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This Woman Was Here

A Do-It-Yourselfer's Life Journey

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Monthly Archives: December 2018

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Big Island, Hawaii, helicopter ride over volcanoes

We flew from Auckland to Honolulu (overnight flight, no sleep, ugh) and then from there to the Big Island where we picked up a rental car and drove to the Hilton resort at Waikoloa Village. The airport is a tropical vision, tiny and open air, with bouganvilla everywhere. The landscape between the airport and the hotel is a moonscape of black volcanic rock with tufts of pale grass.

The resort is enormous (three buildings) but it is beautifully landscaped and filled with a museum’s worth of Asian art.  

We didn’t do much beside wander around the resort and collapse after an early dinner because we were so exhausted. Sunset from our balcony was idyllic. 

The next day, we met joined Steve’s nice, Lauren, for a drive to Hilo and a helicopter ride over the volcano. We downloaded the Gypsy guide to the Big Island, which narrates your drive, giving you suggestions for where to stop and interesting historical facts. I highly recommend it. The landscape on the east (Hilo) side of the mountains is completely different (tropical) because it gets the rainfall that hits the volcanic peaks and drops, leaving the west side of the island dry.

Our first stop was at the Waipi’o Valley Overlook.

 

Our next stop was at Laupahoehoe Point Beach Park, Big Island, Hawaii, where 21 students and 4 teachers were killed in a 1946 tsunami. Immigrants once landed at this dock (hard to believe given the wind and waves.

Next was Akaka Falls State Park where the loop trail took around 20 min (not 1 hour). Akaka falls is 446 feet high (much higher than Niagra Falls)

We stopped for a lunch at a place recommended for fresh smoothies by the Gypsy guide at the beginning of the 4 mile scenic route. We had the Hawaiian plate with lau lau (pork wrapped in greens and khalua pork). It was delicious and inexpensive. One dish was enough for two people.

We drove through Hilo to make our 2:15 helicopter appointment at Blue Hawaii helicopters. We flew over the coast first and saw where the lava entered the sea. The land now juts out one mile further into the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also saw how whole subdivisions were engulfed by lava, and the people couldn’t return to their houses because there was no access. The most amazing thing was to see how quickly people rebuilt their homes once road access had been restored. Flying over the crater of Pu’u O’o (with steam still rising from the edges) was quite amazing. The Big Island added

We flew over several older craters.

And waterfalls

The helicopter ride was exciting but not as scary. It’s a wonderful way to see the path of the lava and the cones of the volcanoes.

Afterward, we drove across the island on Saddle Road, which looks like an alien landscape with hundreds of bubble mountains created by eruptions underground.

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Big Island, Hawaii, dolphin training, snorkeling, whale watching cruise

We went out early in the morning (7:30) to watch the staff feed, check, work with the dolphins. Seeing dolphins up close is amazing. Eight of the twelve dolphins have been born in captivity.

The trainers check the dolphins as they work with them in the morning. Although I have mixed feelings about seeing dolphins in captivity, both trainers and dolphins are quite fond of each other.

Steve and I ventured out to get breakfast (food is outrageously expensive in the resort) and we bought snorkeling gear for less than it would cost to rent it for 4 hours at the resort. We headed up to Hapuna Beach State Park (15 min north of the resort), where we head the snorkeling was good. It’s a huge white sand beach, but has little shade, and the waves were a bit rough for snorkeling on the rocks on both sides of the beach. We found a group of rocks in the middle, and even though the sand was churned up by the waves, we saw quite a few fish and a turtle munching on coral. Next, we tried Anaeho’omalu Bay (5 min from the resort) for snorkeling, but the water was even more turbid than at the first beach. There were fish, but visibility was only a couple of feet, and twice I came head on to large turtles (something of a shock). Our last attempt was in the lagoon at the resort, but again no luck. The bay has ancient Hawaiian fish ponds, used by rulers to keep fish for when they traveled the coast by canoe. The beach also has quite a few cats (cared for by volunteers), and surprisingly, we saw several weasels, which were introduced to the islands in the 1890s to control the rats (pests to the newly popular sugar cane crops). Unfortunately, rats are nocturnal and weasels are not, so they did nothing to the rat population but decimated the native birds.

That afternoon, we went out on a whale watching tour with Hawaiian Nautical. They picked us up at the hotel and drove us back to Anaeho’omalu Bay. There were only 5 of us but they took us out in a 54 catamaran because it was rough, and we would have gotten wet in the smaller zodiac. We felt like we had a private cruise (that included drinks). The captain, Josh, and his crew were informative about the humpback whales that are moving down from Maui at this time of year, at the end of their several month migration from Alaska.

We were extremely fortunate to have six or seven sightings of two whales (more than likely mother and baby). We saw their spouts, their backs rolling, and their flukes when they dove. When we were heading back in, we were treated to a grand finale of male whales breaching farther out. Amazing to see 40 ton animals rising straight up out of the water. It was too far away to get pictures, but luckily, we had binoculars and could get a closer look. The whales are tiny in the video, but it was thrilling to see so many sightings of these huge animals.

The Hilton Waikoloa Village is the most beautiful resort we have ever stayed in. The art collection (over 1800 pieces) is museum quality and lines the walkways between the buildings.

Quite a collection.

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Maui, Hawaii

This morning we flew from the Big Island to Maui, about a 45 min flight on an eight-seater plane through Makelele airlines. The flight was great—smooth and low enough that we could watch for whales.  Goodbye to the Big Island.

Big Island with lava

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello to Maui.

Our first stop was at the Ma’alaea Aquarium, about half way to our hotel in Lahaina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have a fantastic collection of local sea life in colorful tanks.

These Hawaii garden eels are actually a fish that lives in a burrow in  the sand.

Wire coral that live on vertical lava walls.

view from our room

Our room at the Sheraton wasn’t ready yet, so we went snorkeling at the hotel beach,Ka’anapali and saw more fish than we have yet. Pu’u Keka’a (Black Rock) rises beside the beach. We saw turtles and dozens of fish.

This red headed cardinal (actually a tanager) paid us a visit on our balcony.

We strolled down the beach to Whaler’s Village (restaurants and shopping) for dinner.

 

 

 

Hula dance celebrating sunset.

Sunset from our balcony.

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Maui, Mama’s Fish House

We woke this morning to rain threatening but it didn’t stop us from grabbing our snorkeling gear and heading down to the empty beach. The snorkeling was fantastic. We felt like we were in an aquarium with fish drifting in front of us on the ebb and flow of the pull of the waves. We saw almost as many fish as we had at the aquarium. The rain came in again, but we headed out to Mama’s Fish House where we had an reservation for lunch. We retraced our steps to Kahului along a coast filled with mile after mile of golden sand beaches that line the side of the road. Folks can pull off along the road and jump in the water anywhere for miles. Part of the road is covered with a canopy of monkey pod trees, which remind me of live oaks in shape.

 

Mama’s came highly recommended from everyone we’ve talked to. It sits on its own cove, open to pounding waves, but protected by a steep beach and rock. The interior is filled with lush flower arrangements.

Our table was set with an anniversary congratulations, and I was given a fragrant orchid and tuberose lei.

 

The food, while expensive, did not disappoint. We ordered a ahi tuna appetizer that was delicious.

Our two main courses, fish curry and lobster and crab stuffed fish with crusted macadamia nuts, were out of this world. Some of the best dishes I’ve had.

 

The rain continued when we left the restaurant, so we decided to abandon our plans to drive the first part of the Road to Hana after lunch. We returned to the hotel, fat and happy, and spent the rest of the afternoon lazing in the trade winds by the pool.

 

 

 

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Maui, Kapalua Bay snorkeling

We headed up to Kapalua Bay to snorkel, but first stopped at the Gazebo Restaurant for their famous macadamia, banana pancakes and big kahuna omelet. Both were delicious. The Gazebo sits on a point overlooking the ocean. The breeze was steady and the surf high. Luckily, Kapalua Bay is sheltered and was not too rough. Before snorkeling, we did the Kapalua Coastal Trail, a gorgeous 1 mile walk along the ocean and dramatic cliffs.

 

 

 

 

 

The walk goes out across a rocky point with dramatic waves. Part of the trail passes through wedge tail shearwater nesting ground. 

 

 

 

 

 

The snorkeling at Kapalua Bay was the best we’ve seen. The entire bay has rocks and coral 3-15 feet beneath the water, so we were very close to the fish. Again, we saw virtually all the tropical fish we saw at the aquarium. We also saw schools of close to a hundred fish. We didn’t see turtles here (I suspect because of the reef that protects the bay.) After about a 30 min snorkel, we got out to warm up and then went back for another 20 min snorkel. It was a perfect way to spend our last morning in Maui. We returned to the Gazebo for lunch. I highly recommend Kapalua Bay, the walk, and the Gazebo (about 3 min south of the bay).

That afternoon, we did more snorkeling at our hotel and relaxed by the pool. Black Rock, beneath which we snorkeled, is traditionally the place where spirits entered the afterlife and where an 18th century king practiced diving from the rock.  At dusk the hotel has an employee dressed in Hawaiian garb blow a shell horn, light torches around the resort and then climb Black Rock and light the torches at the peak and then reenact the ceremonial dive as the sun set behind Lanai Island.

We have fallen in love with Maui, land of rainbows, beautiful beaches, and fantastic snorkeling.