorial for the 24 people killed in the April 1, 1946 tsunami. The turquoise ocean here was not the calm, tranquil image of tropical beaches you usually imagine; it was rough and tumble and threw itself against the jagged rocks in white powerful waves.
The helicopter ride departed from Hilo airport. There were 7 of us in the helicopter plus the pilot. I sat in the front row by the window, which was probably the best seat because nothing was blocking my view in front or on the side. For about an hour, we flew over Hilo and the lava flows. The lava flow covered 65 acres, wiping out two towns and blocking a major highway. In some places, I could see a road, rooftop, or patch of trees where the lava missed, but otherwise it was sparse black rock and some steam vents. The flow went right up the tree line, leaving abrupt curvy edges like the edges of puzzle pieces.
This recent flow came from Kilauea crater and traveled underground for miles in what’s called lava tubes. I didn’t see lava in the crater, but it was impressive hill with lots of smoke and ash blowing out. We flew over the area with lava pouring into the ocean. I could see the steam from miles away, and when I get closer, I could look between the steam clouds and see the glowing orange of red of the hot lava. The recent, newest lava looked like melted silver, and was described as having the texture and consistency of peanut butter (though 2000 degrees hotter). Occasionally, I could see red and orange glowing in the cracks. The darker the rock, the older the lava, and it cooled and hardened in long ropes and what looked like black braided hair. There were also patches of orange, red, and gold because of the different minerals in the rocks.
On the way back to the airport, we flew over a forest where everywhere you looked, you could see a waterfall. When I looked up, I was staring at a rainbow in the rainclouds ahead of us. It was amazing to see a rainbow from up in the sky with it! The whole helicopter ride was an experience that left me weak-kneed and drooling.
Just before sunset, the three of us drove into the Volcano Park. We stopped at the Jagger museum which provided an outlook to the Halema’uma’u crater. The place was crowded, and I rolled my eyes thinking, “Oh boy. Another tourist trap. Probably not worth the hype.” But as I turned the corner to see what the fuss was about, my jaw dropped. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd and before me was a sight I wish I could describe and the pictures could do justice. I saw a larger crater with what looked like billowing orange and white smoke (found it is all ash, not smoke) rising from the side. As the sun set, the colors became more vivid, and the horizon reflected orange, red, and pink light. My mom, grandma, and I spent at least an hour gaping at the beauty and power of it all.
That day, I was watching the formation of the Earth! It was witnessing how our planet was formed, how life started, and how our planet was changing. What an amazing and humbling experience to see God’s work up close. Unfortunately, many of the roads through the park were closed due to volcanic activity, so I didn’t get to see any more of the park, but that’s ok. All this alone was worth the 2-3 hour drive to see.
The next day and last day, we drove as far as we could on Highway 130, which is the road the recent flows wiped out. It was the only place to walk out on them and observe them. It was different seeing them from the ground versus up in the helicopter. I could see the twisting, ropey rocky up close, and see exactly how deep the rocks went (over my head!). Some of the people who lost their houses in the flow rebuilt their houses on the same property. They survived using solar panels and other camping techniques, but it must have been hot without any trees or lawn to keep the house cool.
Afterwards, we went to Lava Tree State Park. It’s an area where lava formed and hardened around trees so fast the tree burned up, but the lava kept the shape of the tree. It sounds cool, but it was a little disappointing to see. The “trees” looked like big chunks of rock with holes in the middle. The area the park was in was beautiful, though. My grandma loved the trees and plant life, and she was happy to get away from all the tourists.
We had dinner at a pizza place in a town called Waimea. If you were dropped into this town without any hint of where you were, you would never guess you were in Hawaii. You would guess you were dropped into an old western town in Utah, Arizona, or Texas. Meet the Hawaiian cowboy. Aloha dude!
Our flight home left Kona airport at 6:15a.m. I have not had to set my alarm for 3:30a.m. since I quit my job at the Borders Airport store (and that’s one of the reasons I quit). I would have liked one or two more days to see more of the Kona side of the island and the black beaches, but or time was up. Like I said, I am already planning my trip back and whoever wants to join me is welcome to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment