Hey everyone!
I hope you all had a lovely summer- I cannot believe it is September already- time really has flown by.
I am back home now, but still sorting through all the photos etc, so expect to have a few more holiday related posts yet.
After Waikiki, we flew (you have to fly- no boats between islands) to Hilo on Hawaii (confusing, so most people call it “The Big Island”, as it is the biggest), and had several days in the Volcano National Park. It was amazing! I love going to National Parks- we managed lots of walks (and hikes down to the crater floors and back up again), and even managed to see flowing lava one night. We stayed in a tree house in the rainforest- it was very cool- it collected rainwater to use for the shower- and had some solar panels. Anyway, I will try to keep the photos to a minimum!
Yes there used to be a road under that- not sure how the sign survived! There were different types of lava too- some smooth, some more like rubble, some that looked like cables.
Crater with steam pouring off- the lava below heats the rainwater.
Same crater at night- the lava makes the steam glow orange and red- amazing.
Rainbow in the background! We saw lots of rainbows there!
Lava tube- I am still not 100% sure I understand how they are formed- the lava flowed through, so I think it pushed through the thinner rock, and left behind a tube? Not sure though.
Lava
Walking on the lava (there is a road buried under that somewhere)
Our tree house in the rainforest
View out of the window (lots of big trees and leaves)
View of the sea from the park
Banana trees (I think?) planted right by the sea
Where the lava stops the road
Petroglyphs (ancient carvings in the lava rock)
And more (there were loads)
Some people had rebuilt their houses on top of the lava- it was very spooky
View of the lava in the daylight- just steam was visible
Then it got very dark!
And we could see the lava glowing on the side of the hill! Amazing!
Arch created by lava flowing into the sea
More lava
Crater floor (think this is the one we walked down to, along, and back up the other side)
In the crater floor
Being windswept by the crater!
Anyway, it was fantastic there- so interesting, so much to see and do. We stayed in a little town (called Volcano), and there were only a few small restaurants cafes. We found an amazing vegetarian cafe (with a goat in the garden!)- Cafe Ono. I did take some photos but you can look forward to them later!
Right, that is enough for now- I had better get ready for work tomorrow!
🙂
Amazing – really stunning!
It all looks amazing! I have always been intrigued by volcanoes and they actually look visually stunning! I hope the first day back at work goes well.
It looks fantastic! I really like the idea of the treehouse, something really different that makes it very special. I definitely want to go to Hawaii now!
Amazing, when you think of the power behind lava … scary stuff. Good luck with school start this week, it’s come around all too quickly!
I think if I lived in a place called ‘Volcano’ I’d move away as quickly as possible!
Those are some spectacular and incredible photos though – that lava tunnel is amazing. I seriously can’t believe anyone would build a house on top of all of that solidified lava though! Talk about tempting fate.
xxx
I know it is crazy. We have a map of the insurance zones, and there is only a tiny part of the big island that will insure houses, as it is by the old extinct volcano.
These photos are gorgeous, I want to go so badly now!
Wow – where to start?!
The road closed sign is hilarious – you should send it to Private Eye – and the others are brilliant, I love the sound of the rainforest treehouse!
The lava carvings are amazing and it’s all so beautiful… glad you had a good time and good luck with the new term 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Yes it really was wonderful and so interesting too.
I will tell Andrew to do that with the photo!
Wow that looks amazing! I love the sound of your tree house in the rain forest 🙂
Oh wow!!! How beautiful! I can’t believe that about the treehouse in the rainforest – it’s totally self-sufficient!!
It did still have electricity and things, but a lot of places there collected rainwater for bathrooms and things
Thanks for sharing your experience – it looks so interesting and fun! I was just telling The Sailor I’d like to go to Hawaii.
At least it is closer for you too- go, because it is amazing 🙂
Amazing photos!! This is part of Hawaii I really want to see.