Postcard from Hawaii - VII

One more day in the paradise of Hawaii on "The Big Island." Time to drive along the coast, to hike around Rainbow and Akaka Falls and time to see what's above us via the Mauna Kea Observatory.

Back to Oahu tomorrow for a couple of days in Paradise on Waikiki Beach!

Rainbow Falls outside of Hilo in the Wailuku River State Park.
On bright, sunny days, there is usually a large rainbow, but
this day was overcast so no rainbow. Known in Hawaiian as
Waianuenue (rainbow water), the falls are 80 feet tall and
flows over a natural lava cave, the mythological home to
Hina, an ancient Hawaiian goddess.

442-foot high Akaka Falls

In Akaka Falls State Park along the Hamakua Coast is a
0.5 mile walking trail through a rain-forest filled with
wild orchids and groves of bamboo and ferns.

Rain-forest

Waimanu Valley. Known as the Valley of Kings because it was
once home to many of the Hawaiian kings, it has both historical
and cultural importance to Hawaiians. Before the arrival of
Captain Cook in 1778, about 4,000 people lived in the valley.
In 1946, the most devastating tsunami in Hawaii's history
struck the valley covering it with water 4-feet deep. Many
people were killed and nearly all the survivors left afterwards.
Today only 50 people live in the secluded valley which has no
roads in or out and no modern conveniences such as electricity. 

One more stop on our itinerary was the astronomical
observatory on Mauna Kea. Very interesting and well worth
the trip up the mountain. What we didn't count on though was
while it was in the 80's along the coast, at the top of the mountain,
it was in the mid-30's with a strong, very cold wind blowing.
We bought jackets at the gift shop and still almost froze!

Looking at the moon through one of the telescopes at the
observatory on Mauna Kea.

Our last stop for the night was for a very late supper at Ken's
House of Pancakes, a legend in Hilo and one of the very few
24-hour dining establishments. It is owned by the family of
"The Rock," Dwayne Johnson, a professional wrestler and now
a budding movie star.

Postcard from Hawaii - VI

We chose Blue Hawaii for our helicopter tour. Good choice!

Up, up and away! It's a little expensive, but when you go to Hawaii, one of your splurge items should be a helicopter tour. You'll get a bird's eye view of some of the most beautiful scenery in the world! On the island of Hawaii, you'll see volcanoes, flowing lava, gorgeous coastline, rain forest, and waterfalls there is no other way to see. Plan to take lots of pictures and plenty of video because it will be a memory for a lifetime. A word of caution - even if you think you don't need it, take your motion sickness medicine!

Almost ready for takeoff

Youngest-daughter a little nervous as this was her first
helicopter flight, but ready to go!

Coastline of cooled lava. You can see under the water where
the lava flowed into the ocean and over time is adding
land making the island bigger.

Greenery is coming back in an old lava field.

Recent lava field which reached the ocean. You can see how
thick the lava was!

Active lava flow. The lava stream looks small from this height,
but it was actually rather large.

Double waterfall. This is on private property and the only way
to see it is from the air.

I want to live here!

Back safe on the ground. It was a rush!

Postcard from Hawaii - V

Honu'apo Bay along the southeastern coast. There are Fish Ponds
here that have been fished by Hawaiians for hundreds of years.

Day 7 in Paradise and Day 3 on "The Big Island" is the 4th of July, time for America to celebrate freedom and for us to take a leisurely road trip along the coast on Highway 11 to the most southern tip of the U.S.

Youngest-daughter overlooking Honu'apo Bay.

The Mamma-woman and Youngest-daughter at the Punalu'u
Bakery in the town of Na'alehu. This is the most southern
bake shop in the United States. Stopped here for lunch and
snacks for later. Yummy!



When we came out of the bakery, a 4th of July Parade had
started so we took our sandwiches and ate lunch sitting
on the street curb while enjoying the festivities. 

Small-town USA was on display and a thoroughly good
time was had by one and all!

Along the rugged southern coast

Waiahukini Park near the southern tip of Hawaii. Note the
cars on top to judge how high these cliffs are. That's
a long ways from the top to the water!



Waiahukini Park. Older teenagers were jumping from the cliffs
past the rocks and into the water far, far below. This girl wanted
to get even higher so she jumped off a wooden pulley casing.
We saw her back up and doing it again later. Hope she lives
to tell her grand-kids about this during her old age!

In 1866, Mark Twain spent 3 months living on this island. He
visited Waiohinu, a small town not much more than a sugar
cane plantation, and planted a Monkey Pod tree at this site.
The original tree died a number of years ago, but a seedling
from that tree was planted on the same spot.

On the way back "home," we stopped at the famous Punalu'u
Black Sand Beach Park, one of the most famous black
sand beaches in Hawaii.

The picturesque Punalu'u Beach

We were lucky to be in the right place at the right time and
were privileged to see 2 nesting Honu (Hawaiian Green Sea
turtles). Adult males live their lives in the ocean, but
females, like these, come back to the same beach where they
were born to lay their eggs every other year. Babies will eat
jelly fish and other small invertebrates, but the adults
are vegetarians. Weighing around 400 - 500 pounds, they
are 2nd in size only to Leatherback turtles.  

Time to wrap up another fantastic day in Paradise.
Aloha y'all!