Exploring.....in the pouring rain

December 19
We were up early and on the road by 8:30am. Took Saddle Road (between the two volcanoes), it provides the shortest driving route from Hilo to Kailua-Kona and access to the slopes of Mauna Loa and the Mauna Kea Observatories. First stop was the Mauna Loa macademia nut factory where we toured the factory and bought and mailed some goodies home.

Decided to do a trip to Hawai’i National Volcano Park. Its at the heart of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, active volcanoes.

The Crater Rim Drive passes steam vents.

Thurston Lava Tube (Nāhuku)

Off to Hilo and a side trip to Macy’s. Stopped at the orchid maze

the market and some stores

then headed off to Rainbow Falls.

December 20
I woke up this morning dizzy and nauseaous. Slow start for me. Another rainy day, so we headed South. Did a coffee tour at Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation located at 975 m (3,200 feet).

Stopped to visit Captian Cooks Monument in Kealakekua Bay. The white statue is the monument.

Then we stopped off at the PuʻuhonuaIn o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (also known as the Place of Refuge). Old Hawai'i if you had broken a law, the penalty was death. Perhaps you had entered into an area that was reserved for only the chiefs, or had eaten forbidden foods. Laws, or kapu, governed every aspect of Hawaiian society. The penalty for breaking these laws was certain death. Your only option for survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the nearest pu'uhonua, or place of refuge.

Next stop lunch and South Point (Kalae). There is nothing but deep blue ocean between the spot you’re standing on and Antarctica? That’s because you're at Kalae, also known as South Point or simply “The Point,” the southernmost point in the United States. We watched people jump off the rocks into the water.

Papakōlea (Green sand beach) was our next spot. The beach itself is carved in a 49.000 years old cinder cone belonging to the Mauna Loa volcano that contains the green crystals. It’s a difficult place to get to... 2 5 mile hike to the beach. There are vehicles that will drive you to the beach for a fee. It is illegal but is the easiest way to get there. However, we didn’t get to the beach because the driver wanted to charge us more than quoted. It started raining and most of us had been there before. This is a video from the last time we visited (2015).

Last stop... Punalu’u Beach (Black sand beach). We didn’t stay too long as it just started pouring.

It was a very long day of driving in the rain.