www.chamaree.com

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.

After visiting the Thurston lava tube, we started hiking the four mile Kilauea Iki trail. A lady jogged past us as we entered the first portion of the trail, a rainforest. It was still early in the morning, and the elevation made the atmosphere a little chilly. It was the perfect temperature for a hike. After about half an hour of walking through the rainforest, we had great views of the Kilauea Iki caldera as well as the opening of the Kilauea volcano. It was smoking!

We hiked around the crater wall, and then slowly descended in to the crater. Initially, it was still part of the rainforest, then is started to have an arid geography. Once we fully descended, shrubs disappeared and the barren crater was exposed. Lava paths were pointy and sharp (called Ah-ah) and only Ohi’a shrubs were to be seen scattered throughout the crater.

We had to be very careful walking on lava as the floor was uneven. We wondered how the jogger ran across this unforgiving terrain, when we had a difficult time walking. There were some vents that were still spitting smoke in to the air, even sixty years after the eruption. While we were in the middle of the crater, it started drizzling and the entire crater became foggy and misty. It was an unforgettable experience.

The most difficult part of the hike was the last half a mile. We had to hike back up to the crater wall, and the climb was very, very steep. Right after we started climbing back, the barrenness disappeared and a rainforest emerged. Right up to that point, we were not feeling tired, but the last leg was utterly exhausting.

The third day, we visited the Thurston Lava Tube by 7 am where we had the entire trail to ourselves. Lava tubes are made when an erupting volcano sends hot lava shaped as a cylinder down the mountain. When the top layer of this hot flow contact with air, it cools down and solidifies, yet the flow inside continues. When the lava flow stops with the end of the eruption, the top layer remains with a hollow interior: a lava tube.

This lava tube was surrounded by a rain forest with beautiful orchids. During the hike, we encountered Nene, the Hawaiian goose. It is thought that this species descends from a pair/flock of Canadian Geese that got stranded about half a million years ago, around the time the Big Island was formed. There have been other species of geese in Hawaiian islands which are now extinct. We found Nene geese while hiking in other trails in the National Park as well, and adults seemed to be curious of us (and the cameras), where chicks were much more careful.

The Chain of Craters road loops around the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The path of this road had to be changed in the past because of numerous lava flows that had destroyed parts of the road. This road is paved through old lava flows, and at higher elevation, one could see the ocean where these flows ended their journeys.

Our next stop was the Petroglyph Trail. We hiked across a 500 year old lava field. This solidified lava was pointy and sharp, and good walking or hiking shoes were a must. Our timing was perfect, where colors from the sunset reflected from the lava ‘rocks’ illuminated the area.

Towards the end of this trail were petroglyphs, carvings done on solidified lava (lava rocks) by ancient Hawaiians several centuries ago. Stones were used to etch these drawings on the rocks. This is the largest petroglyph field found in Hawaii, and thousands of such carvings were found at this site. Although the meaning of these graphics is unknown, it is believed that these represented significant life events of those involved.

After hiking back to the Chain of Craters road, we drove to a point where we could see a cliff formed with lava rocks, and the rough waves of the ocean hitting on the walls below.

Our next stop was a town called Volcano, and the place we stayed for the next three nights was aptly called the Volcano Inn. It was a beautiful and a charming Inn with very quiet surroundings.

The main “attraction” in this area was the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. After paying the $10 entrance fee, we went to the visitor’s center to talk to the park rangers, and to know more information about the area. The primary reason we chose our vacation in Hawaii, and particularly the Big Island, was because we could see an active lava flow up close. The volcano Kilauea has been continuously erupting since 1983, changing its flow path from time to time. For some time, people could hike to a location where they could see the lava flowing in to the ocean. This was one of our primary goals for this trip. However, at the visitor’s center, we were informed that this path no longer exists. Of course officials did not convey this information to the public (online or other media) in fear of decreased revenue. We were very disappointed knowing we could not see a lava flow unless we take a boat in the ocean or a helicopter ride.

First in our agenda for the evening was to hike the ‘Devastation Trail’. It was a strange place to be. During part of the trail, we could see miles of solidified lava (flow), and very few trees and an occasional shrub. These shrubs held small red fruit, which is a favorite among the Hawaiian goose (called Nene).

The suitably named trail was located in the middle of a devastation, which occurred with the 1959 eruption of Kilauea volcano. This was how it looked at the time of the eruption.

Photo Source: Wikipedia

The trail was about a half a mile long, and at the end of the it, we could see the culprit. It was a HUGE crater which could hold several football fields. The next day, we hiked across this crater called Kilauea Iki.

Next stop was Wai’opae ponds. On the way to the ponds, we took a small detour to visit a tropical rainforest. First, we had to drive through a lava field, which meant, some years ago, the rainforest in this part was wiped out by a lava flow. At the end of this drive, the path became a narrow dirt road. We had to drive slowly because of various unevenness and small potholes on the road. Trees on both sides of the road canopied, and hence sunlight did not hit the path. With the windows rolled down, we could hear the birds chirping. A cool breeze swept through the interior of the car as we recognized the familiarity of those big trees: Mango.

About six miles south of the mango grove off highway HI-137 were Wai’opae ponds. These sea water ponds were naturally made near the (Pacific) ocean when a lava flow once hit the shore. Tidal waves keep the ponds alive, and small fish were jumping from one tiny pool to another. Some ponds were big enough to become swimming pools, and residents who have built their houses next to such ponds (i.e. in the “backyard”) assumed their ownership. Of course, these were public areas, but no one dared to enjoy such “private” ponds.

After visiting the waterfalls, we went back to the motel for breakfast. I use the term breakfast somewhat loosely, but it was enough to get the day started, including the tasty papaya they probably had harvested from the garden. We packed our bags and drove directly to the Hilo Farmer’s Market, which was a few minutes’ drive. There, we were thrilled to see all sorts of tropical fruits and vegetables, including ones that we commonly find in Sri Lanka. We bought a huge avocado for only $1, as well as a bag of oranges and some banana. While walking around the market, we saw a small booth filled with artisan jewelry. We spent some time getting to know the ladies and bought souvenirs for friends and family back in the “mainland”. They gifted us three bracelets after getting to know it was Dushan’s birthday.

We then drove through a street lined with huge Banyan trees to the Lava Tree State Park, which was located about an hour south of Hilo. Hundreds of years ago, during an eruption of the Kilauea volcano, hot lava consumed this forest that was filled with ‘O’hia trees. When the eruption was over, the solidified lava around the (dead) trees remained. They gave a ghostly reminder of the immense power of volcanoes.

Parts of this Park were covered with rainforests, with beautiful ferns covering the undergrowth. It took us about an hour to explore the Park with ample photo breaks. There were not very many visitors, and hence we had the entire Park to ourselves.

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the second day, still accompanied by a symphony from frogs. There were geckos on the walls, cats wandering around, and the ocean was colored from the rising run. The atmosphere was a perfect birthday gift for Dushan.

We left the Inn early morning, even before breakfast to see Rainbow Falls, which was about a 15 minute drive. It was a beautiful waterfall with two very small adjacent falls.

Then we went to the Wailuku River State Park to see Pe’epe’e (pronounced Peh-eh-Peh-eh) Falls with boiling pots. Here, the Wailuku river flows through a succession of “pots” and suddenly starts bubbling as if it was boiling. There was no clear hiking trail to the bottom of the waterfalls, and hence we didn’t attempt to get near Pe’epe’e. A tall palm tree stood near the pots, blooming with flowers.

Another short drive took us to a bridge where we could see Wai’ale Falls. A chicken was wondering around where we parked the car on the edge of the street, amidst beautiful wild orchids.

We left home early morning to the Columbus airport, and the heavy rain didn’t stop our first flight to Denver from departing on-time. After a few hours, we were surrounded by mountains, but as always, we didn’t have time to venture out to the city before boarding our second flight to Los Angeles. We did however have time to eat a disgusting burrito at the airport. Got to love airport food.

During the second flight, we spoke to the lady professor sitting next to me, who happened to be a Michigan alum. It is always welcoming to meet someone from my old university, especially since I currently live in the land of anti-Michigan. After saying goodbye to her in Los Angeles, we had a few hours to kill before boarding to our third and final flight to Hilo, Hawaii. Hilo is the wettest city in the United States, and is located on the eastern side of the biggest island in Hawaii, aptly called the Big Island. Our vacation goal was to tour the entire island, clockwise, starting from Hilo.

Towards the end of the flight, we could see a beautiful sunset and a phantom image of a mountain on the island. I thought it was Mouna Kea, the highest mountain in the world if measured from the bottom of the ocean.

After landing in Hilo, we immediately felt the humidity and the “scent” of a tropical atmosphere. It felt as if we landed in Sri Lanka. The sound of frogs was unmistakable. It was a small airport, but it had character, which was a refreshing sight.

We went directly to get the rental car we had reserved earlier. It was a white Nissan Versa. Our GPS decided to die on us (which has happened three times earlier on various road trips, but never otherwise), so it was a little tricky finding our way at night. It was around 8.30 pm, and after asking for directions and reading the maps, we finally found the Wild Ginger Inn, the 95 year old motel.

The owners were friendly and were waiting for us. “You finally made it”, they said. Even in the darkness and amidst hundreds of frogs croaking, I found it a charming place. It was a bare minimum, yet a clean place, which suited our style of travel. The frogs didn’t bother us at all, and twenty hours of traveling put us to sleep right away.