Day 22: Hilo, Hawai’i … E Komo Mai (Welcome)

Friday, 27 January 2017
At Sea — Pacific Ocean … En Route to Oahu

Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:15p (HAST) … UTC 6:15a (28 January)
Temp: 73.9F (23.3C)
Position: 20.15.02N / 155.32.73W

I ka nānā no a ‘ike
(By observing, one learns)
~ As seen at the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Visitor Center ~

Our first time on the Big Island of Hawai’i … and what a great success it turned out to be.  We had wonderful weather — sunshine and mostly blue skies … which the locals said we brought with us as it had apparently been raining quite heavily the past few days.  The day’s high was forecasted to be 78F (26C), and it probably got up there at some point.  But we spent our day at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (HVNP), where we were at elevation … and thus it was cooler.  Just a fabulous day all in all.

The original plan for today was to attend a special O-sponsored event for RTWers … a tour of HVNP, followed by lunch at Volcano Winery.  But when the details were finally revealed, the event had been replaced by a luau of sorts — Ok, but not too exciting.  But it worked to our advantage as instead of just spending a couple of hours with our friend Chris, we got to spend the day with him and go up to HVNP on our own.

We were having breakfast at the Terrace Café when Insignia followed the coast of the Big Island and sailed through the long breakwater that is designed to slow down tsunamis — two of which have scoured Hilo in the past.  The lush green color of the island was a lovely backdrop for our morning meal … not to mention a respite from all the blue our eyes had gotten used to seeing during our five days of at sea.

Part of our scenic sail-in to the port of Hilo.

By 8:00a, Insignia was docked.  Shortly thereafter, we were cleared to walk off the ship.  We had already texted with Chris and made arrangements to meet up at 9:00a.  We could have killed time on the ship, but I had glimpsed a couple of murals, so we got off the ship so I could photograph them.  Then, sitting in a couple of chairs in front of the general store across the road from the port, we took advantage of our high-speed Verizon internet to touch base with family and friends.

A colorful Aloha … a mural that is part of the Living Legacy Series.

That’s one way of getting around!

Chris had verified with his USGS geologist friend that the lava in Kīlauea had risen, so the plan was to head up to HVNP almost immediately.  But we couldn’t resist a couple of photo stops along the way.

The Lili’uokalani Park and Gardens was the first to grab our attention.  From here we got our first glimpses of two of the island’s volcanoes … Mauna Loa (active) and Mauna Kea (dormant) … the former is within HVNP; the latter just outside it.  With its lovely red pagoda bridge set against the lush greenery dotted with volcanic rocks, the gardens were very charming.  I could have spent all day there, but of course, we had other plans.

Much of the park consists of Edo-style Japanese gardens, built in the early 1900’s.

A pop of red in an otherwise lush green garden setting.

The torii-style gate at the gardens frames Mauna Kea, a now dormant volcano that
not only rises 13,796 feet (4,205 m) above sea level, but descends over 8 miles (13 km) below it.

Our next stop was at beautiful Waianuenue [Rainbow Falls] — located within Wailuku River State Park.  The waterfall, which drops an impressive 80 feet (24+ m), is so named for the ethereal rainbows that form in the surrounding mist.  No rainbow for us today, but the falls were another beautiful spot that was worth the short detour on our way to HVNP.

Legend has it that Maui’s mother, Hina, lives in the cave behind the falls.

Much as we would like to have dallied at these spots, we were anxious to get to Kīlauea Volcano and pay our respects to Pelehonuamea (Pele of the Sacred Earth).  Legend has it that she used to live on Ni’ihau, one of the smaller islands of Hawaii, but she was chased away from there by the goddess of the sea, who then destroyed each dwelling Pele created until she finally found her haven in the active crater of Halema'uma'u within Kīlauea.  The legend makes sense to me as Ni’ihau is not only one of the geologically oldest of the Hawaiian Islands, but also one of the furthest away from the hotspot that created them.

Left: One of several depictions of Pele at the Jaggar Museum at HVNP.

Right: Pele’s Hair are thin, fragile strands of volcanic glass.
They form when molten lava is ejected into the air during eruptions.

Panorama of Kīlauea with the smoldering Halema'uma'u Crater.
The summit caldera of Kīlauea was created when the lava drained from an
underground magma chamber, causing the unsupported volcano summit to collapse.

Halema’uma’u is an example of a pit crater.  These are formed from a
smaller collapse within the larger summit caldera collapse.

Instead of stopping at the Visitor Center, we went directly up to the Jaggar Museum, which is situated at an overlook that affords an expansive view of the amazing lunar-like landscape of Kīlauea … and of course the steaming Halema'uma'u Crater, too.  As the steam billowing out of the crater shifted with the winds, we caught our first glimpse of the bubbling lava.  Chris explained that the lava was actually falling over the edge of a ridge inside the crater and that the bubbling effect was created by gases pushing the hot lava back into the air.  Such powerful forces of nature.

Kīlauea may not be as big as neighboring Mauna Loa, but it carries
the distinction of being one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

It was hard to pull ourselves away from the spectacle playing out in the crater, but we finally managed to go into the museum to check out the exhibits.  No, we did not do justice to it … but time was not on our side to allow us to dally long.  Back outside, we wandered over a short distance to see the crater from a different perspective — one that gave us glimpses of two additional spots of lava … such an amazing sight.

Rising gases cause the lava to bubble up as it falls over the ridge.

During the 100 years that Kīlauea was almost continuously active, Halema’uma’u
crater was a lava lake.  At present time, most of that lava lake is below the surface.

From the crater we drove back to the Visitor Center for a quick look-see and then went to Nāhuku — aka the Thurston Lava Tube.  These tubes are a kind of cave formed when highly-viscous lava develops a crust that thickens and forms a roof above the still-flowing lava.  These conduits can actively drain lava from an erupting volcano, or can become extinct.  Chris explained that small fissures (windows, if you will) can form over some active lava tubes, and if you are in the right place at the right time, it’s possible to see the lava flowing through the tube.  The Thurston lava tube is an extinct one … so no chance of seeing that phenomenon today.

When it was discovered in 1913, the roof of the Thurston Lava Tube was covered
with stalactites … which have since disappeared thanks to “souvenir collectors.”

Chris next took us for a drive on the Chain of Craters Road towards the coast.  His goal was to show us the lava flows from the 1969-1974 eruptions and the cliffs generated by them.  What an amazing landscape.  We got to get out and walk on some of the flows.  During our stroll, Chris explained to us about the two types of lava, the Hawaiian names of which have become legitimate geologic terms.  Of these, ‘a‘ā is jagged and chunky, and pāhoehoe is smooth and ropy.  Though both have the same chemical composition, the difference comes from pāhoehoe being hotter and more fluid at the time of eruption.

I remember pāhoehoe from walking on it when we were in the Galapagos Islands several years ago.  I was fascinated by it … especially the crinkling, breaking-glass type of sound it made as we walked on it.  To that fascination today I added the golden-sheen evident on the surface of some of the pāhoehoe flows … from silica, Chris explained.

The pāhoehoe fields look like they are billowy, soft cushions.  Nope they are rock solid.

Looks like we are standing on `a`ā lava, but that would be a not-so-smart ahh ahh moment.

where a lot of lava is being discharged at once`a`ā flows tend to form, as seen in the background. If the rate of discharge is low, a pāhoehoe flow is more likely to develop.

Had we more time, we could have walked to the latest lava flow to see where it meets up with the ocean, causing steam to rise high into the air as hot meets cold.  But it’s a 4-mile hike each way, so we had to make do with seeing the results of the older flows —  jagged black cliffs being eroded by the constant wave action that undermines them, causing big chunks to fall into the ocean … forming sea arches at times.

A small portion of the seacoast cliffs that were formed when the lava met the ocean …

  … and the distant steam billowing into the air behind the trees where
the new lava flow sizzles as it joins the ocean.

Eventually, with time growing short, we headed back to Volcano Village where we stopped at Ohelo Café for lunch — our treat and thank you to Chris for dedicating his day to us.  He and Mui had Caesar salads with grilled ahi, and I had Kaua’i shrimp alfredo made with penne, tomatoes, cabbage, parmesan, white wine, and garlic — delicious.

It was 3:30p by the time we were back in Hilo.  We made a quickie stop at the local Home Depot to pick up a length of PVC pipe, which Mui will jury-rig as a more permanent umbrella stand for me for the next run of sea days.  At 4:00p, we bid Chris adieu.  Our arrival at the port coincided with the return of the RTWers from the special event.  I didn’t hear any enthusiastic comments, so I am thinking we made the right decision by skipping it and spending our day with Chris instead.

Insignia left its berth shortly after its 5:00p scheduled departure.  We were hoping Captain B would slowly cruise along the shoreline so we could see where the lava flows into the ocean, but no, he turned north along the shore.  Oh well!  With today’s visit to the Big Island, Hawaii has again climbed up the list of must-see places for us.  I asked Chris how long we should dedicate to each island on a land trip, and he said at least two weeks — methinks three to four weeks at our pace might be necessary.

And now, tired after a great day in Hilo, I’m ready to hit the sack.  Tomorrow we have an early arrival in Honolulu … and we hope to disembark as soon as the ship is cleared.

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