So this is the plane we flew in to get to the big island. Apologize for the horrible picture but I was trying to juggle 2 luggage’s a camera bag and take a picture with my phone while walking to the plane. I probably looked like I worked in a circus or something.
The plane has 5 rows fitting 10 passengers the pilot and copilot. The captain said the highest elevation was 8,500 feet. We were higher then that when we drove up the mountain in Haleakalā National Park. It was pretty cool because we stayed low and you can pretty much see everything without losing to much detail. Epic flight. That was a first for me.
And off we go, on the Kona side, or leeward side. The Kona side is all desert. Our first impression was that there was nothing here but yellow grass and lava. Lava for miles and miles and miles. Traveling north we stopped at a few beaches filled with tourists. I don’t like tourist so we didn’t even get out at those beaches that were flooded with them. They really get in the way of your pictures.
We made it to basically the end of the road on the north shore to this layer of cliffs which looked pretty stellar. Pololu valley.
We back tracked a bit then shot across the center of the island more or less and crossed to the Hilo side. Once we crossed the mountain ridge the terrane has changed 100%. Now we are in a rain forest. We looked for a spot for sunset but being on the east side of the island we were not gonna see the actual sun set. I was hoping for some color in the clouds but being that there was no gaps in the clouds it was very unlikely. Found this lava beach all for ourselves. We stayed here for an hour or two waiting on some color in the sky, watching the waves crash into the lava formations.
Or second time couch surfing, 1st night in the Big Island. Our hosts name was Brent. Brent lives in a tree house, in the rain forest. We will be staying with Brent for our 4 night stay on the Big Island. Brent was a great guy. He thought us about the land and the Hawaiian traditions. He lived in his treehouse off grid for over 15 years. With over 300” of rain annually he collects the rain and uses it to shower and for drinking water. Pretty awesome! Some of the best coffee I’ve had was at his house, with fresh Kona coffee and rainforest rain water. It was definitely an experience in itself. It is amazing to meet new people that live off grid and see what they go through day by day. Here’s a few clips of walking up to the tree house, the second floor where we slept, and talk about a poo with a view! The tree house is 3 floors tall and he built it all by himself with a bunch of ropes, levers and pulleys. Every night just before sundown the coqui frogs go wild. Check out the video!
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We hung out a lot with Brent. He guided us around the Hilo side of the island. Took us where the locals hang out.
The second night staying at his house we took a night trip to the active volcano just 10 miles or so from his house. What an incredible experience it was to watch the lava erupt out of the ground to form this lava lake. To put things in perspective, the crater is more then half a mile wide, and the eruptions taking place were 30-40 feet tall. I talked to some park rangers the next day and they said they have never seen it this high in the 14 years they have been working at the National Park. Come to find out a few days later it erupts and takes over peoples house and property’s.
