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Madam Pele and the glowing Lava – Big Island

Written by Nadine Zangerle on . Posted in USA

 

After 10 days on Kauai we flew to Big Island. In Kona we picked up our car and drove to Hilo. We found a great place with friendly staff. The BP Hostel was a very clean place and located in the center.

Hilo itself is not so spectacular but it was perfectly situated to the Volcano National Park. With a very funny and informative Ranger we started to discover the Park. He explained us three different trees – one with two different leaves, one which can hold its breath and one walking tree. You don’t believe us?

The Kalalua Iki Trail and the Lava Tube brought us through old lava lakes and down the Chain Road we found the street covered in Lava – it is closed since 2008. At the Jaggar Museum we enjoyed a nice view on the glowing Lava Lake. Especially in the dark the glow is fantastic.

Sure we had to do the Rainbow Waterfalls, the Boiling Pond and climbing to the Pe’ee’ee Falls but mostly we hiked around the Volcano National Park. Since we wanted to get really close to the Lava we booked a tour to the active flow.

Unfortunately two weeks ago the lava flow into the ocean suddenly stopped but therefore the lava activity was way higher on the field. So we hiked about 2 hours to find the hot, flowing lava. It was mind blowing Madam Pele (the God of Fire) did an amazing job. The heat was immense and the flow was magical.

With the Volcano and its activity on our mind we made our way to Kona. On our way we made several stops. At the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach we found some beached green turtles and at the South Point the waves were pounding in. We stopped at the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, where we could find some Hawaiian religious sites and structures.

Close to Kona we found a good place to stay – the Pineapple Park Hostel. From here we did some excursions into the north. The Pololo Lookout was fantastic and it was fun to stroll around the little artistic town of Hawi.

Before we left for Oahu we met with my dad’s former colleague who left Germany over 15 years ago. Torsten and Sabine cooked us a very tasty, traditional Hawaiian dish before we headed off for the next island.