The Big Island

We stayed at the Mauna Lani on the Big Island. It was paradise! Here are a few pictures from the hotel. Every inch was gorgeous and relaxing. The staff even greets you upon arrival with fresh tropical juices and beautiful leis. We were even surprised with an upgrade to an ocean view room and a complimentary bottle of champagne!

Guess what? The Big Island is big. It's not gigantic but we definitely underestimated its size. Most of the resorts are located on the opposite side of the island than the Volcanoes National Park. Since the only roads go around the coast of the island, a trip to the park makes for a long day of driving. Once you arrive at the park, you forget all about that because it is amazing!

While you travel along Crater Rim Drive, you can easily see steam vents. These appear when ground water comes in contact with the hot lava rock below the surface. The vapor makes its way back up and appears above ground as steam.

This entire picture shows Kilauea Caldera from Kilauea Overlook. It is 2 miles wide and 3 miles long. The depression in the center is Halema'uma'u Crater.

Apparently Pele doesn't always appreciate visitors to her home. Yes, the sign is warning you about the toxic fumes visible only a few feet from the sign.

At the end of Chain of Craters Road is the Holei Sea Arch. It is about 100 feet tall and was formed by waves eroding the lava. You can feel the raw power of the Pacific as you stand near the edge of the cliff.

The lava covered Chain of Craters Road 1995 causing its closure. There is a short path that allows you to walk on the lava.

This shows how the lava flows down the mountain side, destroying some areas and missing others. It is amazing how life can return to such a barren area.

There are two types of lava: pahoehoe (smooth, billowy) and aa (rough, jagged). Here are the aftereffects of the two flowing down a hill toward the coast. In this picture the darker lava is aa and the lighter colored lava is the pahoehoe.

Here are a few pictures from our drive around the Big Island. When you come to Waipi'o Valley, don't try to drive your car down to the bottom. The road down achieves a 25 percent grade! We decided to stick to the lookout.

The Akaka Falls travel 422 feet to the bottom.

A tsunami hit the town of Hilo on May 23, 1960 at exactly 1:04 am. The clock has stood still ever since. The wave originated from an earthquake in Chile and killed 61 people.

Wow. What a contrast! These are my feet on a black sand beach. My camera didn't even know what to do with this. Fortunately, the sea turtles do a better job blending in with the surroundings.