A trip to Hawaiian paradise (Big Island)

For nearly an year I was longing to visit Hawaii. We almost planned a trip in last December but it never really worked out. A punctilious weekend plan helped me nail it this time. We went to the Big Island (Island name: Hawaii). For starters, there are 8 main islands (out of hundreds) in the state of Hawaii. The biggest one is Hawaii and is often called 'Big Island' to avoid any confusion with the state as a whole. Out of these 8 main islands, four are very famous for their uniqueness and outstanding natural values. Those four are Big Island (volcanoes, lush rainforests), Maui (outstanding beaches), Oahu (Outstanding beaches, Pearl harbor), Kauai (Lush rainforests). Check out this wikipedia link for more details.

It is extremely difficult to explore each of these islands completely (let alone all the islands). So, this weekend we focussed only on the Big Island. A map of the island is included in this link.

The best thing I liked about the Big Island is the natural diversity it has. There are 13 climate zones on Planet Earth and Big Island has 11 of them. The eleven climate zones in Hawaii are - Tropical continuously wet, Tropical winter dry, Tropical summer dry, Tropical monsoon, Hot semi-desert, Hot desert, Continuously wet warm temperate, Summer dry warm temperate, Summer dry cool temperate, Cold continental climates, Periglacial climate. The only climate zones it does not have are Arctic and Saharan. It has the world's largest volcano, Mauna Loa, which by the way is much taller than Mount. Everest when measured from the ocean floor. Big Island is known for - volcanoes, beaches, snow-covered mountaintops and rainforests. And all within 150-200 mile drive :)

The island has lot of Vog (Volcanic Smog), which is formed by chemical reactions between sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano and oxygen, water or sunlight. Also, sulfur dioxide emission during rain leads to the formation of Sulphuric Acid (H20 + SO2) and results in Acid rains. That is the reason for the arid parts south west of Mauna Loa.

We travelled to Kona (Airport: KOA) and stayed at Waikoloa Beach Marriott. The hotel was excellent. It was on the oceanfront and had excellent amenities. Except for the night, we were on the beach throughout - sunset, sunrise, breakfast. I was in the water, neckdeep, for over two hours and was just enjoying the view. That evening was more like a breezy night on the terrace top or under a tree in India. There were many coconut trees and we sat for an hour or so under one of them and were glazing at the clear skies. Nostalgic. The next morning we set out on our longest road trip. Here is the map of our drive.


View Larger Map


We drove along the west coast and then a cross-island drive through forests to the east coast. It was a very scenic drive interspersed with clouds. We had to drive through clouds :). Hilo is another major town on the west coast. Some 15 miles before Hilo, we visited Akaka waterfalls. The scene was reminiscent of screensavers and desktop wallpapers we normally see. Just fantastic. Then we headed to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which was some 40 miles southwest of Hilo.

And about the Volcanoes National Park, I am sure no words can match the sight it offered. It had fossils of nature's fury - Solidified Lava. We visited the Lava tube, Chain of craters and Steam vents. We got to see the actual site of 1974 volcanic eruption and the havoc it created. Many trees that were uprooted lie in the Lava, lifeless. It was one hell of a sight. And then we headed to the Steam vents and the Kilauea caldera. Kilauea is an active volcano. It was emitting harmful sulfur dioxide fumes. We couldn't go any further as the park authorities blocked certain trails owing to safety concerns. Nonetheless, it was a GREAT sight. We were lost for words and kept staring at the crater. Check out the Halemaumau Crater which is in the Kilauea caldera.

Overwhelmed with what we saw in the day, we headed back to Kona in the same route. We decided not to encircle the island because that meant we had to pass through some arid parts which we did not prefer. We had enough of arid climate back home.

Kona to Hawaii National Volcanoes Park was around 125 miles and including the ride to the airport, I drove some 270 miles on that eventful day - by far the longest I ever drove in a day.

Here are some useful links if you plan to visit the Big Island -

County eruption update
http://lavainfo.us/
http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2009/1/30/hours_change_for_Kilauea_volcano_viewing_are
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20091026_kilauea_sends_flow_over_road_but_stalls.html

Website about visiting Mauna Kea Observatories:
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/visiting.htm
Website about the Mauna Kea visitors station:
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/

Akaka Falls map:
http://www.bigisland.org/parks/223/akaka-falls-state-park
Rainbow Falls (in Hilo):
http://www.downtownhilo.com/Places/RainbowFallsBoilingPots/tabid/418/Default.aspx

Black Sand Beach:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punaluu_Beach


I tend to use the word 'paradise' very sparingly and I feel this Big Island deserves the word with absolutely no questions. I look forward to visiting other islands in the state of Hawaii. This visit had only made me more curious and bedazed.