Land ho! Five sea days after leaving Los Angeles, we arrived today at Hilo, our first port of call in Hawaii. It was overcast and raining lightly when we docked at 7:00 am, which is not unusual here. Hilo is on the wet side of the Big Island, which is the unofficial nickname of this largest of the Hawaiian Island chain. Our tour guide told us that this side of the island gets from ten to twelve feet of rain a year, which is a lot of water. Happily the rain mostly let up, the sun poked through the clouds frequently, and we had a very nice day checking off one of my bucket list items.
Our destination for the day was Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where we wanted to see Kilauea, which is very much an active volcano. The drive from Hilo to the Park entrance takes about 45 minutes, and is a lot less stressful than some of the mountain roads we’ve been on over the past couple months. It’s a long, gradual uphill, with no winding turns or cliffs along the way, and is so gradual that you might not realize that you’ve climbed four thousand feet over those 45 minutes.
A quick word about Kilaeua to jog your memory before I describe our visit. This is the volcano that erupted in 2018 and destroyed 200 homes in Leilani Estates as lava ran through the development on its way to the ocean. There was heavy news coverage at the time, and I’m guessing most of you will remember seeing it and marveling at the volcano’s awesome destructive power. That is the volcano we visited today.
Our bus dropped us off at the park visitors center, and from there everything was an easy walk. It was a quick stroll from the parking lot to the Volcano House Hotel, a comfortable cliffside establishment that affords a spectacular view of Kilauea’s crater. The main floor of the hotel is open to the public, and we walked in, crossed through the lobby, and out the other side onto an outdoor viewing area overlooking the crater. The volcano wasn’t spewing any lava as far as I could tell, but was releasing a lot of steam. It really was an impressive sight, and we spent quite a bit of time there admiring the view and taking photos and videos.
Afterwards I scored a first rate latte in the hotel lobby and we poked around the gift shop before heading back outside and down a paved trail to see more features of this massive volcano. You’re warned to stay on the trail, and they aren’t kidding. We hadn’t gone far before we came to Exhibit A of that warning. Less than three feet from the paved trail is a small steam vent, maybe a foot in diameter. Next to the vent is a sign explaining that in 2000 a park visitor stepped off the trail and broke through, severely scalding his foot and leg at temperatures measured at 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Like I said, this was barely off the trail, so Message Delivered.
As we continued down the trail we passed several other much larger steam vents, and it starts to sink in that the entire area is very much part of an active volcano. Indeed, the grass is warm to the touch, and not from the sun. A little farther down the trail we came to a spot where there are large aptly named sulfur banks. We were told that the strong smell of sulfur emanating from these banks is because unlike the steam vents, this steam is coming from much deeper in the volcano, where it picks up sulfur from the magma. I think we got some nice photos of both the steam vents and sulfur banks, so check them out below.
Then it was back to the bus for the short drive to an overlook that provided another excellent view of the Kilauea caldera. The weather continued to improve while we were at the park, and our final photos were among the best we took all morning. The overlook was our last stop, after which the bus returned us to the ship, just in time to grab a late lunch. We still had some time in port, so after lunch we walked down the pier and into town, where we popped into a small general store and loaded up some supplies we hadn’t been able to get in Los Angeles.
That was it for our first day on the Big Island. Tomorrow we’ll be in Kailua-Kona, on the opposite side of the island, where our stops will include a rain forest and a coffee plantation. Kona coffee is reputed to be outstanding, and you can count on me to provide you with a thorough review of the local brew. Until then, enjoy these photos from the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The massive crater at Kilaeua has to be seen to be believed.
This little steam vent, barely three feet off the paved trail, is where a visitor stepped off into the grass, broke through, and was severely burned.
Think I’m kidding? Read the sign next to the steam vent. This is not a place where you can go exploring. We did not venture off the trail.
The trail itself is lovely, and feels perfectly safe.
Lots of pretty flora that you won’t see anywhere else along the trail.
This is a more typical steam vent. They come in all sizes, and some of them are quite large. Unfortunately the steam isn’t visible in this photo, but trust me, it was steaming.
Another flower along the trail.
So where does this trail lead? To the sulfur banks, assuming you are healthy enough to handle the fumes.
This is a sulfur bank. Even though the steam was blowing away from us the smell of sulfur was very strong.
Look at the yellowish green color the sulfur makes.
More sulfurous steam rising from behind these lava rocks.
There are signs all along the trail explaining what you are seeing, and we stopped to read most of them.
Then it was back to the hotel, where I had time to enjoy a latte before returning to the bus.
A quick selfie from the hotel with the crater in the background.
Our next stop was at an overlook, where we had more great views of the crater. The weather got better and better as the morning went on, giving us an opportunity to get some nice photos.
A closer view of the lava field immediately surrounding the crater.
The power of this immense volcano is something to behold.
The overlook also has a trail, and again you really need to stay on it.
Aloha. The Hawaii state flag.
In the evening we were entertained by a troupe of Hawaiian dancers. Great ending to a wonderful first day in Hawaii. On to Kailua-Kona tomorrow.
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