My thoughts: Day 4 & 5: The Big Island

On the third day, our ship docked at Hilo. From our ship, we headed straight to Rainbow Falls State Park since it was only a 10-15 minutes drive. Supposedly if there had been enough water, we would have been able to see a rainbow appear in the mist of the fall. As you can see below, there was not enough water, which made the waterfall nondescript. But whatever, it's close by. Next, we drove to Volcanoes National Park. Nobody should leave the Big Island without visiting this park because this is one of the main attractions of Hawaii. This park is home to the world's longest continually erupting volcano. Last time we were there, the volcano was still dormant. This time, however, we could see and smell sulfur dioxide permeating the air. In fact, they closed off half the park because of high sulfur dioxide level. For comparison, I included a picture that I took in 2007. After looking at the crater, we drove to Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory where we bought lots of macadamia nuts. To conclude our day, we drove on Onomea Scenic Drive on our way to see Akaka Falls. With water tumbling 440 feet to its base, Akaka Falls is definitely the most majestic waterfall I have ever seen in Hawaii.

That night, our ship sailed slowly to Kona, our second port on the Big Island. Along the way, we were able to watch the lava flow. The sight was spectacular. Unfortunately, it was far away so we had to use a binocular to see. Still, how often do we see an active volcano with lava flowing? The experience is ineffable.

The next day, we headed to Greenwell Farms for a tour of their coffee farm. We got to see the entire coffee process and even tasted the renown 100% Kona Peaberry Coffee. Needless to say, we bought several bags of coffee. Afterward, we visited Puuhonua O Honaunau Historical Park. Apparently, up until the early 19th century, this had been a place of refuge for people who broke a kapu or one of the ancient laws against the gods. Finally, we drove to Kahaluu Beach to go, what else, snorkeling! Kahaluu Beach is not as pretty as Kapulua Beach in Maui. The beach is very rocky and the water is extremely shallow. We found it really difficult to snorkel with our flippers because we were afraid of kicking the coral reefs. The waves were also stronger that day which made it difficult to swim away from the coast. Moreover, we all got cuts and scrapes either on our hands or legs. All I can say is I'm heading somewhere else to snorkel next time.

Rainbow Falls