Hawaii, Hawai'i Island

Location: Hilo
When: March
Miles driven: 855
Price of gas: 4.51 to 4.76
Interest: Turtles & coconut
High points: Fresh papayas
Low point: Missing the people and energy of Waikiki.
One thing learned: How to scuba dive while scared.

      After my time in O'ahu, I flew to Hilo on the east side of the Big Island because it's closer to Volcano National Park (NP).  I rented a car while on the island and drove around the NP, visited Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens, Pacific Tsunami Museum, and Papakolea Green Sand Beach. 

Vocano NP's Silversword

    Volcano National Park's most recent eruption of Kilauea volcano took place in 2018.  There was no eruptions while I was there.  Most of the park shared a similar landscape as the Craters of the Moon in Idaho.  But in HI the plant life is different and there are sea arches and petroglyphs to visit. 

 

 

Petroglyphs

 

Papakolea Green Sand Beach

    I visited colorful sand beaches, one with green flecked sand and the others with black volcanic rock sand.  Papakolea Green Sand Beach is near the southern most point of Hawaii.  Getting there requires hiking ~3 miles through a sand-dirt landscape and then descending an old ladder.  There is not one path to the beach, but many created by erosion from the strong ocean winds and the many feet and illegal pickup trucks ferrying passengers to/from the beach.  (The trucks charge $20 per person per direction.  Hiking took me 45 to 60 minutes one way.  It's a good opportunity to get to know fellow hikers and maybe see whales spouting or monk seals on the rocky beach areas.)  The green of the beach is best observed from the cliff top or up close when looking at the individual grains of sand.  Green translucent bits are abundant, but traditional black and other sand particles are also abundant.  The black sand beaches are easier to get to and there are multiple beaches with black sand on the island, vs only one green sand beach.  I saw my first sea turtle while at Punalu'u black sand beach.  Turtles frequently visit, and a section of the beach was blocked off so humans don't come to close to the turtles.  My first turtle sighting was exciting, and thankfully it was not the last.

Descending to the beach

Monk Seal & driftwood

Turtle and black sand

Hiking back from the green sand beach

 

     The next turtle, I saw while scuba diving in Ice Pond, a place near Reeds Bay.  I took a scuba diving lesson from Hilo Ocean Adventures.  The beginner's lesson taught me the essentials, which I practiced in an indoor heated pool before going and diving in an ocean cove.  Essentials like how to get water in and out of one's goggles, releasing ear pressure, hand signals, clearing the regulator (the breathing device) of water, and how to find the regulator in the water if it is accidentally knocked out of one's mouth (while not holding one's breath, meaning you constantly and slowly expel bubbles).  I found breathing with the regulator more uncomfortable than the equipment used for snorkeling.  The regulator does not constantly supply air with positive pressure, it requires the person to actively inhale, drawing the air out of the tank.  And actively inhaling uses slightly more effort than what I am used to.  So my brain was constantly afraid of not being able to breath because it was not used to the extra effort required after the natural pause between exhaling and inhaling.  (and because I think drowning or suffocating is one of the worst ways to die.)  If I focused more on swimming and paid less attention to breathing, some of the fear abated, but this was challenging to maintain.  

After diving in Ice Pond

   Scuba diving ~20 feet down in Ice Pond with my instructor was ok.  We saw five turtles, including a rare Hawksbill turtle.  Unfortunately, with my limited vision without glasses, I only recognized one turtle, not five.  (Yes Doug, I should have borrowed your prescription goggles.)  We swam above the turtle looking down at it and I could see it's entire body as it ate something off the rocks!  It was large with a shield shaped shell lighter in color than the surrounding rock.  I later returned to the Ice Pond on my own and saw+ photographed the turtle seen in the first picture on this page.  Scuba diving was scary, but I would be willing to do it again on a different vacation.  My instructor said I was a quick learner!

    I like Hawaii.  It's warm and there are many colors and flowers everywhere.  The animals are cool and the fresh fruit from markets is wonderful.  I look forward to visiting Hawaii again in the future.
   

At the Pacific Tsunami Museum

Pele's Kitchen is an awesome restaurant

Gold Dust Day gecko

At Hilo's farmer's market