Category Archives: Adventures

Various activites throughout the islands.

Kapa`ele`ele Trail

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday, I went on a short hike with my boss and coworker to see if it was a good hike to take the kids on for our summer program. It was SO much fun. After our hike, we were heading to lunch at Masa and Joyce in Kaneohe and spotted a Hawaiian Monk Seal hanging out on the beach. It was definitely a Hawaiian adventure day for me!

Ms. Maureen and Liz hiking!
Kahana Bay. So beautiful!
Steps on the trail.
Pretty flower…no idea what it is.
Tunnel under the road to the ocean.
Kahana Bay after going through the tunnel.
Tons of crabs hanging out on the rocks.
Chicken Katsu

Kayaking!

Posted on by
2

Today, Becca, Ben, Josh and I went kayaking off of Kailua Beach. Josh and I did this a few months ago and had a great time and this time the weather was much nicer. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time kayaking to two different islands. We all got plenty of sun and a great workout! Definitely a great way to spend our last full day with Becca and Ben!

Becca and Ben on Popoi’a (Flat Island).
Josh pointing at a hole and telling me to stand in it for our picture.
Josh and I on Popoi’a (Flat Island).
Two shearwater birds hanging out.
Becca, Ben and Josh swimming at an inlet on Moku Nui Island.
The inlet filling up with water.
The water rushing out of the inlet.
Josh and Ben

The Big Island: Trip 2 – Day 2

Posted on by
5

On Sunday, Josh and I woke up at 3:15 a.m. to head to our sunrise lava boat tour. Our tour was leaving at 5:00 a.m. from Isaac Hale Beach Park and we had to be there a half hour early to check in. We booked our tour through Lava Ocean Aventures and it was well worth it! Our boat was open on all sides so we were prepared to get wet and be cold! The coast we traveled on has some of the roughest waters in Hawaii. Part of the reason we chose the sunrise tour is that it would be the calmest time of day.

The amusing thing about this tour was that we all boarded the boat in the middle of a parking lot. They towed the boat to us and we all climbed up via a ladder. Once we were all on board, they towed us to the boat ramp and launched us…then we were off!

It took about 35 minutes to get to the lava ocean entry. It was pitch black and you couldn’t see anything…kind of scary! You could see the glow of the lava 10 minutes before we got there…amazing! Once we got there, you could instantly feel it getting warmer. The water around where the lava was entering the ocean was 180 degrees. Even 25 feet out, the water was still about 75 degrees. They stuck a bucket in the ocean to get some water so we could all feel how warm it was. The Captain got us within a couple yards of the flowing lava…it was SO close that we could hear the lava hissing when it hit the ocean. Pictures and videos below!

Lava Boat Tour Video 1
Lava Boat Tour Video 2
Lava Boat Tour Video 3
Lava Boat Tour Video 4

Our boat!
And we arrive to the lava!
The hikers viewing the ocean entry.
Amazing sunrise.
My favorite from the boat tour!
The new black sand beach.

 

After hanging out at the lava for a little over an hour we headed back. I was SO seasick at this point, so I was thankful to start moving again. We got back to the park and headed back to Hilo, showered and slept for two hours until we had to check out. I was dying from being so seasick, so I was quite happy to sleep for a few hours. We checked out of our hotel and had lunch at Café Pesto before going to the airport to catch our flight out. I was quite happy to have some good food and a diet coke. After our amazing weekend, I think Josh and I can mark off the volcano area of the big island. It was so worth the two trips and a once in a lifetime experience!

My seasickness cure.
Josh’s turkey sandwich.
My Asian Chicken Salad. So good!

The Big Island: Trip 2 – Day 1

Posted on by
4

Josh and I headed back to the Big Island this weekend with two purposes: to see lava (since we got rained out a few weeks ago) and to see Belinda and Ted (two people who have known me most of my life and were visiting Hawaii for vacation). I am so very happy to say it was a HUGE success!

We landed late Friday evening and headed to Ken’s House of Pancakes for dinner since it was the only place open past 9 p.m. in Hilo. I had a fantastic curry chicken salad sandwich and Josh had a conglomeration of things (pictured below). After that, we checked in to our hotel which was on Hilo Bay and crashed in preparation for our big weekend ahead.

My curry chicken salad sandwich…so good!
Josh’s dinner of everything.

 

We got up on Saturday, grabbed a small to-go breakfast and coffee and headed to Honoli’i Beach Park. It is a black sand beach full of surfers. It is just north of downtown Hilo and is on a beautiful, scenic road.

Honoli’i Beach Park
Stairs to Honoli’i Beach Park
The black sand at Honoli’i Beach Park.
The surfers at Honoli’i Beach Park.
A huge bridge on the way back to the highway.
Another cool bridge along the same road.
View from the car on our way back to the highway.

 

After our slight detour, we headed north to the small town of Honokaa to meet Belinda and Ted for lunch. Honokaa was about halfway between where we were staying and where they were staying. We had a wonderful lunch at an Italian Pizzeria called Café Il Mondo. We then headed to Tex Drive In to introduce them to malasadas. They were pretty amazing!

Ted’s Spinach Ravioli
Belinda and I shared this amazing pizza!
Josh’s Chicken Sandwich
The famous drive in.
Ted: Raspberry, Belinda: Apple, Josh: Plain, Nicole: Bavarian Creme.
Ted, Belinda and I!

 

We then drove down to where our hike was starting in Kalapana (fingers crossed the entire time that the weather would stay nice). We arrived around 3:00 p.m. and took off around 3:30 p.m. with our guide. Our group had nine people in it, which was a great size to be hiking with. We started off heading towards where a surface flow might be. From what our guide said, it didn’t sound like we would get to see one but he wanted to try anyways to see if there was any action. The terrain was definitely rough on the ankles and feet. It was amazing to hike on the different types of lava from over the years. You could tell a huge difference between ten year old lava, three year old lava and month old lava. The newer stuff was much looser and easier to slip on (luckily, neither of us fell). The lava is super sharp (kind of like glass) and can cut you if you fall on it. We could see the different areas where the steam was rising from the lava tubes on the hillside. It appeared that there would be lava to see there, but it was all underneath the top layer flowing in the tubes to the ocean. After about three miles, we reached a surface flow and it was amazing! At first, there wasn’t much action and we spotted just a faint glow. But once we got there, there were a few different areas opening up and flowing. I have never seen or experienced anything like it in my life….the sound alone of it hissing was just insane! The lava was 3,000 degrees and if you got close enough, it felt like your face was melting. The closest I got was about two feet and I couldn’t stand it after that. It was incredible. Pictures and videos below describe it much better than I ever could.

Lava Surface Flow Video 1
Lava Surface Flow Video 2
Lava Surface Flow Video 3
Lava Surface Flow Video 4
Lava Surface Flow Video 5

The moon! Viewed from right before our hike standing in the lava field.
Steam rising from the lava tubes.
Hardened lava. I thought this was a really cool picture.
More hardened lava.
Josh and I with the lava.
Probably my favorite.
There were other groups of hikers that ended up where we were that had sticks to poke the lava. Sticking a stick in the lava is disrespectful to the Hawaiian culture and Pele (Goddess of Fire). However, it’s still amazing to see it catch on fire.
Me with the lava.

 

After spending about 45 minutes at the surface flow, we headed to the ocean entry area to see the lava flowing there. On our way there, we stepped over a crack that was glowing orange…amazing and scary at the same time to think about what you are walking on! There was tons of lava pouring into the ocean! There were about four different areas…it was so hard to see because of all the steam, but you could see the glow through the steam.

Lava Ocean Entry Video

Glowing crack on our walk to the ocean entry area.
Ocean Entry!
Me, viewing the lava flowing into the ocean.
Ready for the hike back! Headlamp and all!

 

After about a half hour, we headed back toward where our shuttle would come to pick us up. Walking back on the lava at night was pretty rough and I was so thankful for my headlamp. The lava was so incredibly beautiful under the light…super shiny and sparkly. We finally made it back after about an hour and a half hike from the ocean entry point. In total, our hike was 5.6 miles. Our hike was through Kalapana Cultural Tours and they were AWESOME.

After profusely thanking our tour guide, we headed back to Hilo for a quick dinner before crashing. We decided to try a new place instead of going to Ken’s, since it was Saturday night and places were open past 9:00 p.m.! We ended up at a restaurant called Ponds close to our hotel. We had a corner table that was surrounded by water on both sides. It was very nice and relaxing. I had a pasta dish and Josh had fish. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to go to bed. We had to get up at 3:15 a.m. for our lava boat tour the next day!

Pesto Chicken Pasta
Crab Crusted Opakapaka