Hawaii – Kilauea
We were woken at 1 a.m. by the sound of heavy rain falling on the tin roof. It felt really cozy being inside listening to the rain outside. Then again at 2.30 a.m. we were roused by the sound of a rooster calling and he was right outside our window! Several times during the night he announced his presence but we accepted it as part of the charm of the place. The worst disturbance was the road, especially after 6 a.m., as the occasional car or motor cycle traveling at, what seemed like, 90 miles an hour screamed by.
(Click on the images for a larger version)
Tom got up at 6.15 a.m. and wandered down the farm to take photos. At 7.30 a.m. we presented ourselves for breakfast. Our neighbors Berchart and Karina from Frankfurt in Germany joined us. Johnsie and her father also sat down with us as well. In the center of the table was a fruit plate with slices of banana, halved passion fruit and quartered papaya – all fresh from the farm. We were served Egg and Cheese Strata, which was delicious. We also had toasted English muffins and a whole array of jams and preserves, most of them made by Johnsie with fruits from the farm. Tom had lychee jam, which was white, and I had jaboticaba preserve. Jaboticaba is a strange fruit as it looks like grapes and it grows on the trunk of the tree. The taste was yummy.
The coffee, of course, was Kona and grown on the farm. They don’t farm commercially as they only have four acres but in reality it is more, due to the steep hillside. During breakfast Johnsie and her Dad explained that they hire a team of people to pick the coffee – the harvest starts soon – and a local coffee farmer processes it. Johnsie does sell the coffee by the pound for $20, which is very reasonable as it is 100% Kona. Kona coffee is less bitter than other coffee. Tom prefers the darker roasts, which paradoxically contain less caffeine. I don’t really like coffee and have never had Kona coffee but I did enjoy it very much indeed.
Today we have decided to visit the Kilauea Volcano. This may well be the highlight of our trip because it is
an active volcano and recently started emitting toxic sulphur dioxide gases from the Halema’uma’u Crater in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on March 19 this year. For years lava has been flowing underground from the Pu’u O’o Crater to the ocean and we hope to see that as well.
We set out at 8.20 a.m. for the two hour drive to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Halema’uma’u Crater. The first part of our drive was through the lush South Kona district with elevated views to the ocean. We passed quite a few small, independent, coffee farms. Soon though the scenery changed and were driving on the slopes of Mauna Loa and across lava flows. On the map I noticed an unusual hatched area, just after Highway 11 turns east, so I consulted our recently bought guidebook – ‘Big Island Revealed’ by Andrew Doughty to find out if an explanation was given. And indeed it was. It seems it was a failed enterprise to sell plots of land. The hatched area is actually the roads that were built. Not too many of the plots were sold because there were no supporting services like schools and shops. A few houses have been built though.
Just past that area is a lookout where we stopped. The landscape is just lava beds with very little vegetation but there is a good view of the ocean. There was a local selling homemade jewelry and small carvings. I bought a few as gifts. I know it is tacky but that’s what you do on vacation don’t you?
Johnsie told us of a good place to stop en route to the volcano and that was the black sand beach of Punalulu. We took a short diversion off the highway to Punalulu and were rewarded not only with the black sand on the beach but with the sight of green turtles so close to land. I clambered over rocks to get a closer look and stood taking photos for ages. When I turned to make my way back to the beach I discovered that the tide had risen whilst I had been there and was standing in two inches of water.
Johnsie also told us of the ’southernmost bakery in the US’ which was worth a visit. I thought she said is 
was in Punalulu but we could not find it. We found out afterward that the bakery was actually in Na’olehu.
Almost exactly two hours after leaving the farm we arrived at the Hawaii Volcano National Park. The entrance fee is normally $10 but today there is no charge in honor of new citizens. Very appropriate for me as I became a citizen last month.
We went straight to the Visitors Center where we wandered around for half an hour. I was fascinated to read about the Nene geese, which is the state bird of Hawaii. They used to be prolific but have now almost died out. There is a campaign to increase their numbers. I did notice road signs depicting a goose inside the park. The geese are rarely seen now. Tom did see them when he was here last.
We set off from the Visitors Center to Volcano House. This is not only a hotel but also a restaurant which overlooks the Halema’uma’u Crater. We walked through the building and out the other side for our first look at an active volcano. In front of us was a huge, lava covered, flat crater with trails cris-crossing the whole area. In the middle is a round hole with a huge plume of smoke coming out on one side. This is the where the noxious gases are venting. Around the rim of the crater is a trail and just on the other side a road which goes all around the crater. Both are accessible for some of the way but due to the eruption and continued release of gases they have been partially closed.
October 12 2008 | Further Afield | No Comments »
