Hilo and Kona, Hawaii (The Big Island)

HILO

Twas a long hot day in Hilo!  The sunrise as we came into Hilo was much prettier than we could capture with the camera.


Fortunately the predicted rain never came and we had a gorgeous day!  We set out with 4 other guests of the Zuiderdam in an air conditioned van with Paul as our driver.  We toured the old city of Hilo that has been rebuilt 3 times due to tsunamis that struck the island.

Our first stop was Rainbow Falls and due to the early rain storm that occured around 4am there was a fresh flow of water.

          

Then made a long trek to the 2014 Kilauea volcano eruption.  The lava fields are still very prevalent and the destruction is still evident.  Paul took us to a friend that owns 21 acres of the area and lives of the grid in a house he built after the 2018 eruption.  His photography is spectacular and can be seen at HOTFOOTPHOTOGRAPHY@YAHOO.COM



He had a marvelous understanding of how the lava flowed and the geological aspects of the volcano activity resulted in what we saw.  It was very, very informative!

The rest of our time was spent driving along the coastal highway and looking at the beauty and destructuion that resulted from the 2018 eruption and the explosion of underground Fissure 9.  We saw places that still were smoldering in people's yards from these 2 eruptions!!

2018 Lava flow that created the new coastline
John on the lava outcrop from Fissure 9
                                     

The 2018 eruption lead to the formation of new black sand beaches along the "new" coastline that are still formng wirth the ocean wave action and Mother Nature.  The new addition of LifeGuard stations in the area has brought the public to the area to appreciate the scenery.

                            


KONA

Some photos of the early morning sunnrise over the mountains of Kona


After a relaxing breakfast and some time in the sun, we took the tender into the city of Kona for our glass bottom boat ride to view the coral reef and its inhabitants.  It was very informative in identifying various species of fish and how the coral reef is formed and plays a part in the marine life and vice versa.  We also learned a little of the history of King Kamehameha who was born and died in Kona.  He was responsible for uniting the 8 Hawaiian islands in the 1800s.
Replicas of the King Kamehameha temple

As we sailed away from the Island of Hawaii we had a spectacular sight -- a rainbow -- biding us ALOHA!
Can you see it in the big cloud?  Look closely


And so we are at sea again for 6 days, headed to Raiatea, Society Islands, French Polynesia in our floating hotel !!  The ZUIDERDAM


Comments

  1. AlyssaMarch 12, 2022 at 10:13 AM

    So fun! I like the picture of Dad on the lava. I have forwarded this link to the rest of my clan. Love you bunches!! 😘

    ReplyDelete
  2. ReneeMarch 17, 2022 at 6:16 PM

    Love that pic of John on the Lava rock also! So good! Sounds like a great day!

    ReplyDelete

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