November 29th

Hilo-side

It’s my first full day on the Big Island of Hawaii and wow is it amazing.  I got into Kailua last night after a long flight from Chicago and I don’t think I know what I was getting myself into.

I drove about six hours today.  Through lava fields, ocean views to towering hills, the climate evolved from dry and arid to cool and wet.  The Big Island is divided by the east & west side, with the west known for it’s beautiful beaches and the east for it’s fern-filled jungles.

I met a group from Alaska at A’kaka Falls – an elderly and lovely bunch.  One of them was a botanist in her younger years and she pointed out various plants to me, which I appreciated… even though she forgot some of their names.

Once we parted ways, I drove to another waterfall – Rainbow Falls.  It was too overcast to see a rainbow, but the falls were named after the frequency at which a rainbow is visible in front of them (a LOT!). There was also an interesting Hawaiian mythology that went with the Rainbow Falls as well.

Issac Hale Beach Park

My favorite part of the day was going to Isaac Hale Beach Park.  Back in 2018, Kilauea volcano erupted and the caldera collapsed.  While lava had been visible like a boiling pot since the 80s, most of the lava flowed out to the ocean for several months and as a result, created a new beach… and destroyed many homes in it’s path.

I sat on the new land, watching waves as they pounded the sand. I love the ocean and I love water.  There’s something special about peering out into the vastness; possibility of exploration, of life, etc.  All that existential crap that I love.

Seeing lava – molten lava – is so high on my bucket list.  I booked my trip here before I knew it was no longer visible on the surface. Damn!  What are you doing, mother nature?  That said, seeing the lava fields today – new and old – were incredible.  Earth is crazy!

Volcano Hale

My accommodation for the evening is at Volcano Hale… a much cuter lodge than I anticipated.  I had spent quite a bit for the two nights there because I knew the rest of the time I was staying at a hostel and wanted a brief reprieve of king-sized bed rest.

Tomorrow, I spend the day at Volcanoes National Park.  I don’t know much about what’s there, other than the collapsed caldera, sulphur banks, and steam vents… whatever that means.  It’s been raining a lot this evening, so I’m hoping while I explore tomorrow I stay dry.  I had good luck with that today.

Feeling conflicted about whether or not to say “Aloha” and “Mahalo” here – all the service workers here seem to say it.

First full day was a success.

November 30th

I had to look up what day it was already. Waking up to the rain still falling was a lovely treat, but I was worried it would spoil my day of hiking.  With the exception of getting my shoes & socks wet, the rain wasn’t able to ruin my incredible day at Volcanoes National Park.

The only thing I knew about the park was that there is no more visible molten lava since Kilauea’s caldera collapsed last year.  There are also visible steam vents & sulphur banks – proof that the earth is alive.

I started my day with the sulphur banks – slightly smelly, much like visiting the Strokkur Geyser in Iceland. I was pleased to see wild orchids along my hike. Orchids are beautiful, so to see them out in nature was incredible.  The sulphur banks didn’t let me down.

I stopped at the visitor center before moving on and I’m glad I did, because a park ranger gave me a recommendation I probably wouldn’t have known to do otherwise – hike down to the crater floor of Kilauea.  How could that even be a possibility?!

I hiked through lush rainforest, avoiding puddles and being mesmerized by the greenery.  It ended up being quite a steep decline, which wasn’t that fun on the way back up, but the sights at the bottom were worth it.

Obscured by clouds, the collapsed caldera lived off in the distance of the crater floor.  I walked around the strip of alien-esque floor, only a small sliver to explore because park rangers don’t want visitors getting anywhere close to the activity.  It is an active volcano, after all.

As the clouds parted for all of five minutes, I was greeted by both a rainbow, and steam rising out of the caldera off in the distance.

It was very humbling to be inside an active volcano – the mightiness of it.  There was a theme of beauty & destruction all day.

Steam Vents

I went by the steam vents next, which was essentially the overlook of the volcano from atop the crater.  I looked down and saw where I had just been hiking, and really I wasn’t able to get anywhere near the caldera.  You couldn’t even really see it too well from the overlook, and many roads & trails are closed for visitor’s safety.  Still a bummer.  In the past, you could get a really great view of the caldera.

Chain of Craters Road

From Kilauea, I stopped at another crater – Kilauea Iki.  When it last erupted, it created a huge lava lake covering the expanse of the crater floor, that took years to harden & cool.  Now you can hike across the “lake,” and the floor is allegedly still warm.

I decided to drive to the Holei Sea Arch and work my way backwards from there.  The Sea Arch was cool, but the thing that made a bigger impression on me was all the old lava cascading from the mountains down to the sea.  So much lava!  Old lava, old lava with new lava on top, new lava from 2018 off in the distance.  All the lava!  I loved it.

Speaking of – after the Holei Sea Arch, I went to check out the petroglyphs.  To get there, you have to walk about a mile over the lava and back.  Not the easiest thing.  Ancient stuff is so cool.  To see these old carvings made me feel connected to Hawaii in a unique way.  On my walk back, the wind was picking up and some flowers’ seeds were rattling inside their pods.  With so many of them rattling at once, I was taken aback.  It sounded like the jingling of a woman’s bracelet, so I delusionally decided maybe those ancient Hawaiians were saying hello to me.

With the petroglyph hike finished, I was officially exhausted.  I made my way back up the Chain of Craters Road – stopping off to check out the remaining craters.  While they are cool, I didn’t find them nearly as impressive as the first two I saw.

What a magical day!  I was inside a volcano.  I saw a rainbow and steam vents and petroglyphs and the ocean.  This side of Hawaii is so beautiful – I can’t wait to see if the west can compete.

December 1st

It’s officially December and I am getting a tan in 80 degree sunshine.  I love Hawaii.  I thought maybe it would be a cliche, but the east side of the island really won my heart.  We’ll see how the west is.

I began my day returning to Volcanoes National Park and I’m so glad I did.  Something told me to go check out the caldera again.  This time there were hardly any clouds and I was able to see way more than the day prior AND I was greeted by another rainbow!

I really wanted to check out the Kilauea Iki trail because hiking over a cooled lake of lava seemed pretty extraordinary.  I had read you could feel the heat from the core, too (I did not).  False advertising!  The hike was four miles, and an estimated 2-3 hours.  I wasn’t in much of a hurry, bu I completed it in about an hour and a half.  I think those estimates must be pretty generous.  Descending down a lush, wet forest, the floor of the lava lake that greeted me was otherworldly.  Tough, black boulders, streaks of cooled, red lava, crevices in the earth.  Damn you, Hawaii!  You’re so cool.  By the time the hike was over, my legs were done for.  I had hiked a lot the day before and steep inclines are not my friend.  Unfortunately for my legs, my eyes had other plans.

Having left Volcanoes National Park, I made a quick pit stop at Punalu’u beach park before returning to Kailua.  I wasn’t going to stop at Punalu’u originally, but a friend of mine mentioned it so I figured I’d see what was up.  I’m glad I did because I got to see the laziest sea turtle!

Papakōlea Green Sand Beach

My last big destination of the day was Papakōlea green sand beach.  It was a 5.5 mile hike round trip.

The thing about the hike that’s frustrating is that some people will hire someone to drive them up on a Jeep or ATV.  I definitely had a resentment building pretty early on in the hike, as countless Jeeps passed me by.  Use your legs, people!

It’s not that the hike is particularly difficult… I think it’s that I already did a hike earlier, and the day before, AND the sun was beating down with no shelter, AND I didn’t eat enough.  But the beach was worth it.

Foolishly, I didn’t bring my swimsuit with me, but I enjoyed watching others play in the water.  The beach was a hidden treasure, tucked away in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by towering bluffs.  I probably didn’t stay as long as I should have, but it was a long hike and a long drive back to Kailua.  I would also like to mention that the sand is more olive than green… but that’s okay.  It’s pigment comes from minerals found in the area.

Back to Kailua

After a long day, I drove to Kailua, where the rest of the trip will be spent relaxing and snorkeling at the beach.  Before getting dinner and retiring to my hostel for the night, I wanted a preview of my first snorkeling spot – Kahalu’u.  The water looked peaceful and calm, small waves lapping up to the shore.  Oh, Hawaii.

December 2nd

Last night at the hostel was pretty fun.  Some of the employees and guests were hanging out in the common room and exchanged travel stories.  At one point, a giant centipede crawled across the floor, shocking & disgusting me.  I hate centipedes!  I can’t believe I got to see one in real life, though.  Hopefully it doesn’t eat me in my sleep… they really are big.

Kahalu’u beach was my first snorkel spot – notoriously calm & easy.  I had practiced snorkeling in Lake Michigan during the summer to prepare.  I’m glad I did because it was a breeze.  Immediately, I was greeted by fish.  Yellow tang were plentiful, and occasionally the Humu humu nuku nuku apua’a’ – the Hawaiian state fish.  Even eel, which were little creepers!  Some of my favorites were parrotfish.  They have little beaks to eat coral, and they’re so weird and cute looking.

After my second time leaving the water, a green sea turtle swam past me.  What a neat surprise!  I’ve come to dub them sea angels, because they look so angelic swimming in the water.  Sea creatures are so cool!

December 3rd – 9th

The remainder of my time on the Big Island was spent at the beach snorkeling and chilling.  I went to A-Bay, Hapuna beach, Captain Cook, Two Step, and back to Kahalu’u.  My absolutely favorite spot was Two Step.  While the area was plentiful with coral and fish, spotting dolphins there took the cake.  I hadn’t been aware they were in the area, but I saw a bunch of people snorkeling pretty far out from the shore.  While I was scared to be that far away, I decided to go for it.  I’m so glad I did, because as a result I got to swim near over forty dolphins – I counted!  They like to rest in the bay, so they weren’t incredibly active, but sometimes they would jump out of the water and do spins.  It was magnificent.

My last full day on the island, I decided to drive up north to get a good view of Maui and hopefully catch a glimpse of some whales.  I sat on the rocks and watched some locals surfing.  As I got up to leave, I saw a humpback whale off in the distance fully breach out of the water and crash back down onto its’ side.

I know there is a lot I haven’t mentioned here, and that this post is more diary-style compared to a lot of my others, but I really needed this vacation to be my own and to keep some memories to myself.

Being able to decompress by the beach, be in the water and watch the sunsets was such a great way to spend my time on the Big Island.  Normally, I am on the GO, but I’m grateful I allowed myself to slow down this time, because Hawaii is the place to do it.

It was very hard to go from 85 degree weather back to 20 degrees, but I can say with 100% confidence that I love Hawaii.