Island of Hawai’i – Volcano and Hilo

 We drove to Volcano, a small town very close to the Hawaii Volcanoes national park from Kona once we picked up a different car. It was a two-hour drive through Hilo and there was rain for the most part, something that we had not experienced so far on our trip. The east side of the island, in stark contrast to the west side is always rainy due to the trade winds that are blocked by the volcanoes. Like the guide on our snorkeling trip mentioned, Hilo was the Seattle of the Big Island. We would be staying at a hostel, ideal to meet fellow travelers and share interesting experiences. The hostel culture seems to be picking up slowly in the US as well. We entered our room to sense a strong stench that emanates when there is mold or mildew. It was coming from the corner occupied by an old lady. She explained that she had been living there before covid and continued to stay since she did not have a place to go to. She seemed quite eager to talk to us. We did not realize it was getting late as we conversed, introducing ourselves and answering her inquisitive questions, describing our journey so far. All the restaurants were fully occupied since it was the start of the long weekend and we had to settle for a pizza that we picked up and ate at the hostel.

 

Our day started early, with some breakfast at a nice place nearby. As we headed off to the park, the parking lots were filling up. The main attraction in the park is the Kīlauea Caldera, a crater at the summit of Kīlauea, one of the five shield volcanoes that form the island and is still active, the most recent eruption lasting from December of last year till a few days before our visit. Kīlauea is the home of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess. We first went to the overlook hoping to get a bird’s eye view of the massive caldera. What lay in front of us made us wonder if we were, in fact, on earth or elsewhere in this marvelous universe. It was barren but otherworldly, making it hard to take it all in at one go. We could see the vents on the floor of the crater. I was in a quandary, should I be grateful that it was not erupting or hope it would since I would get a chance to see it in action? Those who were at the receiving end of the eruption and the earthquakes in 2018 that caused them to flee their homes would probably choose the former. There is a crater named Halemaʻumaʻu within the caldera, which is exactly where Pele resides. There was no way for us to get a closer look at that crater since the trail that used to take people across has been cut short after it began erupting. We stopped to see some steam vents and then started to hike to the floor of Kīlauea Iki, which means “little Kīlauea” and is a pit crater right next to the big one. The hike led us through a lush green rainforest where we spotted some birds. It was nothing like that on the floor and we were simply glad there was a cloud cover while we walked on Mars. A park ranger was kind enough to give us suggestions about what we could do after the hike. While it was not a long or strenuous hike, the temperature had made us a little exhausted.

 Soon, we were on the scenic Chain of Craters Road that would take us to the oceanside with the breathtaking views of the coast. On the way, we stopped and hiked to see the Puʻuloa Petroglyphs. It is the largest petroglyph field in Hawaii and is a sacred place for the Hawaiians. What I thought was most interesting here, were the depressions in which the umbilical cord of a newborn is placed to ensure a long life. This gives the place the name Puʻuloa which means “Hill-(of)-long-(life)”. The road ended at the viewpoint to see the Hōlei sea arch which has formed naturally due to marine erosion. The pristine views at the edge of the water made this drive one of the most beautiful. The blue of the ocean against the black lava rocks made for scenery you would very rarely experience. We were famished though and made our way back to the visitor center for a late lunch. We made the pasta disappear within minutes and went for another short hike that took us to the floor of the Kīlauea caldera itself. Unintentionally, we made it a much longer walk when we clubbed another hike to see the Sulphur banks with this one. This is where you could peek into what was inside the Volcano, all the inner restlessness showing through the cracks. While we breathed in the strong smell and admired the vibrant yellow interspersed with some red, it started drizzling. That seemed like a sign to put a stop to our adventures for the day and get some rest. I spent a lot of time talking to the old lady in our room that evening. Just like me, she did not mind giving away intimate details while talking to someone she had only known for a day and was curious about us in a non-intrusive way. She was quite the strong independent woman I aspired to be in my life, having fought against all odds both emotional and physical from when she was born until now. I tried not to be judgmental when she explained her reasons for not taking the covid vaccine shot. I wished we would stay there longer and hear more stories from her. That evening, we were early enough to relish some Thai food from what appeared to be the most popular restaurant in town for dinner and were off to sleep.

 We decided to go to the farmer’s market the next day on our roommate’s recommendation and were not disappointed. We treated ourselves to some Ukrainian food and bought some fresh tropical fruits. Once inside the park, we walked through a lava tube first thing and then drove to a different area. Our only hike for the day was on the Kīpukapuaulu trail through a special ecological area, the park’s first with some of the rarest plants and birds in Hawaii. The university of Hawaii explains that a “kipuka” is the equivalent of an island around which lava has more recently flown. As a result, the kipuka is representative of an older environment than the surrounding area. We did spot some bright colored birds and tried to educate ourselves about all the interesting fauna. We continued on the Mauna Loa Road scenic drive, which I assumed would take us to a viewpoint to see the volcano. The result was rather disappointing because it was only the trailhead for those who were planning to hike to the summit. However, the sprawling views of the national park and Kīlauea is what people came here for.

 We planned to spend the rest of the day visiting two black sand beaches, an interesting feature on islands with volcanic activity. The first one was Punaluu. We drove west through the southern part of the island that we had not seen so far. Every road on this island in every direction seems to be a scenic drive. We arrived at the beach to see that it was extremely crowded, more so than anywhere we had visited so far on the island. We had read that this was a popular spot to see green sea turtles but spotted only one, that too a young one that was trying really hard to get back into sea only to be pushed back by the waves. We relaxed there for a while watching kids enjoying the water wishing we had grown up somewhere similar. We would have learnt to swim and perhaps to surf as well!

 We would be staying at an Airbnb in a town named Keaau which was quite close to Hilo for two nights. We checked in that evening and found that the owner was slightly intimidating, chastising us like our parents would. We had considered skipping the other black sand beach, but he scared us enough and we left immediately. The Kehena beach is a nude beach, the only one in the USA. People unaware of this had made it there and were leaving, looking perplexed. It was a much smaller and quieter beach than Punaluu and was perfect to spend time at sunset although the sun was not visible. We were now introduced to the two dogs in the house, Roman and Milo, both extremely affectionate and the two ladies of the house. They helped us be more comfortable, slightly easing the tension we had felt earlier.

 We were taking a different road to go atop Mauna Loa on the last day of the long weekend. The Mauna Loa observatory road, another one of the many scenic drives on the island would take us very close to the summit of the largest volcano in the world. We drove up flanked by colorful lava on either side, the sweeping views getting better as we gained elevation. The road ended at the observatory which was closed. A lady who reached there just after we did, helped put things in perspective for us, making us realize how lucky we were that we were up there on such a beautiful day. She lived nearby but this was her first time driving up. We could see Mauna Kea, the summit of which was the highest point in Hawaii for a while until the clouds started gathering. There was a trail here as well, all the way to the summit. It appeared that there were no other visitors like us who did not plan to hike. We walked on the trail for a bit, hoping to catch a view of the summit but were quick to realize that, like all good things in life, it would require a lot more effort.

 The rainbow falls was on our way back to Hilo and we made a quick stop. It looked beautiful but I think more of its charm lay in the fact that it was right across from the parking lot, not requiring us to walk at all. Obviously, this made it a tourists’ favorite. We went to a vegan restaurant for lunch. It was a favorite with the locals, abuzz with young folks, some of whom seemed to be working. It was time for another waterfall after lunch – the Akaka falls. Unlike the rainbow falls, this was in a state park and needed a little bit of a long drive and walk. This was extremely popular with tourists as well, making it difficult for us to find parking. The walk through the thick tropical forest is what I liked better than the two waterfalls – Akaka falls and Kahuna falls, which was covered by plants and hardly visible. We made our way toward the nearby Onomea bay soon after, driving through the Pepeekeo scenic drive. This was my absolute favorite of all the scenic drives on the island. The drive itself was through the rainforest with occasional views of the bay. The dense foliage and the trees with their branches curving to form a canopy made us feel like we were entering paradise, perhaps. I always imagined heaven to be something like this, green as far as you could see, beautiful flowers everywhere, streams flowing and maybe a swing, just to make me slightly happier than I would already be. It is a curvy, narrow road with one-lane bridges which ensures we take enough time to be in the moment as we drive through slowly. We walked down the Onomea bay trail for some views of the rugged coastline. On either side of the trail was the Hawaii tropical botanical gardens. We hoped to make a visit there during our stay in Hilo. I love botanical gardens and this one had to be stunning considering that it was in paradise.

 It had been nearly a week since we had made it to Hawaii and our craving for some Indian food got the better of us that evening. We picked it up from one of the two Indian restaurants in town and were back at our stay before it was dark. We joined our hosts at their dining table while they were at dinner which I hope they did not mind. As usual, our food sparked some interesting conversation. I learnt that Ryan was not as bad as I thought, being kind and considerate to us. His wife Lisa was delightful, regaling us with her friendliness and laughter. We bid goodbye to them that night since we would be leaving the next day. I wonder if they still remember us. I think that is something I care about in life as such, if I was enough for someone to remember me once I am not as big a presence in their life anymore. Perhaps I should stop worrying and simply be the best I can be for people who are around.