Volcano, HI - Day 3

Thursday, April 15

Today is moving day - again! We loaded up our rental SUV this morning and said good-bye to the airbnb we stayed at the past two nights in Volcano, Hawaii. Our family is planning to spend our final five days in Hawaii on the west side of the Big Island. Before we left the Volcano area, we stopped by Hawaii Volcanoes National Park one last time.

The sun was shining and the sky was bright blue today — a perfect morning to drive along Crater Rim Drive to take in all the sights of the park. Within minutes, we spotted a Nene bird on the road — Hawaii’s state bird. This goose was brought back from near extinction a few years ago and is now a vulnerable and protected species on the island. I’d read nene birds aren’t very smart and this proved true as we encountered one on the roadway. Andi finally drove around it because it was not about to move from the center of the road.

The 11-mile Crater Rim Drive used to make a loop around the Kilauea crater, but Madame Pele (goddess of volcanoes) changed that with recent volcanic activity. Now the road ends at the Holei Sea Arch. We took our time driving and enjoying the scenery, and then parked our car at the end of the road so we could get out and see the arch carved in the rock by wind and water weathering.

At the end of Crater Rim Drive, we returned back the way we came. I wanted to do the Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs hike next, so we parked along the side of the road and entered the trailhead there. Already at 10:00am, it was really warm outside & felt especially so as we walked along black lava rock with no shade cover.

I didn’t realize this short 1.2 mile hike would be on such uneven terrain, and I felt bad for not warning Janie beforehand. She did great though! Aden loved following the trail as it weaved through the hardened lava. He and I played a game we made up called “The Floor Is Lava” and tried our best to hop from rock to rock as not to be burned alive. He was having a great time! Meanwhile, Tory was melting in the heat and made it known that she not very happy to be there.

The petroglyphs were amazing! The Gypsy Guide audio tour we listened to beforehand told us that the circles next to carvings of people were thought to represent the number of children a mother had. After her baby was born, the mother put a piece of the umbilical cord inside the hole and if it was gone the next morning, it meant her baby would live a long life.

It’s hard to imagine a tribe of people once lived and thrived in this volatile and unforgiving environment.

There were more hikes to do in the park, but we needed to get on the road since we’re staying in Waikoloa on the west side of the island tonight. I’m so glad we made time to visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and spent as much time here as we did. It was definitely a highlight of the trip for me.

Before we left Volcano, Andi and I decided we’d better grab lunch. We had a full day of driving and sightseeing ahead of us. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of Thai restaurants in the small town of Volcano. We called in a food order to Tuk Tuk Thai food truck & shared an order of cashew chicken, coconut chicken curry, pad Thai and spring rolls amongst the five of us.

To get to Waikoloa, Andi and I wanted to take the longer, scenic drive along the southern coast of the Big Island. Our first stop along the way was in a little town called Pahala. This community has an interesting past, once heavily relying on sugarcane farming and now finding an agricultural re-birth in coffee production. Hawaii’s Kona coffee gets all the fame, but the south region’s Ka’u coffee is growing in notoriety. Janie wanted to bring home a bag of coffee for Grandpa Jim, so we stopped by Ka’u Coffee Mill in Pahala to buy some. Andi enjoyed sampling their different varieties of coffee while we were there.

From Pahala, we continued along Highway 11 south to Punalu’u Beach — known on the island as the easiest-to-access black sand beach. We hadn’t seen another car on the highway the whole afternoon, so Andi and I were surprised when we pulled up to find so many people at this beach. Where did they all come from?? It felt like a cruise ship docked here and dropped off a boatload of people in the middle of nowhere. It’s easy to see why people travel south to Punalu’u Beach — despite the crowds, this black sand beach was unique and beautiful.

The five of us sat on a beach and people-watched for a few minutes, and then decided to continue on toward the south point of the island. I hoped our driving detour down here would be worth it. I wasn't sure what to expect of this unpopulated area.

At the end of the road, we parked our rental SUV and walked to the edge of the cliff. This is quite literally the “southern most point of the United States” despite Key West, Florida claiming the title. A dozen or so people were gathered here — most of them thrill-seekers taking the plunge off the 40-foot cliff. The water was so clear we could see the ocean floor below.

I’m really glad we made time to visit this spot. It has a young, energetic feeling to it and it was fun to sit on the rocks and watch people face their fear jumping over the edge. Once again, Aden wanted to take his turn jumping but I reminded him again that it’s not the safest activity for seven-year-olds. One girl we saw there had a huge gash on the back of her leg from the impact of the water hitting her body.

From South Point, we began our two-hour drive to Waikoloa. Even though this route around the southern tip of the island was longer, it was well worth it. Andi and I really enjoyed the vibe of the Ka’u District and also liked the fact that we’ve now literally visited every part of the Big Island.

Driving through Kona on the way to our new airbnb, we stopped at COSTCO to fill up on the cheapest gas on the island, and buy some meat for the next few days. Aden asked for another “tasty COSTCO hot dog” so Andi and Janie returned from shopping with a hot dog for Aden and a piece of pizza for Tory. An easy dinner for the two of them!

We also stopped by the fish monger’s stand across from the Waikoloa Resort entrance. Andi bought a mahi mahi filet for he, Janie and I to eat for dinner.

We had a car load of bags and food to unload when we finally reached our new airbnb at the Palm Villas in the Mauna Lani Resort area. All of us were exhausted after a long day of sightseeing so we unpacked and settled in, we ate dinner and then watched an episode of Heartland on Netflix.

It’s hard to believe our time in Hawaii is nearing an end. In some ways, it feels like we just got to Hawaii and on the other hand, we know how fortunate we are to have had the opportunity to spend a month here.

This isn’t our first time staying on the Kohala Coast, but there is still more to see and explore. We’re excited to swim tomorrow and enjoy the heat again for our last few days on the island.