Into The Thurston Lava Tube

Taken at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

900 Miles: A Week On Hawaii’s Big Island

Hey, folks. I’m baaaaack.

*Crickets chirping*

…Ahem. If you recall, I recently left for a week-long trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. As with all of my travels, I focused on exploration and seeing new things. This was my first time on the Big Island, so there was a lot of ground to cover. And while I’m going cover it all via writing and photography (with a new DSLR!) soon, I thought I’d outline my epic adventure using a list format from this week’s writing challenge. To give you an idea of the scale and length of the journey (totaling nearly 900 miles, to the amazement/horror of the rental car people) here’s a map of the Big Island:

Here’s a list in chronological order of where I went. See if you can chart my routes:

Friday, 11/28/2014:

• Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. (The location of my hotel and the starting and end points of all my daily trips until the last day).

Saturday, 11/29/2014:

• Hilo Farmer’s Market
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Steaming Bluff
• Kilauea
• Jaggar Museum & Overlook/ USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
• Thurston Lava Tube
• Chain Of Craters Road
• Devastation Trail

Sunday, 11/30/2014

• La’aloa Bay
• Kahalu’u Beach Park
• Ali’i Drive

Monday, 12/01/2014

• Kawaihae Harbor
• Hawi
• Pololu Valley & Awini Trail
• Kohala Highlands
• Waipio Valley
• Honokohau Harbor

Tuesday, 12/02/2014

• Greenwell Farms
• Kealakekua Bay
• Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Park
• St. Benedict’s Painted Church
• Royal Kona Luau

Wednesday, 12/03/2014

• Botanical World Adventures Rainforest Trail
• Umauma River
• Akaka Falls State Park
• Hilo Farmer’s Market
• Hilo Airport Commuter Terminal
• Lava Tree State Park
• Pahoa
• Rainbow Falls

Thursday, 12/04/2014

• Honaunau Bay
• Paleaku Gardens Peace Sanctuary
• Ho’okena Beach Park

Friday, 12/05/2014

• Kahalu’u Beach Park
• Kona International Airport

Beaches, harbors, volcanos, lava tubes, rainforests, towns, nature trails, waterfalls, gardens, farms, tide pools…I may have overdone it. Then again, I’m already compiling a list of all things I’ll do the next time I go!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Cover Art, Or: Lava Tube Skylight

There’s an ancient lava tube in the outskirts of Hana, Hawaii. You need a flashlight to get through most of it, but there are a few, gorgeous points at which the sun manages to pierce the depths. For some reason, this photo makes me think of the cover of a nature magazine, or an album of soothing nature sounds.

Beneath Hana

As you reach the outskirts of Hana, you might notice a sign pointing toward the Hana Lava Tube. To get into the cavern, you have to climb down a curved set of stairs built into a hill. It’s teeming with vegetation and moisture; you’d never think something so beautiful and lush was hiding right under your feet! It reminded me of the Metroid series, for some reason…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Room, Or: In The Hana Lava Tube

Because nothing says room quite like a 1,000 year-old quarter-mile underground tube made from lava. This is just one part of a short, but sweet tour. Just as a frame of reference, the tip of that rocky outcropping at the bottom is nearly 5 feet tall.