Hawaii- The Big Island 10-15 January 2007

10-15, Jan 2007

A week on the Big Island to start the trip off right. Hawaii, the county, not the state. We caught the sunset during our layover in Maui.



The most amazingly accurate and readable guidebooks on the planet are the “Ultimate” guides to the various islands (www.wizardpub.com). They strongly recommend a 4WD for the Big Island. Almost all things to see and do require clearance and all wheel drive to get to them. This includes many of the state parks, beaches, dive access points and the volcano sites. You can get to some sites by car, but the best stuff requires a truck, or a willingness to make very long hikes across hot desolate lava fields.

The Big Island is BIG. All of the other islands can be jig-sawed together and easily fit into the area occupied by this island. Combining Connecticut and Rhode Island will give the same land area. In addition, it is still growing every day. A lava flow that began in the early 90’s still adds acreage 24-7. Being a younger (geologically that is) island it is still rough around the edges. Quite literally. The entire coastline is jagged.

Beaches are migratory, and rarely easily accessible. One Kailua beach loses its sand with the first big winter storm surge. The sand moves offshore until calmer weather returns, then it moves back onto the beach. Intellectually stimulating, yet not so good for the feet… entering the water across and through lava shelves is always a tricky process. Snorkeling is pretty low stress though. The water is not too deep; there are some cross currents, but nothing to cause panic.




(Science side note: Being a young island, Hawaii has not had the chance to develop a large coral reef system. Parrotfish and their relatives eat coral then poop sand (A large parrotfish can produce up to three tons of sand a year… insert your own favorite poop story here.). Black, red and green sand come from pulverized lava and mineral intrusions at the shoreline. A typical reef forms a breakwater of sorts, protecting the shore, and therefore the sand, from the stronger currents and surges, as well as providing the material to replace what is washed away.)

We were staying with a retired chiropractor buddy and Palmer grad from WA, Jim Stanley. He only works five days a week now. However, he absolutely loves it. It’s hard to stressed working in the tropics… His place is on the side of the mountain in Kailua and has a phenomenal sunset view.

We did make a point of traveling to both the most northern and southern tips of the island. These opposite ends are about 120 miles apart. The northern tip has the small village of Hawi (Hah-Vee), which may actually be trapped in a temporal distortion that locks it into 1956. A truly quaint (read small and isolated) old sugar mill town that has been re-inventing itself as an “artist” community. The real draw here is Pololu Beach (Pō-Lō-Loo). A short and sweet 400’ vertical hike down into a mist shrouded river valley drops you onto a wonderful black sand beach. Backing the beach are some fairly old sand dunes, now solidly anchored by trees and vegetation. A well-worn trail system criss-crosses through the forest, and continues up and over into the adjacent valleys. Very pleasant and well worth both the drive and hike.

The locals are the most friendly in Hawaii (the state) that we have found. Graffiti consists of white coral chunks out in the lava fields arranged to form words and pictures. Usually sentiments regarding loved ones, kids, and the occasional art piece. It looks to be a family affair; we noticed a mini-van with the hatch open, back piled high with coral chunks, and the family up in the lava spelling out a message.

The ancient (1875 and earlier...) Hawaiians used to carve ritiulistic icons into the lava rock. They didn't tell the explorers why. None of our business... The petroglyphs can be found all over the place.

KK had a spa opportunity before we left the mainland. A good scrubbing to give her that ready-for-some-color glow. Jim recommended a local spa for JD to lose a few skin layers himself. A little indulgence to start the big trip smooth as a babies butt (Why butt? Babies’ butts can be quite nasty and evil. Always in contact with some gag-initiating substance, often rash-covered. I wouldn’t pay money to develop itchy red bumps and smell like poo…) Anyway, I wander here. Twenty minutes or so of aromatherapy steam followed by a forty-five minute salt scrub with oils. Manly? No, Yummy? Yep. Of course JD had to avoid the sun for the rest of the day. A small price to pay to make sure he tans evenly over the next few months…

Our last full day on the island we decided to trip on down to the southern most point of the US. Imaginatively called “South Point”. On the journey we pass one of the greatest real-estate misjudgments in the islands history. A master-planned community called Ocean View (also known as Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, or H.O.V.E.) Originally developed in the 60’s, it was 1,100 one-acre plots that sold for $995 each. Up until a couple of years ago you could still pick up plots for under $1,500. Around the new millennium they got electricity… Rain cisterns are still the water supply. It was developed on a lava flow that resulted from a 1907 eruption of the still very active Mauna Loa… (Build a house on the north flank of Mt. St. Helens anyone? It hasn’t erupted in almost twenty-five years, I’m sure it will be a long time before it ever does it again…)

The wind is constant on this part of the island, and a functional wind farm takes full advantage. The access road to south point is single lane. It has been spot-patched thousands of times. Picture hundreds of pancake sized asphalt patches overlapped along a car-wide strip of road. Full bladders suffer the most. That’s just to get to the first parking area. The 4WD trails start from there. Our explorer had the traction, but not the clearance. After a couple of frame scrapes and horizontal challenges we aborted the side mission to Green Sands Beach. Kimberly’s old Wrangler would have been fine, adventurous yes, but fine nonetheless. We picked up a nice couple from Milford, PA on the way back to the parking area. They enjoyed the ride out as well.

Weather prevented any diving, however it was a good visit with Jim, and we did see a new island. We are heading to the airport at 5 am, and will be attempting a first class upgrade for the long flight.

More pictures at our SmugMug site (Parents- click the colored underlined words with your mouse...)