Hi Everyone
When we left off last the family was planning the drive around the Big Island. We decided on the drive because we wanted to get an idea of the distances and drive times for planning the rest of the vacation. Besides, after discovering such wonderful sights by driving yesterday, we wanted to see what we might find by just “exploring”.
From the resort we headed south on Highway 11 which would take us around the southern tip of the Island and back up the western side through the Kona District. This is the most popular tourist part of the Big Island with lots of beaches, big resorts and the Kona International Airport.
Highway 11 is also called Volcano Highway and is one of the main highways on the Big Island. Heading south we climbed the southern flanks of Mauna Loa . Turning sharp corners on the winding road we came across beautiful sea vistas and then back into the rainforest only to open up to coffee plantations, home to famous Kona Coffee. Then there was the sign! Ka Lae (South Point) The Southern most point in the USA. I found that a bit confusing because I had been to Key West to visit friends and been to their “Southernmost Point in the US” but a little subsequent research showed that Key West has the Southern most point in the continental US while Ka Lae is the southern most point in all of the US.
Once we passed that point we were heading north west and the lush rainforest began to thin out. As Volcano Highway became Hawaii Belt Rd. we entered a region that can only be described as desert. This is an area that has been hit repeatedly with lava flows from 1868, 1907, 1926, & most recently 1950. These flows were all from Mauna Loa. Although the volcano is quiet now, it is not considered extinct and still poses a threat.
In places the road was built through the lava flows with walls of lava rising on either side of the road. At other times we cruised along on top of the flows.
Stopping a scenic parking area we met a native Hawaiian with a variety of souvenirs from ukuleles to necklaces, leis and honey! Native Hawaiian Honey! They gave us a taste and is the smoothest , sweetest honey I have ever tasted. Sis & I made sure we bought some jars of that. Between us we had enough for our breakfasts while in Hawaii plus extra to take home. Since that honey has long since been used up I know a return trip is in my future.
This stop was educational too because like most of the Hawaiians we’d met so far, these folks were happy to explain to us about their Island and what we were seeing. The terrain looks rugged because the lava flows were ‘a ‘a (ah ah) flows that are crumbled and sharp. A local joke is that it is called ’a ’a because that’s what you’ll say if you try to walk on it in bare feet! The other kind of flow is smoother and ropey and is called pahoehoe.
Sticking up from the desolated lavascape were grey looking trees that we were told were called Iron Trees and that they were so tough that the lava flows around them . This was the only time I heard this term and haven’t run across it since so I don’t know if it is legend, true, or if they were pulling my leg! Gullible mainlander that I am!
We continued on into the Kona District which is renowned for it’s resorts and beaches. Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park is located in this area which we would return to explore another day.
After a quick lunch in Kailua- Kona we took a minute to book a small plane tour of the Island for later in the week and returned to our round the Island Drive. We spotted the Kona International Airport which is built on top of a lava flow. We were pleased to see that it was easy to find because our sight seeing flight would leave from there.
Soon after passing the airport we changed highways. We weren’t sure then how it happened and to this day I’m not sure what road we were on as we entered the Kohala District but eventually we would pick up Highway 19 to take us to the northeast side of the island. After all, how lost can you get on an Island? The Kohala district represented another change. As we headed inland there were rolling, green ranchlands. We had entered Paniolo Country or cowboy country. The largest and oldest ranch is Parker Ranch consisting of around 175,000 acres and dating back to 1847. The ranch has a visitors center and offers various tours and wagon rides. Since you can’t do everything in a week, this one was put on our list for a return visit.
Rounding the northern section of the island we left the Kohala District and entered the Namakua District. This is the home of Mauna Kea, the highest point in Hawaii at 13,796 ft. This is the volcano with the world famous observatories. In addition to Mauna Kea we saw smaller cone shaped hills that had a very classic cinder cone shape even though they were now covered with lush green. We guessed that they were old volcanoes or volcanic vents and were rewarded with news that recently geologists had heard “rumblings” under this area!
The road had long since changed from a nice wide highway to a more rural two lane road and the surroundings were becoming rainforest lush and very rugged. . Shortly after that we entered the Hilo district. We were now just north of the scenic drive we had discovered the day before and it was late afternoon. As we discussed stopping in Hilo for dinner we saw a sign we just couldn’t resist. AKAKA FALLS STATE PARK. We all love waterfalls so we had to stop. It was a great decision.
Akaka Falls State Park is near the town of Honomu. It’s just a short trail to Kahuna Falls which drops 400 ft. A lot of this falls is obscured by the tropical overgrowth, but that’s ok because Kahuna Falls is just the appetizer. Continue on and there is Akaka Falls, flowing 420 - 440 feet down a sheer cliff. It is a mesmerizing view and unobstructed by the rainforest.
After taking many pictures we piled back in the car and headed into Hilo where we stopped for dinner at a local favorite, Ken’s House of Pancakes. It soon became one of our favorites too and we returned here several more times during our trip.
Then it was back to the resort to rest up for the next day. We’re heading to Volcano National Park and the most active volcano in the world-Kilauea.
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