This will be the final post in this series about the Big Island. I wrapped up my time in Hawai'i with a two day road trip from Hilo back to Kona. In addition to the places I'll describe in this post, I also stopped at Papakōlea, a green sand beach, and Punalu'u, a black sand beach. For more on those locations, see this previous post.
Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
My first stop after leaving Hilo, was at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The park is best known for its two famous peaks: Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and the much larger, Mauna Loa. If Mauna Loa was to be measured from its base below sea level, to its peak, it would surpass the height of Mount Everest.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park stretches from sea level to Mauna Loa's summit. The United Nations has named the park both a World Heritage Site and an international biosphere reserve. Some of the park's landscapes are filled with grasslands and rainforests.
Others are filled with cooled lava from past eruptions.
Out of that rocky wasteland, you will find regrowth of plants, lichen and trees that have persevered. The landscape as such, is eerily inspirational.
Plants aside, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is best known for its volcanoes, so let me turn to those. To reach the Kilauea volcano, a short hike is required.
Kilauea Caldera
Standing at the volcano's edge, you can gaze into the belly of the beast. If you were expecting to see a large mountain, we are in the same boat.
Over the course of various eruptions, including a massive one in 2018, the volcano's 4,090-foot summit collapsed to form a caldera, or a large, bowl-like depression. The hollow is created when a volcano erupts and the magma chamber underneath is emptied. The crater is usually visible, but on the day I visited, it was somewhat obscured by mist and fog.
Just a little farther ahead on my hike, I came upon another fascinating phenomenon created by volcanoes.
Nāhuku
This is Nāhuku, or the Thurston Lava Tube. It is a 500 year old cave located near the Kilauea Caldera. When the volcano erupted, the lava flow cooled and hardened on the outside, but the molten lava inside remained hot, flowing for miles.
Inside the Thurston Lava Tube
When the hot lava finally stopped flowing, the space it once occupied stayed empty, forming this lava tube. Tubes like Nāhuku can be so large that they qualify more as caves than tubes, as you can see from the inside view above. If you visit Nāhuku, bring a flashlight on your walk through the lava tube so you can see the now solidified lava and the minerals that leech from the rocks.
Chain of Craters Road
Another highlight of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is Chain of Craters Road. Carve out time to drive this 20-mile, meandering road through land that's been forever changed by volcanic activity.
Eventually the road will take you to the edge of the Pacific Ocean where the waves have created jagged cliffs, and where fresh lava still occasionally flows, creating new land for the swells to pummel and mould.
Park your car and take a short walk to the spectacular endpoint of the road and you will find the Hōlei Sea Arch. Use caution because the waves and winds here are fierce, as you will soon see from the indelible impact they have had on the basalt rocks.
Hōlei Sea Arch
This natural, basalt arch is approximately 90 feet in height and extends from the cliffs into the Pacific. The dramatic, empty space that was carved out by the crashing waves, is a sight to behold.
Punalu'u
Punalu'u Beach
From Volcanoes National Park, I headed to Punalu'u Beach, one of the most famous black sand beaches in Hawaii. For more information on this beach, see my previous post.
Not far from the beach, you will find the Punalu'u Bakeshop. It's a perfect place to grab a snack before or after visiting the beach.
Taro Milkshake
I bought a taro milkshake prior to heading to the black sand beach, because it was a particularly warm day. On previous visits however, I have purchased their famous sweetbread, which I highly recommend.
Nāʻālehu
After visiting the black sand beach, I continued south towards Ka Lae. Prior to reaching, I found a local, farmer's market in Nāʻālehu. The market had stalls selling fresh produce, art made by locals, a band playing live music and ...
... various food trucks. A local photographer and I struck up a conversation and while he shared his experience photographing Ka Lae (my next stop) and other locations on the Big Island, we shared lunch.
Fish Tacos
I went with the fish tacos, mainly because I saw a fisherman bringing his fresh catch to the food truck to be cleaned, filleted and fried. Lunch wasn't going to get much fresher than that.
Southern Point - Ka Lae
Ka Lae
After devouring the fish tacos over great conversation, followed by a little more driving, I arrived at Ka Lae. Ka Lae means "the point" in Hawaiian, referencing the southernmost point on the Big Island. This is also the southernmost point of the United States.
The wind here is relentless. Coupled with a confluence of ocean currents, the waters here are particularly dangerous. Nevertheless, I saw multiple fisherman braving them because these also happen to be incredibly bountiful fishing grounds. (This brought my thoughts back to the fish tacos I ate earlier. Yum!)
Ka Lae is also a very popular cliff diving point. From this spot, you can jump off the edge of the rugged cliffside and plunge 40 feet into the Pacific Ocean. That's if you choose to. Not surprisingly, given my fear of heights, I did not. Instead, I enjoyed the view for a bit before heading back to the car to visit an adjacent beach.
Papakōlea Beach
Just next to Ka Lae, you will find Papakōlea Beach, one of only four green sand beaches in the world. To read more about my visit there and how to access the beach, see my previous post. It will provide you with all the details.
Nāʻālehu Farmland
Papakōlea Green Sand Beach was my final stop on my roadtrip. From there, I drove back to Kona, passing gorgeous farm land in Nāʻālehu.
I made a brief stop at this working farm, to get a photo of this horse who was kind enough to stop walking and pose for me at the farm's perimeter.
That concludes this post, as well as this series about Hawai'i. Being that this is one of my favorite places to visit, I will likely be back soon and will share more of my Big Island adventures. Until then, I hope you will take a trip to the Big Island and that you fall just as deeply in love with it as I have.
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