Category Archives: Hawaii

When It’s Hot, Hot Hot Out

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It’s Hot Enough for a Heat WaveKilauea

What better way to survive hot weather than to find nice , cool air conditioning and settle in for some travel stories? I never told you about my last night on the Big Island from my March trip. I confess I’ve been distracted following Kilauea‘s antics, my work load and life in general but with temps approaching 80 and it isn’t even 10 am , time for a writing break.

Captain Cook’s Historical Dinner Cruise

Dinner cruise

Time flies when you are on a Hawaiian Island. Whether relaxing or playing it really is a paradise. Too soon I was looking at my return trip. I needed to do one more thing before I climbed aboard the airplane in the morning. The Concierge recommended a dinner cruise.  Dinner cruises are not one of my favorite pastimes but I hadn’t done much to see the coastline so I decided to say yes.I booked the Captain Cook Historical Dinner Cruise. It’s about 3 hours long and leaves from Kailua Pier.

Hawaiian HutKailua Pier

It’s not a bad stroll from the resort to the Pier if you are young and ambitious. You can also take a trolley/bus or a taxi. Being on vacation and basically lazy I took a cab. Upon arrival I realized there wasn’t any place to sit unless you wanted to spend the afternoon in a pub or restaurant. After wandering around the pier I found a stone wall to park myself while I waited for the afternoon to pass. Right next to the pier is a lovely little beach. Some outrigger canoes were beached in the sand. There were people snorkeling and even some scuba divers. I began to wish I’d worn a bathing suit. 

outrigger canoes

 

Time to Board

The afternoon passed quickly. Soon I noticed the line beginning to form for the cruise. A tent was set up with rows of chairs. That was much more comfortable than my stone wall so I wandered over to wait there. I didn’t have long to wait.

Personal Day In Hawaii

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Personal Time

Personal time, by that I mean no tours, no special activities, is rare for me on vacation. I’m usually on the go, go, go. I am very aware that I have a limited amount of time and there’s always so much to see and do. But I’m starting to find that these crazy busy vacations are beginning to take a toll on me. I’m not getting any younger and my chronic back issues really drain my energy. So after the long day touring Volcano National Park I took a break. I just hung out around the resort but there was still plenty to do.

Ocean rowing

 

Ocean View from the Lanai

Atlantis Submarine

 

Tree TrimingA good part of my morning was spent relaxing on the lanai.  I watched the little submarine go up and down taking tourists to the bottom of the bay. I did that on Maui but I skipped it here. It was fun just to watch the process from my deck.  The grounds keepers were busy too. They were trimming off the large palm leaves from the trees that were scattered over the property. After the storm that came through Monday they wanted to make sure there were no loose limbs to fall on the guests. Every morning the rowers come by my deck. Today was no exception. They were out in force. Late morning a huge cruise ship slid into view. It was too large to dock so they used tenders to transport the tourists. My guess is they were coming into Kailua Pier to wander the shopping district along Alii Drive.

Tiki Grotto with Cruise ship

Entertaining Afternoon

Lunch was at Don’s Mai Tai Bar. The food was expensive but ok. Simply a case of trying to live up to the price. I’d have liked a plain cheeseburger better but then they wouldn’t have been able to charge $16.00! Service was good and the outdoor setting was relaxing. Watching the bartender whip up the exotic drinks was entertaining in and of itself.  Later in the afternoon I was joined by a couple from  the Volcano tour and their local friend.  Finger foods and drinks followed. Finally an entertainer plugged in . He was obviously popular as it was standing room only. Glad I had a seat from the afternoon! What a great way to spend my “off” day!

It May Be Dark

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Volcano National Park in the Dark

It’s really dark in the park at night. Especially in the area of Thurston Lava Tube.  We’d wrapped up our meal at the Volcano Lodge and were back in the van headed into the park again. The rangers were all gone. Almost all of the tourists had headed back to their resorts. The park was empty.  It was only about 5 miles to the Lava Tube so we were there in a heartbeat.

Inside the lava tubeLike Jurassic Park

As we pulled  into the parking area for the lava tube the trees were still dripping from the rain. It was really dark. No street lights here. Zane handed out small flashlights but I decided to stay behind. I’ve been in the lava tube and it was really interesting but I went in daylight. It’s basically a cave so even in daylight it’s dark. I didn’t want to risk a misstep and hurt my back more in the pitch black. Besides our handicapped guest couldn’t go. I thought someone should stay with her. It was a creepy experience watching the flashlights and head lamps bob off into the darkness. It was fun to just imagine what the world was like when the dinos roamed.

 

 

 

From Darkness to Red Glow

When the group returned there were two people missing. Zane checked twice but we were missing our couple from India.  As Zane headed back into the darkness to find them others made Jurassic Park references. I guess I wasn’t the only one caught up in the mood. It wasn’t that long but it felt like forever as we sat in the van waiting. Finally we spotted 3 lights coming our way. Zane was a hero once again. With all of his little “ducks” back in the van we headed for our last stop …to see the Red Glow of the active Kilauea.

Lava Lake Glow

What a Finale!

We were back at the Jaggar museum overlook. The horizon was a fiery red. The steam clouds over the crater were glowing from the lava lake below. Nature’s own fireworks. Too soon it was back to the van for the long drive across the island. Zane said he expected everyone to fall asleep and he was right. I fought it but it had been a long day. It was a good day, a great tour but it was very tiring and the smooth drive was lulling. A video of the park was playing softly on the TV screens. One of the last things Zane said before I dozed off was “Why does everyone leave the park at dusk ? The best part of the park is at night.”

If You Go

If you go to the Big Island this is a great tour. (Kailani Tours Hawaii) But even if you don’t take the tour, the park is open 24 hours a day. Be sure to go at night and experience the GLOW. www.kailanitourshawaii.com

Volcano National Park is currently closed because Kilauea is being pretty feisty but I’m sure it won’t be closed forever.

 

Dinner in Volcano

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Kilauea Lodge is in Volcano HI

How would you like to live in a place called Volcano? Seems like I’d be asking for “it”.  But just outside the park is a little town called Volcano. Tourists stop at the post office to mail cards and letters so they can have a postmark “Volcano”. Also in Volcano is the Kilauea Lodge and Restaurant. That’s where we were headed for dinner. We’d turned in our dinner choices when we made our reservations for the tour. Dusk was falling and everyone was kind of laid back after our full morning and afternoon.

Nene Spotting

That’s when I spotted the Nene. It was on the left side of the road. The rain had started again and we had on headlights and windshield wipers. I said Nene and pointed . Zane said Where? But by that time we’d gone past it and I expect it had disappeared into the woods. I think Zane was skeptical but told me if I had seen a Nene I was very lucky because they were so rare. I was certain that was what I’d seen. Next time I’ll make sure to get a photo for proof!

 

The Restaurant at Kilauea Lodge

Surrounded by tropical gardens, this cozy, low-key lodge in a restored summer camp is a mile from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, 4 miles from the Thurston Lava Tube and 5 miles from the observatory on the rim of the Kilauea Volcano. We did run into a few problems with our handicapped guest. The lift on the stairs wasn’t working so Zane had to carry the wheel chair up to the porch while our guest had to slowly climb the stairs herself. Once in the restaurant the wheel chair didn’t fit in the restroom. After much maneuvering we did finally get it around the sharp corner and into the bathroom.

 

 

As for the meal, it was touted as gourmet at its finest. I guess I have a plebeian palette because I was not impressed. The steak was tough and the asparagus (one of my favorite vegetables) wasn’t just cooked al dente, it was hard and stringy. The vegetarian folks simply pushed their food around but didn’t eat it. The folks with the fish are the only ones to “clean their plates” They said the fish was excellent.

If You Go

Check out the International Fireplace of Friendship. The moment you walk into the Lodge restaurant, one of the first things that many notice is the fireplace. Centered in the dining room with a couch placed in front, you will notice this fireplace is not like most.Follow the link for the full story  https://kilauealodge.com/blog/2016/08/international-fireplace/

Inside Volcano National Park

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Volcano National Park is currently Closed

Our Visit to Volcano National Park was one of the last before Kilauea blew her top.  Who would have guessed that we were witnessing the start of something so big? The eruptions we witnessed were small compared to what was to come but we had no idea. At the time we thought our visit was pretty special. Kilauea has been erupting continuously since January 3, 1983. It’s considered a relatively safe volcano. Lava flows are easily out paced  just by walking quickly. For quite a few years the lava has been flowing into the sea and I was on the Big Island to see that. But Kilauea wasn’t in a cooperative mood. A week before my trip the lava flow into the ocean stopped. I had to settle for a National Park Tour.

The Chain of Craters Road

After leaving Rainbow Falls we headed to Volcano National Park. On the drive I entertained myself looking for Nenes. A nene is a rare Hawaiian goose that is also the Hawaiian National Bird. The Nene is only found in the Hawaiian Islands. I’ve looked for the Nene on every trip without success but one of these days I’ll see one.  As we entered the park and started down the Chain of Craters Road the rain began to let up. We made a couple of stops to look at some of the craters from previous eruptions. Finally about 1/2 way down to the plain we pulled over to check out the frozen lava flows. These ropy flows that are now frozen in place are Pahoehoe.  The lava we saw on the Kona side of the island was thick, blocky lava,called a’a. 

Cooled Lava

King of the Hill

Watching my tour companions scramble up the face of the lava made me think of the King of the hill games. I would never have considered climbing it! I was more interested in the new green shoots that were pushing their way through the hardened lava. Life will not be denied.

 

Jaggar Museum

The afternoon was passing quickly so we loaded back into the van and turned around. The last stop before dinner was the Jaggar Museum. The plan was to see the rim of the crater and spend some time in the museum. In the crater is a lake of lava. When I was here last the lake was quiet and crusted over. That was kind of what I expected now but we arrived just as the eruption was beginning. The rain was starting again but  no one was in the museum. Everyone was lined up at the rail watching the lava lake. The rangers were reporting the lake was rising and even as we stood there tops of lava fountains began to crest the rim.