NONIE AND BRETT’S BELATED HONEYMOON- Episode 10

 EVEN IN PARADISE, YOU NEED RESERVATIONS

Our second last day in paradise!  The time has flown, we have done a lot but it has been a restful two weeks.  Perhaps a little stress, but nothing a Mai Tai could not handle.  Today we are having an unscheduled rest day.  I had tried to book Nonie and I onto a snorkel cruise but none were available.  The cheaper afternoon cruises book up quickly so you need to call at least 48 hours in advance.  There were plenty of seats on the expensive morning tours but at almost double ($105) the costs I decided to make do with a lazy day on the lanai.  We only have a few days left to enjoy our lanai.  The trip snorkel / kayak trip was priced at $125 so we passed on that one also. 

They are working on the road outside our condo today. They are using a jack hammer to bust up the lava under the road.  It started at about 7:00 AM and continued almost non-stop till 1:00 PM.  Since the entire island is made up of lava, we have seen these jack hammers everywhere.  If you want to dig a hole or a ditch to lay pipe or anything else, you will need to jackhammer it.  There are no basements in paradise.  In 6 hours, the road crew managed to dig a ditch no more than 200” in length.

We left the condo about 1:30.  Nonie wanted to go back to a small fabric shop that she had found on another outing and I wanted to pick up some additional coffee from the small mill we have visited earlier in the trip.  The coffee was excellent and I had already used up one 8 oz. bag.  We drove up island to the fabric shop.  \

While Nonie shopped, I went across the street to a coffee place called Bad Ass Coffee.  I ordered a latte and took it out to some small tables that were located outside and watched the world drive by.  Some locals sitting next to me took and interest in the tee shirt I was wearing, an old Peach City Marathon shirt. The one lady’s eye sight must have been poor, as she mistook Marathon printed on the shirt for Montana.  She once lived there and regaled me with some stories of her time there.  I did not bother to correct her as she was so happy to meet someone else from Montana. 

Nonie came back from the fabric store very happy with her purchases. She will be making new grocery bags with a definite Hawaiian / Tropical theme when she gets back home.  The clerk at the store was also impressed by Nonie’s cloth bags. They have been a hit all over the island.  Back in the Jeep and off to the coffee place.  They recognized us from our previous visit and were surprised to see us. The owner said that no one ever comes back for a return visit.  Three bags of dark roast and we were back on the road.  I figure that I have about 6 months supply now.  It was just after 3:00 PM and the Kailua Krawl was just starting. The Kailua Krawl is the cute and fuzzy knick name for the daily traffic jam, people face leaving and entering Kailua Kona. You cannot avoid it if you decide to drive between 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM.  A local politician says it is not a traffic problem, it is a driver problem.  Not sure what his re-election chances will be.

It was a slow krawl to our next destination, the Kona International Market.  I am still looking for the perfect souvenir. A quick stop there then back to the condo. We dumped off our purchases and headed out for a Mai Tai.  We have become big fans of the mighty Mai Tai and it will certainly be our summer drinks this year even though I have never been a big fan of rum. 

Home, cleaned out a bit of the fridge for supper and in bed by 9:00 PM, Kona time, 12:00 AM, BC time.   We put that off as getting ready to return to BC but I think that it was the Mai Tai talking.  

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

Our last full day in paradise and we decided to end it with a trip to the beach, a little snorkeling and of course a little lanai time before we leave for the beach.  While surfing the TV, I came across a reality show that I had never heard of, called Real Housewives of Orange County.  It quickly captured Nonie and my attention.  It involved five pampered wives / divorcees who lived in a walled city.  It was 90215 in real life.  Their children were obscenely spoiled.  We did not get a way till after 10:00 AM and only then because I could tape the balance of the shows and we could watch it tonight. Pretty sad! We walked down to the market first.  Nonie had discovered a place where we could recycle our bottles and cans.  She is really concerned about our reputation if we leave that many empties lying around after we leave.  We pack up all the evidence of our debauchery and head out.  The recycle place turns out to be a cardboard box with a handwritten sign located in the market. From there we walked over to a snorkel rental place to pick up a snorkel and mask and back to the condo.  We were on the road by 11:00 AM. 

Our destination beach today will be Spencer Beach. We had tried to visit this beach earlier in our trip but it was closed for maintenance.  It is a sheltered beach with safe swimming and some okay snorkeling.  It took about 40 minutes to reach from Kailua Kona.  This was definitely a family beach as kids were everywhere.  We quickly set up under a shady tree and relaxed.  No big hikes today.  The most strenuous thing I wanted to do was turn the pages on a book.  After enjoying the view for a while, I donned my snorkel and mask and headed out. 

There is a huge reef protecting the bay and I saw hundreds of fish. Once again the water was murky so while the fish were plentiful, you could not really tell what colour they were.  I gave up and went back to shore for lunch and more strenuous reading.  I tried snorkeling again after a couple of hours but it was no clearer, in fact is seemed much worse.  Maybe we should have ponied up for the $100 cruise. 

We stayed on the beach till about 5:00 PM. I figured the worse of the Kailua Krawl would be over now. It was and we made good time back to the condo.  A quick shower and we hit the road for dinner.  I had picked out two locations and we opted for the Beach Club.  Mid price range but a great location on the water!  I went for the red meat special and Nonie opted for the Spear Fish special.  I enjoyed both meals.  We finished with a slice of Macadamia Nut pie which is a variation of pecan pie. I brought some leftover pie back to the condo for tomorrow. 

Back to the condo for TEA and watch some more of that decadent reality TV show.

Tomorrow we head home.  We may not have any water when we get up as they are working on the water line outside the condo tomorrow.  We have filled up a few pots of water just in case.

 PARADISE LOST

I write this as the last few hours of our stay on the big island comes to an end.  I was once again wide awake at 6:00 AM Kona time, 9:00 AM BC time and had a fresh brew of Kona Gold going shortly there after.  There were two cruise ships in my front yard this morning.  It should be real easy to “Spot the Cruise Ship Passenger” today.  The lanai has been my friend most of the week and I plan to spend as much time with her as possible on my last day.  I have decided that the lanai is a female as it just seems right.  

Photo: Kailuavillage.com

I have enjoyed writing down my thoughts and our deeds of the last two weeks and will look forward to reading them again in a few years when the trip has faded from our memories. I think our patio at home will get more of a workout from me this year. 

I had to return my snorkel stuff so I headed out just after 10:00 and planned to do a little last minute souvenir shopping. I picked up some Hawaiian golf balls for the boys, a tee shirt, two cute little tropical fish things and of course a tee shirt for myself that has been dyed with lava dirt and certainly captures the spirit of our trip.

Our flight leaves at 9:45 PM Kona time, 12:45 PM BC time so we will be out to the airport by 6:00 PM at the latest.  We plan to stop at Wal-Mart to do some last souvenir hunting and to pick up a case of Chocolate covered Macadamia nuts as gifts.  Not looking forward to the next 24 hours till we arrive in Penticton.

It has been a different kind of holiday for Nonie and I. Staying in one place has definite advantages.  We bonded quickly with the condo and it became our home. It feels a little different today.  I think it is because we are leaving and looking ahead to our home in Penticton.  We are already talking about a similar holiday next year.  Not sure where we will go but the plan will be to stay in one place for at least two weeks but perhaps we might not need to have English spoken this time.  Stay tuned!

LA IS NOT PARADISE BUT IT HAS A STARBUCKS

It’s 6:19 AM LA time, 3:19 AM, Kona time and we have just Starbucked. It is not Kona but it should keep us going till we get home.  This is the suckiest part of travel, the dreaded return flight.  We were able to fly direct on our outbound flight but coming back, we had to fly through LA with Delta and connecting to an Air Canada flight to Vancouver.  We are here in LA for only 2 ½ hours.  Not long enough to go to Disneyland. AW CRAP!

 THE END!   

My blog was first started to capture our retirement life and all its little adventures. But as I have discovered our adventures really began when our last child flew the coop. I documented this trip while Nonie documented our adventures in South America in a journal while I used emails back to family and friends. Stay tuned. 

NONIE AND BRETT’S BELATED HONEYMOON- Episode 9

 PARADISE HAS FREE BREAKFASTS AND TOUR GUIDES

I awoke at my usual 6:00 AM, Kona time and wandered down to the lobby for a free cup of coffee, a complimentary newspaper and got back to the room a little after 7:00 AM.  Nonie was already showered so were back down in the lobby by 8:00 for our free breakfast. We were pleasantly surprised and pleased with our free breakfast because as you know “There is no free breakfast”.  This one was certainly in the top ten.  I had some coconut syrup on a pancake which while tasty will certainly not displace maple syrup at our house. The weather is looking reasonably clear for the helicopter ride.

I needed to find someway of attaching my camera to my body so it wouldn’t fly out of the open door of the helicopter ride so we headed to Wal-Mart to find something appropriate.  We took a quick spin to the airport to make sure we could find Tropical Helicopters.  At Wal-Mart, I found the most excellent trinkets for the folks back home and Nonie picked up some black ribbon that would work as a camera strap.

After some $3.48 gas from Chevron, we made quick stop at Hilo Hattie’s.  Hilo Hattie’s is the oldest tourist souvenir shop on the island, selling tourist crap since 1963, the same stuff that I got at Wal-Mart but 25% more expensive.  I did get a free paper cup of coffee. The coffee was certainly not as good as the stuff we bought at the mill. 

Editor's Note: Current gas price in Hawaii (May2022) is $5.24.

We arrived with plenty of time for a bathroom break, pick up a coffee and then were settled in to the flight lounge waiting for our turn.  The helicopter holds four people so before to long another couple arrived to join us.  The attendant gave us a quick rundown on what to do if we crash.  Nonie’s apprehensiveness rises.  The most important information is where to find the barf bags.  We are directed to a gate outside the terminal.  From there we watch our helicopter land and disgorge four passengers onto the tarmac.  They all look reasonably healthy, so Nonie’s apprehension slides down a notch. 

The ground crew then proceeds to remove the doors on the helicopter which took about two minutes. We have opted for the “Feel the Heat” trip, which involves removing the doors. Seemed like a good idea at the time.  The weather had socked in considerably since we got up. Hilo is on the rainy side of the island.  It receives over 140” of rain annually so rainy days are pretty well every day.  This does not seem to worry the ground crew as they load us quickly. There is another tour next hour!

Nonie has been given the seat between the pilot and the aisle seat where I am sitting.  The aisle is a little strut on the side of the helicopter. She is extremely pleased with her seat as I will fall out before she does.  Apprehension down a few more notches!

Little time is wasted as we took off.  We have 50 minutes to “Feel the Heat”.  Flying in a helicopter with no doors is exciting, unless it is raining and it started to rain as soon as we headed for the volcano.  Hey! We are from the west coast and this was just an April shower only at 140 miles an hour.  At that speed the rain feels like hail.  Way Cool!  The weather looked promising over the vent and the pilot said he had not been able to get near the vent on any previous flights that day.  They forgot to mention that when we checked in.

It was not raining as we approached the vent, but the clouds were thick and it did not look too promising to see the vent.  We headed in even though we could not actually see the vent.  The helicopter pilots are constantly talking to each other and letting each other no where there are. There are at least five companies who do this flight so it can get very busy around the vent.   The pilot who exited the volcano just before us said that it was clear, but our pilot seemed to have his doubts and it did not look like he was going to go for it. AW CRAP!  He persevered and suddenly we came out of the cloud and the vent appeared before us.

We were flying with in 500 feet of the summit which was steaming away.  The helicopters are not allowed to fly through the plume, because of its toxicity but we can fly around it. He first banked past the cone for the folks on the left side and then did a tight bank around so that I could have a photo op.  We were now not more than 300 feet from the summit of the cone on this pass. WAY COOL!  I just kept shooting pictures as fast as I could.  You get thrown around quite a bit, so trying to frame a picture is impossible. 

The weather started to close in so is was time to “Feel the Heat”!  We flew down towards the coast and over the hot lava.  You could not really see any red molten lava as it was flowing in a tube under the lava field. On occasions, the tube walls will break down and lava will rise to the surface and become visible. That was not to be today. 

I read that if a good breakout occurs, the helicopter ride prices rise dramatically.  The path of the tube can be traced on the surface of the field in that area will be hotter than the surrounding field and the path shows up on the surface of the lava field as a silvery grey colour. 

We approached the area where the lava was exiting out into the ocean.  It was easy to find with the huge plume of steam it generated.  We made a few high 1,000 feet passes over the area then went in to “Feel the Heat”. 

It was not a low as the brochure picture portrays and I was certainly not in any danger of heat exhaustion from “Feel the Heat” but it was still cool.  Again, not sure what my pictures will look like as framing was very difficult.  We then headed out to see the Rainbow Falls.  The weather got more extreme and the clouds much thicker so the pilot opted to return to the airport.  No problem as we had planned to go see the falls from the ground anyway.  We arrive back at the airport in a pretty good rain squall so we exited the helicopter quickly and headed into the terminal to avoid getting soaked. At $180 per person, someone should have been there with an umbrella.

The other couple whom were from Southern California were well traveled and we had been to many of the same places. They had made a short stop here on their way to Japan where they were going to pick up a repositioning cruise from Japan, along the Siberian coast, across the Bering Strait, down the coast of Alaska finishing the cruise in Vancouver.

Editors Note: Their story was the impetus for us to take the same trip 20 years later. See blogs for October 2017.

Once the rain slowed down, we jumped into the Jeep and headed to Rainbow Falls.  As waterfalls are concerned, it was okay. But we are from the mountains and waterfalls have to be pretty spectacular if they are to compare to the home grown ones.  As we arrived a single, older gentleman driving a classic 57 Chevy had just parked and we walked up to the view point behind him.  A quick stop and we headed further up the road to see some boiling points.  See the comments above regarding the view.

A gentleman in the 57 Chevy arrived here just as we parked. We walked down to the viewpoint not planning to spend a lot of time.  I took a closer look at the man as he wandered down to the view point.  He looked to be of Japanese descent but definitely a local and while we knew he was old, his actually age was indeterminate. He opened up a conversation enquiring where we were from. We spent the next 15 minutes getting to know more about the area and about him. Alvin suggested that we follow him up the road for about another mile to a bridge where another view of the falls could be found. He did not seem like a mass murderer so we opted to go along.  Nonie and I decided that if he took us off the main road and down any dark back roads, we were out of there.  He did not and the bridge was just a short way up the road.  We parked on one side of the road and he parked on the opposite side.  As he exited the car he had some kind of book in his hand. My first thoughts were “OHOH, Here comes the sales pitch”.  He offered the book to me and as he did so, I realized that it was a telephone book.  Puzzled I declined, but at that moment Nonie arrived and he offered it to her. She being the gracious person she is, accepted. But no money was requested so none was offered.  

We continued to hear more of the local history.  There was small shrine set up on the bridge. It consisted of flowers and bottles of beer.  It seems a young and invincible 19 year old slipped off the railing of bridge while he was in the act of leaping into a pool of water located just under the bridge.  You had to leap quite far out to clear some large rocks. He did not clear the rocks and paid the price with his life. Nonie read some of the touching graffiti left by his friends.  Things like “I’ll drink a couple for you, Broh”.  I think you can get the picture.

We enjoyed Alvin’s company for another 20 minutes.  He then said he was heading home and had to drive by the Kaumana Caves. This is another lava tube that is accessible to the public.  He offered to lead us there so that we could visit the site.  I had read about the site and it actually was one of the places that I had hoped to visit, so off we went.  they were after something.  

Nonie and I once again promising to duck out if he led us off the main road and on to some dark back road but again there was no problem.  Traveling in Cuba has left us a bit jaded about friendly people that we meet along the way as we found that in most cases they were looking for something. 

We were still a little unsure about Alvin intentions.  But he claimed to be 81 on his next birthday which seems a little old for a con man.  The cave / lava tube looks just like a hole in the side of the road.  

The hole was actually where the roof of the tube that had collapsed into its self. We had to climb down some slippery stairs carved out of the roof debris to access the tube.  We donned our head lamps, ponchos and headed in.  Nonie chickened out fairly quickly while I was not too far behind.  This was not a tame tube like the Thurston Tube; the floor was very rough, uneven and dark.  Our head lamps barely provided any light so we were soon back on the surface where Alvin waited for us. 

We said our goodbyes quickly, gave him one of my business cards and invited him to our paradise for a tour and we were out of there.  If Alvin had any intentions at this point our speedy departure did not allow the time.  So with a quick wave to him, we drove out of the parking lot. I think that he was a genuinely nice man who was lonely for a bit of conversation. 

We made one last stop at a place called Akaka Falls and turned a guide book suggested 40 minute stroll into a 20 minute power walk and one quick photo opportunity.  Three tour buses we just leaving as we arrived but the parking lot was still full.  This is not a drive by site as you actually have to walk in.  The directional signage gives you the distance in feet that you will need to walk.  There was 800’to one site and 920’ to the main site of Akaka Falls.  You could choose to walk a circular route that took you to both sites. We chose the circular route.  We passed a number of poor souls that were having a lot of difficulty in making the trip whether from health issues or just out of shape. They were giving it their best shot. Most of the exercise that they get now is standing in the buffet line aboard ship. So, so as waterfalls go.

We made a quick stop for some sustenance in a little town close to the falls then a 2 hour ride back to Kailua Kona and dinner at a Thai restaurant. The Thai restaurant was okay, with plenty of left overs for lunch tomorrow.

NONIE AND BRETT’S BELATED HONEYMOON- Episode 8

 VOLCANO ROULETTE WITH THE GODDESS PELE

A big day planned so we are on the road by 7:05 AM Kona time. We are headed back to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Parks. Two hours, and we are at the park gate.  No side trips this time, my sun glasses are safely on my face.  We stop in to the visitor centre to register.  We will be hiking in the rift zone and should Pele decide to have a bad day they want to know who to send the ashes back to.  Personally, I think that would be a great way to go.

Nonie looks a bit apprehensive as she is not ready to be turned into ashes.  We decide to go anyway. I did not get enough of a coffee fix due to our early departure so we headed over to the nearby and aptly named Volcano Hotel to find a cup. The hotel has been around in one form or another for over 100 years.  Those damn bus tourists!  We wandered around looking at the old pictures; many were eruption shots with a row of tourists lined up along the edge of the crater and lava spurting up over 1500 feet in the air in the background.  Nonie’s apprehensiveness increases but I get my coffee addiction looked after. 

Photo: hilo.hawaii.edu

We have to drive down the Chain of Craters road, about 10 miles or so, to reach the trail head.  The Chain of Craters Road was once an alternate route to Hilo and several coastal villages in between. The road now ends abruptly in a lava field and the two coastal villages are now covered in lava. We will continue down to the end of the road later today. 

  

We missed the trail head on our first try.  The road was just starting to give us great views of the massive steam clouds that were being caused by the lava entering the ocean so distracted, we drove by the parking lot.  I am an old steam engineer and I always get excited when I see steam.  I realized my mistake after a couple of extra miles, so we turned back and found the parking lot.  There was already one car in the lot, so someone was a head of us on the trail.  We headed out at 10:35 AM Kona time. 

The trail started out over some old a’a’ lava and was a little rough.  Hopefully this was not going to be for the entire trail.  Walking on this stuff is like walking on ball bearings made of cinder.  They are constantly moving under your feet and make it very uncomfortable and very slippery.  This is not a place to sprain an ankle.  After about a few hundred feet, we moved out on to the pahoehoe lava. This type of lava is much better for hiking. It is flatter, smoother, though you still need to watch your footing carefully.  We had our hiking poles and the extra point of contact helps maintain better control of your balance.  The lava is very rough and falling on it is not an option.

The weather was starting to close in around us. Lots of thick dark cloud with very gusty wind conditions.  It was not raining but the air was so laden with moisture it was like rain.  We were starting to get damp so we put on our Valley First ponchos. This will be the first time we have ever needed them despite taking them on numerous hikes.  The weather continued to get worse. We were now walking in fog, it was raining and the wind had picked up in intensity.  This was all in the first ½ hour of starting the hike.  We may be cutting this hike short. 

It took as just over an hour to reach the first trail marker at 2.2 miles.  In one section of the trail, I spotted a very flat piece of lava which looked almost like pavement.  I wandered over to inspect it only to discover that it was a small 3’ by 3’ piece of asphalt.  We were hiking on an old road that had been covered by the lava flow.  

 

We met up with the people who were a head of us on the trail.  Looked like the weather had got the best of them and they were headed back. I had decided to at least get to the first trail marker before making our minds up about continuing the hike.  About two minutes after we met up with the other hikers we left the lava field and entered a small grove of trees.  

This grove of trees is called a kipuka.   The kipuka is an area which the lava has left untouched but completely encircling the grove leaving it an island of green in the middle of the lava field.  We also discovered more of the asphalt road in the kipuka that had survived the lava flow.  We had been climbing steadily since we had left the parking lot and were now starting to come up out of the rain clouds.  The weather had improved considerably.

 

With the nicer weather, we opted to continue.  We reached the edge of the lava field and moved into the trail that was cut through the rain forest.  Our next stop would be at the Makaopuhi Crater about 1.2 miles away. We continued to climb steadily.  The trail was very muddy with water dripping off the ferns and fronds that created a canopy over our head.  The trail was wide and we were able to move along quickly. Jungle trails are not the most interesting.  Lots of bird life could be heard but not seen.   

We reached the second trail marker in about 40 minutes. No crater!  The foliage was very thick so I guess the crater was out there somewhere, we just could not see it and I was not about to go crashing around the jungle to find it.  The next leg of the hike was just less than 2 miles and would take us to the Napau crater.  

If the guide books were correct, we should be able to see the active cinder cone vent of P’u O’o.  The trail continued through the rain forest. It became quite narrow and overgrown with very wet ferns and fronds rubbing up against you.  After a few hundred feet, our lower extremities were soaking wet.  We did come across a marked and cleared trail to a lookout over the Napau crater.  HOHUM! Having seen one crater, you have seen them all.

This part of the trail was reasonably flat, so we were able to make good time.  We came to a fork. Left would take us to a campsite and the continuation of the trail to the P’u O’o vent.  The cinder cone is closed and off limits and there is danger from the VOG. VOG is volcanic smog and can be very nasty to your health.  The right fork would take us to the supposed view point.  Nonie the intrepid jungle explorer took the lead and the left trail.  I told her not to fall off the crater rim if she found it.  Not more than five minutes in and she shouted “I found it” followed by a “WOW!”  The hike had been worth it. 

 The cloud had lifted high enough so we were gifted with a view of the cinder cone.  The view was partially obscured by gas and steam rising from the walls of the vent facing us.  The cinder cone had collapsed on our side and had opened all kinds of cracks which were venting steam and VOG.  This vent has been erupting since 1983.  Most of the lava now flows out the vent through a lava tube and travels almost 7 miles to the ocean before it appears again. 

We settled down on a log and broke open the lunch we had brought and watched planes and helicopters flit in and out of the vent.  This made our impending helicopter flight even more exciting to see where we be going the next day.  Every once in a while the wind would below the steam away and we would get cleaner views of the cinder cone.  Very nice lunch!

We headed back after about ½ hour.  We would return on the same trail.  The forest had dried quite a bit so it was not such a slimy return trip.  Nonie and I both agreed that hiking on even the roughest lava was better then the boring monotony of a trail through the rain forest.  I am sure that if we had someone along who could show us some of the things that we were missing or not understanding, it might make the trip more interesting. 

As we walked across the upper portion of the lava field, we entered a zone of VOG.  Not real thick but thick enough to see the brown colour in the air. There was a faint smell of sulfur and grabbing feeling at the back of my throat. It is a smell that I am familiar with as I experienced it often during my Fort Nelson days working in the sulfur plant.  It is a sensation that you don’t forget.  With very rubbery legs we got back to the trail head by 4:15 PM.   The last few hundred feet over the rough and slippery a’a’ lava was the toughest part.

A short rest in the comfort of a small covered picnic area located at the trail head, two vitamin Ibuprofen and some Gatorade and we were ready to move on.     

We continued the drive down the Chain of Craters road. The road suddenly ends in the lava field that was and continues to be created by the P’u O’o vent. Our intent was to walk into the lava field and out to a view point that over looked the area where the lava was exiting the lava tube and pouring out into the ocean.  We were walking on a part of the island that had only been created about 25 years before when the vent first erupted.  Once there we would settle in and wait till the sun went down.  The glow of the lava cannot be seen during the day as the sun washes out the colour.  The hot lava actually looks silver when you see it from the air. 

We arrived at the end of the road to find that the park folk have created a turn around and you are only allowed to park on the outgoing side of the road.  It was not particularly busy so we did not have to come back more than a couple of hundred feet to find a parking spot. We then had a ½ mile walk along the road to reach the lava field and a short hike over the lava field to find ourselves a beautiful vantage point to watch the lava flows.  

We still had a bit of food left from our lunch and we had brought books to read so we settled in to wait for the sun to set.  We were able to view the area with our binoculars and as the sun slipped lower into the east, the lava become much more visible and it now could even be seen with the naked eye.  People started to arrive in droves and suddenly our little slice of the viewing area got a lot smaller with rude people starting to set them selves up in front of us. Damn Tourists! 

The darker it got, the brighter the lava became.  You could now see it flowing down the side of the sea cliffs in long thin strands. You could see lava falling in the ocean and exploding in to steam. Red hot spots began to show up along the edge of the cliff.  Very cool!  I made a number of attempts to take pictures, but I do not think that I was very successful so I will have to fudge some up from the internet. 

Returning to the road over the lava field in the dark was a tricky maneuver even with head lamps.  The park had installed little reflective markers that you could use to guide you back to the road.  The markers were not always placed in the best spot but it would have been very difficult to find our way back with out them. Even with a good headlamp, it was a challenge not to fall.  People have been known to try and travel out over the lava field onto the active field for a real close up look at of the lava at night.  Better to travel at night as you can spot the hot stuff before you step in it.  Nonie and I are not that crazy.  I really wanted to get a picture of me poking a stick into a slow moving lava flow but I think will opt to live a little longer.  It would not be like stepping into some dog pooh that you could scrape it off with your stick.

We hit the road for Hilo and a Mai Tai at Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel, not to be confused with Uncle Billy’s Kona Bay Hotel.  We had opted to spend the night in Hilo rather than drive all the way back to Kailua Kona.  Our reservation for the helicopter ride was for 11:30 am from the Hilo airport the next day. 

Uncle Billy’s is right out of the fifties with fake rattan furniture, lots of grass covered lamps and bamboo wall paper on everything.  Johnny Weissmuller would have been at home here.  The room was rough around the edges but reasonably clean and sadly the Mai Tai wasn’t as good as the Kailua Kona one. 

Photo: SAH Archipedia

NONIE AND BRETT’S BELATED HONEYMOON- Episode 7

 BEWARE OF CUTE FURRY THINGS IN PARADISE.

We have spent a lot of time driving the highways and back roads of the big island. Along the way we have spotted this little furry ferret like creatures that darted back and forth across the road. On one outing we counted over a dozen that had become road kill.  AWWW 

Forget the pity.  We have discovered that these cute little creatures are actually mongoose.  They were brought to the island during the days when sugar was king and released into the cane fields to eradicate the rats that were brought over as unwanted cargo on another ship.  It seems that the mongoose (mongeese?) are lazy and rather than chase rats, found eating the eggs and the young of the Nene, the state bird of Hawaii was so much easier.  Actually rats are nocturnal and the mongoose are diurnal so they could not get their schedules together for dinner. 

Photo: Outferia

The Nene are now an endangered species because of this scheduling conflict. We also found out that they are the off spring of Canada Geese that somehow found there way to the islands hundreds of years ago and never left.  I can relate, as I am certainly going to find it hard to leave when the time comes. They cannot be related to the geese found around Penticton.  These guys have not left Skaha Lake in centuries. Over the years the webbed feet of the Nene have evolved and lost some of their webbing.  This makes it easier for them to walk on lava.

 Photo:animal.birds.com

Much of the flora and fauna that you will find on the islands today is not indigenous to the island prior to man arriving. 

A short fauna list includes:

Rats- They arrived on the first ships to find the islands.  There were no natural predators, so they flourished.

 Mosquitoes- The mosquitoes arrived in the barrels of stagnant drinking water carried in the holds of the early ships.  The barrels were emptied into the fresh water of the island when they were being refilled for the return voyage.  The mosquitoes brought with them avian disease which they introduced to the native bird population and continues to kill thousands or native birds to this day.

Cows- Captain George Vancouver brought the first five cows to the island as a gift to King Kamehameha. At Captain Vancouver’s recommendation, King Kamehameha placed a kapu on killing or harming the cattle for 10 years. They flourished and in a few decades the wild herds got so big that they threatened the rain forest’s existence. Samuel Parker was given the task of dealing with the thousands of wild cattle.  He domesticated a large number and culled the wild herd.  This was the start of the huge Parker Ranch which still exists today on the big island. 

Pigs- What is a luau with out pig.  Pigs were introduced to the island, most likely by the first Polynesian travelers.  Wild pigs continue to populate the island.  The wild population got so bad that the pigs were destroying the islands rain forest habitat at an alarming rate. There is a twelve month hunting season for pigs even today.   The pigs eat the moss that coats much of the forest floor.  Their rutting leaves holes which allow water to collect and become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.  The mosquitoes in turn spread avian disease to the local birds. Many who have no natural resistance and die. Thousands of birds die each year in the park vicinity so the Volcano National Park has been completely fenced to prevent the pigs from entering the park.  

 Photo: Pinterest- Leah Davis

The list of introduced flora is also long and includes coconut palms, many of the colourful flowers, taro and poi.  The flora grew unchecked and in many cases pushed out the local fauna.  It is estimated that thousands of different indigenous plant life has become extinct on the big island. 

THE LANAI BITES BACK

A really, really, really lazy day!  We did not leave the lanai till almost 2:00 PM. We did complete the booking of a helicopter flight over the volcano.  We have booked with Tropical Helicopters based out of the Hilo airport.  We are on the 11:30 AM flight for Thursday.   The flight will be with out doors on the helicopter.  It is aptly called “Feel the Heat Tour”. Nonie is a little nervous about the no door thing but the picture taking opportunities should be awesome. 

 I have also booked a hotel for us in Hilo for Wednesday night. We are spending Wednesday in the Volcano National Park and do not expect to leave there before 8:00 PM.  This would mean spending two hours driving back to Kailua Kona then a three hour drive to Hilo the next day.  The park is only 35 miles from Hilo, so a room in Hilo on Wednesday night makes sense from a time perspective. It will also cost us an extra $40 bucks in gas for the second round trip.  The Jeep is a bit of a gas guzzler.  We have spent over $120.00 on gas at $3.21 per gallon in 7 days.  No gas station has the same price. We have seen it anywhere from $3.18 at Costco to $3.44 at Chevron.  Nice to see some competition!  Forget the math, the price works out to just over $0.80 a liter. Gas is not cheap in paradise.

Our one week wireless internet special died today so I have signed us up for another week.  I am quite helpless with out access.  I think I may have an addiction problem. Back in service and a quick email to our kids. Out the door and into the gas guzzler for a quick trip to Safeway.  We need dinner tonight and something for lunch tomorrow.  Back to the condo to dump off our groceries and we head out in search of a few postcards and a Mai Tai.  

We wandered around the shops for while and bought 6 postcards.  Now off to an appropriately located bar for a Mai Tai and some postcard writing.  Two Mai Tai later (Only one for Nonie) and we are headed back to the condo to prepare a dinner of ham steak and some sort of bagged rice side dish. My nips were lumb and I walked home with two little umbrellas stuck in my hat and some strange looks.  I guess two Mai Tai are my limit.

 

Shock!  It seems that my extended stay on the lanai today has resulted in half my body receiving way to much sun.  I do not remember being out in the sun that long but I guess I was because my left half is really really red, sun burnt red. No pain yet, but look out tomorrow. I knew that the lanai was too good to be true. Like any good thing, too much can be a bad thing. See Mai Tai above. I think that I will have to start weaning myself off the lanai or the withdrawal when I get home will be too painful.  I may move out to the patio for little sessions once we get back to soften the withdrawal.  Not sure what I can do at work. Perhaps the patio at the Barking Parrot?

PARADISE HAS SIRLOINS AND RIB EYES

We were on the road pretty early today.  Due to my recent problems with lanai abuse, I felt it best that I start to wean myself off.  We are on our way to the Waipi’o Valley.  The valley is located on the east side of the big island about 20 miles from Waimea.  

The valley is another site that has significant history to the Hawaiians. It is home to Kamohaoli'i the Shark God as well as the legendary doorway to the land of the dead and has been a burial site for almost 500 years. . Seemed like a great place to go for a hike.

 Photo: Smitefire

The valley was home to over 4,000 inhabitants when Captain Cook visited. It is now home to practically no one.  The valley is very lush and fertile and looks like it can grow anything. The depopulating started during World War II as people were lured away by the modern conveniences of towns. Then in 1946 the valley was hit by a tsunami which rolled half way up the valley.  Then a massive rainfall in 1979 dumped over 45” of rain in less then 24 hours.  The flood and landslides further devastated the valley and chased the few remaining inhabitants away.  There are still a few taro farmers and rumor has it that they also grow some great medicinal plants. A different Kona Gold.

The road / goat trail into the valley starts at a beautiful lookout. The parking lot was full when we arrived but as we drove up, a car pulled out and we were able to park. OHOH! To reach the valley floor requires a four wheel drive or a one mile walk down the steepest road, I have ever seen.  The walk down was quick.  Along the way we met two girls who were just hiking back up the road.  They were just returning from an overnight hike into the next valley, Waimanu which can only be reached by a goat trail up the opposite wall of the valley and a 6 mile hike.  They looked very tired but exhilarated. 

At the bottom we took a right hand turn towards the beach and walked about a ¼ of mile over what looked like a permanently wet muddy road. The effort was worth it. 

At the end was a beautiful waterfall cascading down the valley walls an out into the ocean. To get to the bottom of the falls required a walk along a very rocky shoreline. 

There were a few people scattered around but not enough to spoil the atmosphere.  

The 15 minute stroll down turned into a 25 minute calf burn to get us back to the top of the road.  We had left our lunch in the Jeep so we rewarded ourselves with ham sandwiches.  

While we were eating we watched a Hawaiian lady making neat little little flower things from palm fronds.  I bought a couple of flowers that she had made from split palm fronds as they would make a great addition to my palm frond hat.

 

After lunch we headed back to the small town of Honoka’a for a little window shopping.  The town had a population of over 5,000 and was once the centre for sugar cane and the processing industry.  After the collapse of King Sugar, the town shrunk to it current population of about 2,000.  Very sleepy little place.  No purchases today. 

We returned to Waimea and a visit to the Parker Ranch Museum located there.  For $14 we had our own cinema to watch a 15 minute presentation on the history of the Parker Ranch. 

 

The ranch was started by Samuel Parker in the early 19^th Century when King Kamehameha deeded two acres to him and 450 acres to his wife who was a descendant of Hawaiian royalty.  He had been asked by King Kamehameha too help them deal with wild cattle that were the legacy of a present from Captain George Vancouver. During its heyday the ranch was over ½ a million acres. 

It is currently around 150,000 acres.  The last living Parker heir died in 1992 without leaving his own heir.  In his will he bequeathed the ranch to a charitable group.  Now all the profits from the ranch go to four local Waimea groups.  We were told that the hospital is one of the charities and it is the best equipped hospital in all of Hawaii.  The ranch now raises Angus beef exclusively and ships over 500,000 pounds of beef each year. They actually ship the beef to Vancouver first.  There is an American law that says that if you ship your product on a foreign flag from an American port, it cannot go to another American port. Hence it is shipped to Vancouver then down to the west coast of United States.  Seem a kind of poetic justice as it was Captain Vancouver who first brought cattle to Hawaii.

Back on the road with a short stop a Safeway for some supper stuff.  We ate a lovely tuna salad out on the lanai but I came right in as soon as dinner was over. I was continuing to wean myself from the lanai.