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Early morning, we drove through Waimea roads that are adjacent to the Parker Ranch. Waimea is mystical. It is a place I could see myself settling in.

When we arrived at the lookout point of Polulu Valley, there were only a few other people around. This seemed to be the trend since we were early birds. We always had the entire parks to ourselves.

We could see in the distance, a small white streak along one of the mountains. I wanted to see if it was a waterfall, and with the camera zoom, I could see that it was a waterfall!

Our main ‘point of interest’ for the day was Mookini Heiau. This sacred place is about 1500 years old and was used as a sacred religious temple. It is also the site of human sacrifices.

To reach Mookini Heiau, we drove to the site of the Upolu local airport. The airport is located right next to the ocean. We parked the car on grass (there were enough space for a few cars to park), and started hiking to the site. It was a dirt road good for four-wheel drive vehicles, with deep ruts and gravel. After hiking for about 45 minutes on this nearly-flat road, we arrived at Mookini Heiau.

As always, we had the site to ourselves. It is located next to the ocean, and although it was a warm day, there was a nice breeze. Knowing that this is a sacrificial location was a little spooky, and the isolation and calmness added to that feeling. There were two stones where we imagined the sacrifices took place. It was a very peaceful and beautiful place, but knowing history, we know that it was quite contrary to the scenario few centuries ago.

There was a stone-wall fort where we found some offerings (to the gods I presume). That reminded us that this is still a sacred place to some native Hawaiians. A small temple stood closer to the ocean, and this was also the birthplace of King Kamehameha II, possibly the most revered king of Hawaii.

The Waipio Valley hike we did in the early morning was tiresome, yet refreshing. Our next stop of the day was to travel up the volcano Mauna Kea with the help of a tour group. We spent the afternoon relaxing at a beach in the west coast and arrived at the office of Mauna Kea Summit Tours around 3 pm. Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on earth if measured from the bottom of the ocean. Due to its location, many astronomy observatories have been built on top of this volcano. Only four wheel drive vehicles could go up the steep mountain, and even then, it is not easy for an inexperienced driver. The four mile unpaved strip of this road up the mountain makes this drive extra difficult.

The first hour of traveling in the tour van was uneventful. However, we quickly noticed that the temperature outside was dropping as we went up the mountain.

Our first stop was a historic ranch outpost, now abandoned. There, we were given time to acclimate to the new temperatures and the lack of oxygen. The tour guide gave us a brief introduction, and then we enjoyed a hot soup meal with the other tour members.

After dinner, yet with still light out, we headed towards the summit. We were given winter attire to be ready for the cold temperatures. It was about half an hour before the sunset when we arrived at the summit. Huge telescopes started opening (remotely!) while we were enjoying this stunning view. We were above the clouds at 13000 feet, and could even see the ocean in the distance.

There we waited until sunset. What a gorgeous sunset that was!

We started descending after dark fell, and our next stop was the Visitor’s Center. It was pitch dark, and so remote, that we could see clouds of stars of the Milky Way. Our guide took out a telescope, and showed us different planets and stars that were scattered all around. There were so many stars, the starlight was visible even during that moonless night. What a sight that was, and how unfortunate that we cannot experience that kind of clarity every night.

Hot chocolate and brownies enriched to our stargazing experience.

On the fifth day of our road trip, we woke up early (as usual), and drove to the east coast of the Big Island from Kamuela, where we stayed the previous night. As I mentioned before, this area is the ‘cowboy country’ of Hawaii. It was mystic, green and cool. After about an hour, we arrived at the Waipio Valley Lookout. These are a series of valleys (and mountains) situated one after another. Only a few people live in the valley now and understandably they like their privacy.

There were many ways to enjoy the beauty of this area. (1) The easiest was to drive to the lookout point, and look at the majestic mountain and the ocean down below. From the lookout, we could only see one of the valleys, but could see two or three mountains beyond the first mountain. (2) To get to the bottom of the first valley (and its black sand beach), we could have rented a four-wheel drive vehicle and drive down the one mile paved road. This road was extremely steep (about 25% grade). No other vehicles were allowed. Also, we could go in an organized tour that takes you down this road. (3) We could hike down this road to the black sand beach. (4) We could hike down, up, down, up etc. on the many mountains and valleys. This hike takes several days and is extremely strenuous. We were told that there are multiple helipads on this trail, in case hikers need to be airlifted because of injury or exhaustion. We were not crazy enough to try this hike (supposed to be extremely beautiful with crossing rivers on foot, and several waterfalls on the way).

We opted for number three, hiking to the valley. As I said earlier, it was a steep road. On the side of the paved road were ripples (roughness), so hikers would not slip down the slope. It took us about 45 minutes to hike down, which was only a mile. It was tough on the knees and at certain points; we hung on to the guard rail for support.

Once we got to the end of the road, the rest of the hike was on flat, unpaved ground up to the beach. This area contained huge potholes covered with muddy water, big and deep enough to cover a small car. Since it was early in the day, the area was mostly isolated. We saw four wild horses, hanging out and munching leaves.

The black sand beach and the entire scenery were breathtaking. There are no words to describe how we felt getting to the beach after an awesome hike.

The hike back up was exhausting to say the least. It took us about 50 minutes to get to the top with a lot of breaks. The wild guava on the way was a tasty treat for this tiring hike. Here are some shots I took coming up, and you can see the steepness of the road. As exhausting as it was, I would do it all over again.

Our Hawaii road trip plan was to drive clockwise around the Big Island starting from Hilo. After visiting the South Point early that morning, we drove north along the west coast, and had a relaxing lunch at the Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park.

Further north was Kona, the famous resort area, which was far more expensive than the Hilo region in the east. Unlike Hilo, Kona gets very little rain, which makes it a perfect spot for tourism. We had no intention of spending time in Kona, but we did spend some time on a beach near the Four Seasons Resort. To get to this beach, we had to get ‘permission’ from the Resort, although the beach was public property.

It was a beautiful evening. We were walking towards the beach from the parking lot, and saw something shiny near the water. It was a green sea turtle, like the one we saw at the black sand beach few days earlier. It was basking in the sun, quite hidden from the view.

We walked to the beach to relax, and came across another turtle. It was lying on the sand and did not seem to mind people walking by. Perhaps it felt safe amidst dozens of people, even when some people (illegally so) became too close to touch it.

Our destination for the following three nights was Waimea (also known as Kamuela), located in the northern area of the Big Island. This part of the island is known to be the ‘cowboy country’, which has green pastures, horses and the famous Parker Ranch.

After visiting the green sand beach, we drove to the Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park. This place used to be a sanctuary for those who had broken rules and received the death penalty in ancient Hawaii. These rules or the code-of-conduct was called ‘kapu’, and even unintentional breaking of kapu meant immediate death. Until King Kamehameha II abolished the kapu system in 1819, women could not eat bananas or coconuts without being sentenced to death. If the offenders somehow fled from the ‘crime scene’ and made it to this refuge, a priest would declare him/her off from wrongdoings, and they were allowed to be free.

There were beautiful wooden images of gods, fishponds, a thatched work house, a temple and Great Wall on the premises. It was a very peaceful area. Perfect for a sanctuary.

We were eager to explore the green sand beach close to the South Point. The dark (olive) green sand was formed due to olivine crystals found in cinder cones (volcanic vents).

We did a miscalculation and started our 2.5 mile hike from the South Point, not from the parking lot closer to the beach. That meant we had already hiked about a mile (or what it felt like a mile) when we got to the parking lot. Walking along the beach on sandy grounds, with winds blowing you backwards, no shade and burning temperatures was pretty unforgiving. We should have planned this hike for an early morning.

We were pretty exhausted by the time the ‘local’ at the parking lot told us that the beach was another 2.5 miles away. There was no way we were going to do a 7 mile round trip hike on that terrain. With no clear hike trail and only to follow multiple truck tire markings, we decided to hop in his truck. What a ride that was. I am sure our internal organs switched places during that 2.5 mile (20 min) trip. The ruts on the ground were so deep and big, I couldn’t stay seated on the back seat, as I was levitating in air most of the time.

Joseph, our “guide”, was very nice. His brother and uncle have trucks at the parking lot as well. He took us to the beach, climbed down to the beach with us, then waited at the top. The hike down was not that difficult after Joseph guided us down the path. But as you can see, it was quite steep.

This particular cinder cone is close to 50,000 years old. It has been partially collapsed (eroded perhaps) to the ocean. Hence, it gave the feeling of an amphitheater. There were only three other people on the beach, and it was a truly peaceful place to be.

Joseph then took us back to the parking lot where our organs were given another chance to relocate to their proper places. We walked back to the South Point (another mile) where we had parked the car. Our original skin color is brown, and after this trip, it was orange until we took a shower.

There aren’t very many places on earth where you can see green sand beaches. This entire experience was pretty remarkable.

The ‘South Point’ of the Big Island is the southern-most point of USA. After visiting the black sand beach in the early morning, we drove south on the main highway until we took a left turn to a road that lead to South Point.

First things first, we bought our breakfast from the southern-most restaurant in US. That’s right.

The first few miles of the road leading to South Point was paved. It was mostly empty, with an occasional vehicle passing us. We could see the ocean a few miles ahead. We saw a spooky, abandoned windmill on the way, where stopped to click away a few photos.

A functioning windmill came to our view some time later, and we pondered why the first windmill was abandoned. What was very interesting about South Point, was that the wind blows very, very strong, ideal location for windmills. However, these winds are trade-winds that always blows in a certain direction. Hence, all the trees in the area are were permanently bent in one direction.

Still on the way to the South Point, we entered the un-paved part of the road. Since it was rare to see another vehicle on the road, we drove slowly, enjoying the view when we saw a couple of trucks parked off road. Ever curious, we decided to check out this ‘hot-spot’. We parked the car, and had to walk on a downward incline where there were few more trucks parked. No one was around.

The deep blue Pacific Ocean blew our minds away. It was a very beautiful sight. We saw (presumably) the owners of the trucks on kayaks, fishing. The ocean was down below from where we were standing, so I doubt these fishermen ever saw us.

We eventually drove to the end of the road, which was the South Point. The Pacific Ocean thrashed on to the lava rocks with fury. The wind so strong, we had to hold on to the sharp rocks for life.

We said goodbye to Pele, the volcano goddess, and headed further south in the Big Island to the Punalu’u black sand beach. Black sand beaches are made when old (black) volcanic rocks on beaches are washed and chipped away to be mixed with sand. Eventually only black “sand” remains in these beaches.

It was around 7.30 am when we arrived at the beach, and we had it all to ourselves. It was a beautiful area with sharp volcanic rocks still taking the thrust from the thrashing waves; the beach is still forming. These rocks created small pools of water where there were small fish swimming around. The high tide must have deposited these fish in the shallow pools.

While we were immersed in the beauty of the Pacific Ocean, we noticed sunlight shining on a small smooth rock. All the surrounding rocks were pointy and sharp, so this rock stood apart. Upon careful inspection, we realized that it was the top of the shell of a green sea turtle! It was about 1.5 feet in length and had its head partially out of water. It was obviously enjoying ‘sunbathing’. Moments later we saw another turtle mostly submerged in water few feet away from the first one. This was our first time seeing green sea turtles in the wild, what a relaxing sight!

Here is Dushan photographing the turtle.

The main road around the Volcanoes National Park is the aptly named the Crater Rim Drive. However, since this road (and the entire park) is on ‘shaky grounds’, an earthquake happened in 1983 destroyed a portion of this road. In fact, this portion fell in to the crater and the road was re-built. We were able to see this devastation while hiking on the ‘Earthquake Trail Head’, and it was quite amusing to see street signs in the middle of solidified lava.

We drove a few miles along the Chain of Craters Road to get to the beginning of Hilina Pali road, an empty, narrow (wide enough for one vehicle) and winding road. We were cautioned to drive slowly because this road runs through a nesting area of Nene birds. However, we did not see any birds, and perhaps this was due to bad timing on our part. At the end of this road, we arrived at Hilina Pali Overlook. We got out of the car, and were blown away (literally).

The wind was very, very strong. We walked down a hill for a few minutes where we stood near a big rock. From there, we could see the ocean a few miles away, and nothing in between. The wind was so strong; it was a struggle for us to capture a self-portrait using the tripod. We somehow succeeded.

It was getting dark, and we drove to Volcano Village. After having a mind-blowingly delicious fettuccine alfredo at the Lava Rock Café, we drove back to the park. It was pitch dark, and with only the headlights to guide, we drove to the Jagger Museum. From the ‘viewing area’ of this museum, we could see the Kilauea crater. The crater we had been seeing smoking for the past two days, the crater that had been spreading lava constantly since 1983, sat under a blanket of stars of the Milky Way. The Kilauea crater might be the entrance to Hell, yet it glowed in red with the most magnificent display of Nature I had ever seen.

Steam Vents at the Volcanoes National Park are born when ground water seeps underground and make contact with hot volcanic rocks. This water then returns back to the surface as steam. The area around steam vents was abundant with tall grass and shrubs, but lacked trees. This was due to the incapability of roots surviving in underground heat.

Not too far from the vents were ‘Sulphur banks’, where underground volcanic gases were released to the air, especially sulfur dioxide. This area had spots of yellow sulphur deposited on the ground, and needless to say, it smelled like rotten eggs. Native Hawaiians call these deposits as ‘Pele’s waste’ (Pele is the goddess of the Volcanoes).

After visiting Steam Vents and Sulphur Banks, we took the one mile Kipuka Puaulu Trail. It was in a remote area, just outside the park. We had the entire trail to ourselves. This trail was surrounded by big trees and shrubs, but not quite a rainforest in my opinion. It was quite serene to be the only peeps in the forest, with the exception of foresting Nene birds.