Hilo is the Hidden Treasure on the Big Island of Hawaii – Part 1 – South

The Island of Hawai’i is, well, Big.  Since Hawai’i is also the name of the State, there is a golden opportunity for confusion; so to avoid this, everyone and his rooster calls it the Big Island.  Welcome to the Big Island!

It is larger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined and has a greater diversity in landscape and environment. The Big Island is a great place to hike through lush rainforests in the morning, stroll along beautiful black sand beaches in the afternoon and of course there are the volcanoes!  You can even walk in a crater where steam and flowers poke through cracks.

While we are extolling the beauty of the landscape, let’s not forget that the surrounding ocean is an amazing opportunity to scuba dive, snorkel and watch the whales as the pass through during the winter months.

As you can imagine, there is far too much to see in 3 days.  Still, we were going to give it our best shot.  Following is our story of why we chose our adventures and what we encountered during our stay on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Today, we are going to focus on the tropical East side of the Big Island using Hilo as our base and head south to Volcanoes National Park and the Black Sand Beach of Punalu’u where the green back turtles roam.

Let’s go!

Normally, people fly into one one of the main airports of Hilo or Kailua Kona for the Big Island.  Only 6 hours from North America, this is the usual method we have chosen before.  But this time we had a better idea!

A last minute deal fell into our inbox and we boarded a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to Australia  with the first leg stopping at the Hawaiian ports of Hilo, Kailua Kona and Honolulu.   We thoroughly enjoyed the 5 days sailing across Pacific with each day getting warmer and each sunrise more beautiful … more like Hawaii!

Compared to flying, there are other big advantages cruising to Hawaii such as: more legroom, more choices of food and beverages … and you get to use real cutlery!  

 You can read about our journey on the Celebrity Silhouette from Vancouver to to Hawaii in our blog entry at:

https://livetraveldreams.com/great-repositioning-cruise-from-vancouver-to-hawaii/

Dawn as we arrived in Hilo on the Eastern Coast of Hawaii – The Sun would soon chase the Clouds away

Like the rest of the Hawaiian Islands, the Big Island can be divided into the lush but wetter Eastern side and the dry sunnier Western side.  Our journey today begins in Hilo which is located on the east coast and is full of lush tropical landscape while.  You can see a map of the Big Island by clicking on the link below.

Map of the Big Island of Hawai’i

We are spending 2 days in Hilo and therefore decided that we would rent a car for both days and head South for the first day and on the second day we would head north.  If you have 2 days in Hilo, we would definitely recommend splitting your time this way.

However, if you have only 1 day, we might recommend heading south as you will definitely see some landscape that you won’t see anywhere else on the planet.

Sunlit Fields between Hilo and Volcano National Park

For this trip, we were fortunate to find a car rental dealer only 2 blocks away from the port so we headed there bright and early.  As expected, it was raining lightly but the day promised to have lots of sunshine in between bouts of clouds.

Our first destination is Volcanoes National Park and is just over an hour drive south of Hilo.  To enter or pass through the Park you will need to purchase a permit.  You can buy the permit at the visitor center by filling in the form and paying the fees; but we found it easier to do this online so we could start our journey right away.  You can purchase the permit from their website at: 

Volcanoes National Park Permit

This site is also has great up to date information on eruptions and closures through the Park. 

NOTE:  You must be 18+ to obtain a permit and the cost is between $15-$30.

Our plan was to visit our visit at the Kilauea Iki Volcano.  Aptly named, Kilauea in Hawaiian means  “much spreading, spewing”.   As I am writing this blog I am reminded that Kilauea has erupted 4 times recently and the lastest as recently as a year ago.  

NOTE:  You can also take a bus directly from Hilo to Volcanoes National Park.  Here is the link:

Route 11: Red Line – Hilo to Volcanoes National Park

We were greeted by early morning mist and a double rainbow when arriving at the top of the Kilauea Iki crater.  45 minutes later we were walking on the floor as steam rose from the cracks.

THURSTON LAVA TUBE

Once in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, we easily found a parking spot and started our adventure by walking into the Thurston Lava Tunnel.  Although it is relatively flat, it is not really wheel chair accessible

The lava tunnel is wide enough for 4-5 people abreast and generally 6+ feet high. This was where the hot lava had flowed from the volcano to the valley floor. The sheer size of this tunnel really demonstrates the power and heat that was needed to cut through the mountain.

Originally full of flowing magma with temperatures that exceed 2,000 degrees Farenheit (1100 degrees Celcius).  Once the lava stops flowing, it leaves an empty cave like this behind.

Hawaii has many lava tubes but this is one of the most accessible. There are some lights in the tunnel but a flashlight would not be a bad idea. 

Hilo was the original capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii when King Kamehameha united all of the islands.  Hilo is the capital of the County of Hawaii and is considered to be the cultural center of the Island.  It has about 275 days of rain per year and this accounts for the lush tropical vegetation and dozens of beautiful waterfalls throughout the countryside.

Many of the old wooden store fronts are centuries old and there is definitely a historic feel to the downtown area.

An interesting bit of information is that there is an 18 hole golf course on Kilauea Volcano!  Better bring a few extra golf balls if you happen to have a bad slice!  You can book your Tee Times here:

Volcano Golf Course

Heading  back outside from the Lava Tunnel, we started our switchback walk down to the floor of the valley.  The path is easy to follow but still a forest so watch for roots and other tripping hazards.  If you plan to walk to the other side of the lava floor it can be tough especially if the sun is in full force. Each side has lots of stairs and inclines. 

The valley floor is completely covered with several feet of lava and looks like a moonscape.  However over time nature has pushed back.  In the cracks we found small flowers blooming, grass growing and shrubs struggling to push their way up.  It will be interesting to see what this landscape will look like in 10 years.

Although tempting, we did not go into this Vent 

A Yellow Ginger Lily on the Kilauea Iki Trail 

Bamboo orchids growing out of the Volcanic Floor

The Kilauea Iki Crater Trail is a loop so you can start in either direction.  The west side of the trail is quite a bit steeper and more rugged than the east side which has more of a gentle, traversing slope.  Not knowing this, we entered from the easier slope and climbed out the rougher climb.  Since we always like to get the hardest out of the way first, we might recommend going in the opposite direction.

Either way, the floor of the crater is very surreal and feels other worldly.  The trail is marked by Cairns as piles of Stones where you walk between.  We were thankful for these because in some sections where there are jagged slopes and dips it was sometimes difficult to identify the trail.

After climbing up from the Kiluaea Iki Crater, we found a Kalij Pheasant patrolling the Trail ahead

Uluhe Fern Fiddlehead growing out of the forest floor on the upper trail

After the long climb up the steep and winding pathway from the floor of the volcanic trail, we followed the trail for another couple of kilometers/miles before reaching the parking lot.  Hot, tired and hungry when we finally reached our car, we headed for food.  It is at times like these that I appreciate certain modern things such as Air Conditioning!  The Lava Cafe offered just such service, and gratefully, some wonderful food!

TIP: Make sure to bring water with you because the air is very dry on the journey that can take 3 – 4 hours.  We recommend bringing a thermos like slim bottle that will keep the water chilled.

I am avid collector of fabric we are hitting a fabric store Kilauea Kreations which just so happened to be next to our restaurant. So many choices of fabrics but alas so little space in my suitcase.

Next stop is the Black Beach which is a favorite spot for many locals on the weekends.  

Inside the Lava Rock Cafe – very homy environment 

On the Road to PUNALU’U BLACK SAND BEACH

Refreshed from our lunch at the Lava Rock Café we headed toward the Black Beach.  A great drive through a lot of diverse vegetation such as Cashew orchards and huge beautiful trees with generous trunks. 

Of course, we had to stop for a photo opportunity with the Morton Bay Fig trees which are often referred to as the trees where the dinosaur eggs hatched in Jurassic Park. 

Another interesting but less known legend reports that if you kiss within the arms of the roots, your love will shine forever!  In fact, whenever people hover over a photo of that tree afterwards, you can see the kiss appear!

Naturally we had to try this out.  So should you 🙂

PUNALU’U BLACK SAND BEACH or Give The Turtles a little Space

 Parking: Arriving at the park we found parking was a tad tight.  We suggest that if you can, come early! There are two parking lots one close to the beach and another much larger around the corner by a picnic area.

The sand is really black and as soon as the sun is up, it becomes very hot, so footwear is recommended. 

Sidenote: Beside the beach is an old school that provided education for the local children

In digging a little The Big Island Guide offers some important tips.  You can locate all of their tips here:

Big Island Guide

They definitely recommend that visitors should wear foot protection.  I walked on the beach in the afternoon and my, it was hot on my feet.  The beach is made from basalt which is why it is black.

Swimmers should be aware of the strong rip current and when the tide is up avoid swimming here altogether.

Sea turtles who are on the endangered list and threatened species list come ashore here, usually in the morning and around sunset. Give them lots of room and privacy.  We want them to stay safe and healthy.

Beautiful Water Hyacinth

Crater Floor Path