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.
Before walking round some of the rim, we decided to grab a bite to eat. There is a nice restaurant where a buffet style lunch was being served but we chose the snack bar. We had ham and cheese rolls. It was not an exciting lunch; in fact is was downright disappointing, but it was the only reasonably priced food around. The main attraction though was the view of the crater from our table. At first there were not too many people in the restaurant but a couple of buses must have descended because the place became packed with people.
Afterward we started to walk anti clockwise around the rim. It was an interesting walk through shady jungle type woodland, passing the occasional steam vent. Puffs of steam could be seen all over the place, some from small crevices and some from deep holes. Looking down into the holes is eerie and when the wind changes direction and the steam blows into your face it is hot with a mild odor – not unpleasant but different. It also fogs up your glasses
We walked for about a mile but turned off when we saw two huge buses stop in a pull out area ahead of us. Until then we had the trail to ourselves more or less but the thought of sharing it with about two hundred others was not appealing. Besides it was really quite hot and we wanted to look for some shade. Instead of going back the way we came, we took a detour along the Sulphur Bank Trail and saw not another soul until we reached the Visitors Center. At one point on the trail we sat on rocks on either side of the trail
for half an hour, enjoying the shade and our surroundings. There were a lot of vents discharging steam on the trail but these were quite different as they were venting sulfurous fumes and depositing a coating of yellow sulphur and, in places, sulphur crystals on the rocks, adding not only color but the smell of rotten eggs.
Lava has been flowing from this volcano for years but it has been traveling underground for some distance and then flowing into the ocean. Once upon a time it was possible to drive down the Chain of Craters Road from the summit of Kilauea and then to drive along the coast and north to Hilo but lava flows have closed the coast road. There are a couple of places to get closer to this lava outflow. One is down the Chain of Craters Road but there is no access to lava from the end of the road. The other involves a long drive. We decided on the latter and set off at 2 p.m to drive 30 miles, turning right on Highway 11. The drive took us through Glenwood, Mountain View and Kurtistown – none of them Hawaiian names – to the junction with Highway 130. There we turned right. Hilo is off to the left. I doubt whether we will have time to visit Hilo this vacation.
At the end of Highway 130,, Hawaii County has opened a viewing area. When you reach that point it is very strange. There is a barrier half way across the road and lots of signs warning of the hazards of fumes from the volcano and that you enter at your own risk. Entry to the viewing area is between 2 and 8 p,m, daily but visitors must exit the area by 10 p.m. If they don’t, they will be locked in as the gate will be closed. This is a map of how to get to the viewing area.
The road from this point is just one lane and runs up and over the various lava flows of recent years. To say it is surreal does not describe the experience at all. In the distance the plume of smoke stands out, huge and menacing. At first we began to think we were the only people in the world to be so foolish to drive along this road because there are no other cars in sight but we do pass a few on the 2 mile drive to the car park at the end. Here there was an official who told us to back into the parking space. Tom and I are still wandering why that was.
As we got out of the car, the plume of smoke seemed much nearer. From there we hike to the viewing area. The first part was not too bad but we came to another kiosk where we were told to keep to the marked path. I don’t recommend this hike to anyone who has difficulty walking and it is definitely not wheel-chair friendly. There were poles stuck in the lava and lots of marks on the lava and the way was meandering. As the lava was quite recent and had not worn down at all, there were pits and very rough areas. It was also extremely hot. We really should have been wearing hats and carrying water is a necessity. Finally we made it to the end. We could not see the lava actually entering the sea but the plume of smoke was looming over us and we could see ‘larva bombs’ being spewed out. The best time to be here is when it gets dark. Then the larva glows. Obviously you would need flashlights to hike the final part. We will not be staying that long but what we did see was impressive. It is possible to take a helicopter ride around the plume and we saw several circling around. I bet that was a sight to see.
We were pleased to make it back to the car, just to get out of the boiling sun. One of the first things we must do tomorrow is to get a hat for Tom. The ride home was long and uneventful. It was raining when we arrived back at the farmhouse.
That evening we went into Captain Cook and had dinner at the Hotel Manago. It sounds a bit posh doesn’t
it? But it wasn’t. The staff were friendly but the furniture was very basic – formica topped tables and standard chrome chairs. It was obviously a favorite haunt of the locals because everybody seemed to know each other. There is a small range of entrees but no choice in the sides. I chose a fish dish and Tom had pork chops. Almost immediately the sides were brought – one bowl of rice, one of pickled bean shoots, one of potato & macaroni pasta and one of pork cubes & tofu. Quite a strange combination. The fish and pork chop didn’t take too long to arrive either. On top of my fish was a very sweet sauce and the fish was full of bones which took me ages to remove. The flavor was good though. There were no desserts on offer. It was a totally different eating experience but on the whole pleasurable.
Related posts:
- Hawaii – Day 1
- Hawaii – Honaunau Bay Snorkeling
- Hawaii – Kohala Coast
- Hawaii – Snorkeling Again in Honaunau Bay
- Hawaii – Waipi’o Valley
October 12 2008 06:30 pm | Further Afield
