This page is a work in progress. I may finish it before the big island moves off of the Hawaiian Hot Spot…
It was only about one month after returning from my amazing Peru trip that I left for a two week trip to Hawaii. This trip would prove to be more relaxing since I would be staying in one house for the entire time and I wouldn’t be waking up at 3:00 a.m. to catch buses! The food wasn’t nearly as good nor were the people nearly as friendly. I could also eat for a whole day in Peru for the price of one meal in Hawaii. There were rocks to look at so I was fine with these things.
The House
For two weeks I would stay in a house in Hawaiian Paradise Park right along the shore. I really enjoyed falling asleep to the crashing of the waves each night and this was one thing I really missed when I went home. This house was on the wet side of the island about half an hour from Hilo. Most mornings I would wake up to see rain showers over the ocean and fortunately only a few days did it make it to shore. Just about every morning I woke up to watch the sunrise over the crashing waves in front of me. The first day there I saw a Hawaiian monk seal which I guess is pretty rare to see especially on that part of the island. Throughout my two weeks there I also saw countless sea turtles surfing the waves.
Beaches
There is a lot of variety when it comes to the beaches in Hawaii. Some of the beaches are made up of black sand from the weathering of the basalt that makes up the island. There is a green sand beach that originated from the weathering of rock rich in the mineral olivine. I didn’t walk to that beach as it is a several mile walk and the locals often break into rental cars parked near the trailhead. Some beaches are made of white sand which consists of calcium carbonate from coral reefs. How do these coral reefs become sand? Parrotfish poop. Some of the nicest beaches in Hawaii are made up of fish poop. I bet you really wanted to know that! Other “beaches” are rocky because there were relatively recent lava flows there so sand has not had a chance to form yet. One day I attempted to go to a beach when I saw flames shooting into the air from a truck that was on fire. The parking lot was full and I knew if I didn’t immediately turn around and leave I would have been blocked in. When I returned a few days later all I saw was the burnt out shell with a notice of abandonment sticker on it. I hope someone came and got their truck before it got towed away!
The Animals
Throughout my two weeks I saw quite a few animals that I don’t see in New York State. For one thing, we don’t have giant sea turtles and I saw many of them. Many of the birds I saw are not found in the northeast so I enjoyed trying to identify them. There was quite a lot of marine life although pictures were hard to take as the water was not very calm. My first full day in Hawaii I did see a monk seal which was exciting. All I saw was its head stick out of the water but I can still claim I saw one. Lizards were everywhere as were crabs. The only animals that were more common were goats and chickens. Chickens were everywhere but a dozen eggs cost $10. One day I went to an “Octopus Farm”. They claim to do research but it was pretty much a petting zoo. I did get to let an octopus grab onto my arm which was such a weird yet exciting feeling!
Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea is an active volcano that makes up part of the large island of Hawaii. Technically it is the tallest mountain on Earth when measured from its base to its peak. A lot of that is below sea level so it doesn’t have as high an elevation as Mt. Everest does and I didn’t need supplemental oxygen to visit it (I didn’t make it to the summit). While in Hilo I would sometimes get a nice view of it from a distance. Other days it was hidden in the clouds. One day I contemplated going to the visitors center which is fairly close to the summit to view the sunset. The peak was up in the clouds and I tried to figure out if it would clear out in time. I figured it would so I took a gamble and drove up there. I was in luck and the clouds were starting to lift at the higher elevations! I was above the clouds but I still had a good view of the setting sun. To achieve better views I climbed to the top of one of the cinder cones (there was a trail). Two months earlier and it may have been a challenge as I was at about 2800m (9300 feet) above sea level. While in Peru I did several hikes that were much higher than this. The sunset did not disappoint and I made my way back down to the car. I stuck around after dark to look at the stars as I heard that the air is very clear and dark up there but I really didn’t see any difference from what I can see from my back deck.
More to come soon. I promise!