Hawaii 2015: Rest of Big Island
Thursday, 21 January 2016 18:51![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iguana
And finally, here are some of the things Emily and I got up to on Big Island that don't fit anywhere else. I might add more things later if I realise I've missed anything out, but for now that's it for Hawaii....
Akaka Falls
Akaka Falls State Park is the first place we visited on my first full day in Hawaii. It's a 45-minute circular walk through a forest surrounding ʻAkaka Falls itself, which is over 100m tall.
This was also my first exposure to wild cats, which are very common around the island. These ones were keeping an eye out for people dropping snacks.
Akaka Falls State Park is the first place we visited on my first full day in Hawaii. It's a 45-minute circular walk through a forest surrounding ʻAkaka Falls itself, which is over 100m tall.
This was also my first exposure to wild cats, which are very common around the island. These ones were keeping an eye out for people dropping snacks.
Hilo Tropical Botanic Gardens
I went here on the first and last day I was in Hawaii, so this place is quite special to me. It has some lovely flowers, a stream that runs through it with some cascades, a tiki statue, and parrots! It also has a great view of the ocean, which we saw whales from on my first visit.
It was also the last place I saw a gecko.
I went here on the first and last day I was in Hawaii, so this place is quite special to me. It has some lovely flowers, a stream that runs through it with some cascades, a tiki statue, and parrots! It also has a great view of the ocean, which we saw whales from on my first visit.
It was also the last place I saw a gecko.
Nani Mau Gardens
Nani Mau was another botanic garden, though this one was more formal. We went on a gorgeous sunny day and everywhere looked beautiful.
However the highlight was seeing all the fruit trees and then finding out that people were welcome to sample anything they liked.
There were tree grapes (delicious!), mulberries, cacao, pineapples, and, most excitingly, pomelo trees with ripe fruit on them. Pomelos are the largest citrus fruits, and they are delicious once you've got into one!
Nani Mau was another botanic garden, though this one was more formal. We went on a gorgeous sunny day and everywhere looked beautiful.
However the highlight was seeing all the fruit trees and then finding out that people were welcome to sample anything they liked.
There were tree grapes (delicious!), mulberries, cacao, pineapples, and, most excitingly, pomelo trees with ripe fruit on them. Pomelos are the largest citrus fruits, and they are delicious once you've got into one!
Hilo Beachfront
Aside from Coconut Island the Liliʻuokalani garden along Hilo's coast, this was also where Emily had joined an outrigger canoe group, and where she and some colleagues participated in an all-day competition.
Several dozen canoe groups had pitched marquees along the beach front and there were barbecues and tables of snacks going for people like me who weren't participating.
Emily's team did really well and probably would have been in the final had it not been for one of their paddles snapping at the start of their last race.
Aside from Coconut Island the Liliʻuokalani garden along Hilo's coast, this was also where Emily had joined an outrigger canoe group, and where she and some colleagues participated in an all-day competition.
Several dozen canoe groups had pitched marquees along the beach front and there were barbecues and tables of snacks going for people like me who weren't participating.
Emily's team did really well and probably would have been in the final had it not been for one of their paddles snapping at the start of their last race.
Merrie Monarch
The Merrie Monarch is a week-long celebration of Hawaiian culture, and we managed to see some of the Hula competition in person after queueing for several hours outside the stadium. It was good fun and interesting to see how traditional Hawaiian hula isn't just coconut half-shells and grass skirts as most people would believe. Hula was one way native Hawaiians told stories, and the dance moves all signify certain parts of the stories. Some were quite calm and serene, while others had strong music and pretty acrobatic dancing.
We also went to a parade through the town that had floats from local businesses, the Volcanoes National Park, and various other organisations.
The Merrie Monarch is a week-long celebration of Hawaiian culture, and we managed to see some of the Hula competition in person after queueing for several hours outside the stadium. It was good fun and interesting to see how traditional Hawaiian hula isn't just coconut half-shells and grass skirts as most people would believe. Hula was one way native Hawaiians told stories, and the dance moves all signify certain parts of the stories. Some were quite calm and serene, while others had strong music and pretty acrobatic dancing.
We also went to a parade through the town that had floats from local businesses, the Volcanoes National Park, and various other organisations.
Paleaku Peace Gardens
On the way back from Kona we noticed this place and decided to see if it was pretty, and it turned out it was! Of particular interest to us was the Galaxy Garden, which was a maze-like plant garden that resembled the Milky Way, and had some markers showing where our local solar system and some other visible stars were.
There was also a friendly parrot there; a rescue or something to that effect, if I recall correctly.
On the way back from Kona we noticed this place and decided to see if it was pretty, and it turned out it was! Of particular interest to us was the Galaxy Garden, which was a maze-like plant garden that resembled the Milky Way, and had some markers showing where our local solar system and some other visible stars were.
There was also a friendly parrot there; a rescue or something to that effect, if I recall correctly.
Kaumana Caves
There's a few lava caves outside of Volcanoes National Park, and one of them is Kaumana Caves, near Hilo. It's well marked with a roadside car park, but it was pretty empty the two times we visited it.
The two caves are actually part of the same lava tube; the entrance to both is down some steps where the roof of the lava tube collapsed in.
It was difficult to find a map of the lava tube, and there are notices that the tube runs under private property (which counts, from the point of view of Hawaiian law) but there weren't any reports of anybody caring to enforce this. The nice thing about lava tubes is that they don't tend to fork, so you can really just keep on walking along until it gets too narrow to pass, or you get too nervy to continue.
The first time we visited we went into the right-hand-side cave, and didn't go that far. The second time, however, we took torches (and spares) and walked into the left-hand-side cave. It ascended upwards somewhat and got quite thin, and we even ended up walking through a small underground stream, since it had rained recently (though not recently enough that a flash flood was a worry). After some time, we decided we'd seen enough, and headed back to the entrance.
There's a few lava caves outside of Volcanoes National Park, and one of them is Kaumana Caves, near Hilo. It's well marked with a roadside car park, but it was pretty empty the two times we visited it.
The two caves are actually part of the same lava tube; the entrance to both is down some steps where the roof of the lava tube collapsed in.
It was difficult to find a map of the lava tube, and there are notices that the tube runs under private property (which counts, from the point of view of Hawaiian law) but there weren't any reports of anybody caring to enforce this. The nice thing about lava tubes is that they don't tend to fork, so you can really just keep on walking along until it gets too narrow to pass, or you get too nervy to continue.
The first time we visited we went into the right-hand-side cave, and didn't go that far. The second time, however, we took torches (and spares) and walked into the left-hand-side cave. It ascended upwards somewhat and got quite thin, and we even ended up walking through a small underground stream, since it had rained recently (though not recently enough that a flash flood was a worry). After some time, we decided we'd seen enough, and headed back to the entrance.
