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| Two ki'i & one lolo stand together watching over Keoneʻele Cove |
My birthday festivities keep on going, I mean, this is the close of another decade of life - I gotta go BIG! So, my roomy Josh and I packed our bags and we were Big Island bound! First thing first, the Big island of Hawaii is the youngest of the Hawaii island chains but it's still the biggest and because of volcanic activity, it is still growing! So we first ventured out to Volcano Nation Park to see what else - the volcanoes first hand! Kilauea is the most active volcano in the world and has been continuously erupting since 1983! The billows of volcanic smoke are impressive. Another sweet adventure we enjoyed was trekking though a real lava tube, this wet, dark, chamber where molten magma once flowed, is today an eery cave-like tunnel spreading through a tropical rainforest, and it was awesome to explore. I kept expecting a fraggle to pop out! After a bite to eat at the Lava Rock cafe we enjoyed a long scenic drive back to Kona.
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| Kilauea is the most active volcano in the world! |
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| Trekking through a lava tube |
Along the way we pulled off at Pu'uhonoua O Hōnaunau. In the ancient days this was a city of refuge for the Hawaiian people, today its rock walls, hawaiian hales or houses and intricate ki'i carvings harken back to the old days of Hawai'i nei. There is always such a nostalgic feel to this pristine bay with its multitude of coco palms and authentic ancient structures guarded by the carved Hawaiian warriors of yesteryear. It's a must see for anyone visiting the big island of Hawai'i.
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| Pu'uhonoua O Hōnaunau, an ancient city of refuge |
After a grand breakfast on the deck overlooking the ocean, I spent the next morning poolside sipping a tropical smoothie and enjoying the rising sun. After a quick dip, we set out to witness the the island views along our drive to the other side of the big island. Being the BIG island that it is, (double the size of all the other Hawaiian islands combined) the drive was long, but magnificent, as we witnessed the volcanic landscape and rock desserts turn to pleasant grassy fields and lush rainy forests. We finally made it to a beautiful look-out where we witnessed the most breathtaking falls Hawaii has to offer - cascading Akaka Falls! Delving into a lush jungle of bamboo groves and draping ferns, we were in awe as we came upon the towering falls which plummets 442-feet into a stream-eroded gorge. Akaka Falls is perfectly situated in a lush, verdant rainforest valley and because of the downpour the falls were so intense they created billows of mist drifting above to our perfect perch above. It was awesome!
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| Cascading Akaka Falls |
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| Sitting Poolside at the Royal Kona resort |
On Sunday we made it to church and enjoyed the beautiful sights of the Kona temple before heading home to O'ahu. The coolest part of the Big island was that you can experience all the seasons in once day! From wintery volcanic mountain tops to spring rainforest showers, autumn dessert drives and seemingly summer-days on the beach! Big Island was the perfect birthday get away!
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| The Kona Hawaii Temple, the House of the Lord |
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