Hawaii
15 Jul 2007
Hawaii has been on our travel wishlist for a long time, because on Big Island there's a volcano that constantly spews out lava: Kilauea. An organized hike will take you close to the fresh lava flows, and that seemed like a great experience. For years on end the lava flows from the volcano, right into the ocean.... we finally booked our flight and a few earthquakes result in a dramatic drop of the lava level. That makes an end to the lava flows. But, Hawaii has a lot more to offer and we are going to enjoy it anyway. When we leave Japan, a hurricane is on its way, but luckily we just missed it.
We have 10 days vacation and our first stop is in Big Island, then we go to Oahu. We stay at the King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. The hotel, a typical example of past glory, is at 5 minutes walk from the beach. But there are so many things to see and do on the island, that we don't take time to go to the beach. Big Island is clearly for nature lovers, at night Kona city it is a ghost town. We found that out on our last night there. Because we didn't have a chance to sit at the beach with a well deserved cocktail, we decided to go back to the hotel a bit earlier on our last night. At 9:30, all dressed up and ready to go, we get to the boulevard to find out that everything is closed or in the process of closing. We found a restaurant that was still open. Unfortunately no view of the beach but the menu looked inviting. There were two other tables occupied, so we wouldn't be alone..... we thought. Just after we ordered our food, the other guests got up and left the restaurant. When our dinner arrived (which didn't taste as good as it looked), they also started stacking the chairs around us. Not really a cosy night out...
We rented a car, a lot easier when you want to explore the island. Our first trip takes us to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. On the way we make a few stops for a pickinck and a few walks along the rocky coast. The park is well worth a visit, despite the fact that we cannot visit THE volcano. There are various hikes, and we pick the one that takes us straight through the caldera of an extinct volcano. The scenery is very desolate, which is reinforced by the drizzly rain and gray skies
The next day we go back to the volcanoes national park. We spend about the whole day there. There are various lava fields from different erruptions. Signs show how old the lava is. They even found petroglyphes there. That the lava isn't bothered by any roads is pretty clear..
On our last day we explore the north of Big Island. First we visit a historic village, Puuhonua o Honaunau - like so many other names here, a real tongue breaker. Not bad to be living here, nice house on the beach, in the evening go fishing for dinner, play a game of checkers on the local stone....
The statue of Kamehameha is freshly painted and stands proud and shiny in the sunshine. He plays an important role in the history of Hawaii, highways and cocktails bear his name, and his portrait can be found on many signs.
On the way back to the hotel we visit Mana Kea. Unfortunately our car isn't a 4x4, so we cannot go to the top. We park at the visitors center and walk up the mountain for half an hour to find a place to enjoy the sunset. Back at the visitors center, we see that they set up some telescopes. It is not very busy, so we get a lot of chances to see the planets. It is great to see the rings around Saturn and the moons of Jupiter with your own eyes.
From Kona we fly to Honolulu where we stay at the EWA Hotel, not bad, but not as great as the website makes you think. Again, close to the beach, but it is a lot livelier here than on Big Island. Blue water, white beaches and especially many shops and restaurants. Here we don't have to be afraid to stand in front of a closed door at 10pm. We start of well with a margarita for Carlos and a lava flow for Lenette. With a view on the palm trees and beach, the Tiki bar is a good place to be, around the corner from our hotel.
Pearl Harbor is also on our list of "must see". It is clear that we are used to the navigation system in our car in Japan. We don't have one now and everything goes wrong. Pearl Harbor is close to Honolulu, but we manage to take more than an hour to get there. But it was worth the hassle. We get claustrofobic when we see the sleeping quarters on the submarine Bowfin. We feel tough when we sit on the chairs of a big weapon on deck. But when we get to the Arizona Memorial, we get sad and even playing wargames seem pointless.
Oahu has an impressive coastline. Not everywhere are the white sandy beaches, but that makes it especially interesting to drive along the coast. We walk through a botanical garden, in a volcano crater, stop at various impressive lookouts. Especially Nu'uanu Pali lookout is an interesting experience, it's like standing in a wind tunnel.
The Polynesian Cultural Center gives you an impression of the various cultures of the Polynesian islands, of which Hawaii is a part. Finally the time has come and we get decorated with a lei. That doesn't happen anymore when you get off the plane... Here you can also learn how to dance the hula, see how they live on the various islands, how they make music and you can get a tattoo. In the evening you can join a luau, with a buffet with a.o. kalua pig
The evening ends with a great show. Although the food wasn't that great, and we had to wait too long, the show made up for that. Check out the Hawaii movie we made.
The last day we visit Diamond Head Lookout, and enjoy the beach. We didn't experience the famous waves, that's in winter time. But that the surf culture is strong becomes apparent when you look at the doors of the Burger King.
Time flies, it's time to go home.
We have 10 days vacation and our first stop is in Big Island, then we go to Oahu. We stay at the King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. The hotel, a typical example of past glory, is at 5 minutes walk from the beach. But there are so many things to see and do on the island, that we don't take time to go to the beach. Big Island is clearly for nature lovers, at night Kona city it is a ghost town. We found that out on our last night there. Because we didn't have a chance to sit at the beach with a well deserved cocktail, we decided to go back to the hotel a bit earlier on our last night. At 9:30, all dressed up and ready to go, we get to the boulevard to find out that everything is closed or in the process of closing. We found a restaurant that was still open. Unfortunately no view of the beach but the menu looked inviting. There were two other tables occupied, so we wouldn't be alone..... we thought. Just after we ordered our food, the other guests got up and left the restaurant. When our dinner arrived (which didn't taste as good as it looked), they also started stacking the chairs around us. Not really a cosy night out...
We rented a car, a lot easier when you want to explore the island. Our first trip takes us to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. On the way we make a few stops for a pickinck and a few walks along the rocky coast. The park is well worth a visit, despite the fact that we cannot visit THE volcano. There are various hikes, and we pick the one that takes us straight through the caldera of an extinct volcano. The scenery is very desolate, which is reinforced by the drizzly rain and gray skies
The next day we go back to the volcanoes national park. We spend about the whole day there. There are various lava fields from different erruptions. Signs show how old the lava is. They even found petroglyphes there. That the lava isn't bothered by any roads is pretty clear..
On our last day we explore the north of Big Island. First we visit a historic village, Puuhonua o Honaunau - like so many other names here, a real tongue breaker. Not bad to be living here, nice house on the beach, in the evening go fishing for dinner, play a game of checkers on the local stone....
The statue of Kamehameha is freshly painted and stands proud and shiny in the sunshine. He plays an important role in the history of Hawaii, highways and cocktails bear his name, and his portrait can be found on many signs.
On the way back to the hotel we visit Mana Kea. Unfortunately our car isn't a 4x4, so we cannot go to the top. We park at the visitors center and walk up the mountain for half an hour to find a place to enjoy the sunset. Back at the visitors center, we see that they set up some telescopes. It is not very busy, so we get a lot of chances to see the planets. It is great to see the rings around Saturn and the moons of Jupiter with your own eyes.
From Kona we fly to Honolulu where we stay at the EWA Hotel, not bad, but not as great as the website makes you think. Again, close to the beach, but it is a lot livelier here than on Big Island. Blue water, white beaches and especially many shops and restaurants. Here we don't have to be afraid to stand in front of a closed door at 10pm. We start of well with a margarita for Carlos and a lava flow for Lenette. With a view on the palm trees and beach, the Tiki bar is a good place to be, around the corner from our hotel.
Pearl Harbor is also on our list of "must see". It is clear that we are used to the navigation system in our car in Japan. We don't have one now and everything goes wrong. Pearl Harbor is close to Honolulu, but we manage to take more than an hour to get there. But it was worth the hassle. We get claustrofobic when we see the sleeping quarters on the submarine Bowfin. We feel tough when we sit on the chairs of a big weapon on deck. But when we get to the Arizona Memorial, we get sad and even playing wargames seem pointless.
Oahu has an impressive coastline. Not everywhere are the white sandy beaches, but that makes it especially interesting to drive along the coast. We walk through a botanical garden, in a volcano crater, stop at various impressive lookouts. Especially Nu'uanu Pali lookout is an interesting experience, it's like standing in a wind tunnel.
The Polynesian Cultural Center gives you an impression of the various cultures of the Polynesian islands, of which Hawaii is a part. Finally the time has come and we get decorated with a lei. That doesn't happen anymore when you get off the plane... Here you can also learn how to dance the hula, see how they live on the various islands, how they make music and you can get a tattoo. In the evening you can join a luau, with a buffet with a.o. kalua pig
The evening ends with a great show. Although the food wasn't that great, and we had to wait too long, the show made up for that. Check out the Hawaii movie we made.
The last day we visit Diamond Head Lookout, and enjoy the beach. We didn't experience the famous waves, that's in winter time. But that the surf culture is strong becomes apparent when you look at the doors of the Burger King.
Time flies, it's time to go home.