# Back from two weeks in Hawaii - some reflections



## optimist (Jan 16, 2012)

We spent two glorious weeks in Maui, the Big Island and Ohau. Came back last night to a sewer overflow in my studio . So as I wait for the Roto-Rooter man to arrive with all memories of palm trees and plumerias drifting away fast, I thought I would share some of our experiences...

We spent way too much time transferring from one Island to the next. Many posts are about "which island"?  Honestly, I think it doesn't matter. They are all beautiful but it really takes away from the vacation to schlep between them. A full day is gone by the time you pack your bags, check out, make your way to the airport, return the car rental, check in an hour and half ahead for a 15 minute flight then do the same thing all over again at your destination. Next time, one island and stay put.

The trip to the Volcano National Park should NOT be done in one day if your base is Waicoloa Village.  We spent four days on the BI and we were staying at the Bay Club.  I should have rented accommodations near the volcano but I could not work it.  As it turned out, visible lava had stopped flowing the week we got there so we were unable to see lava flow but we hung around till sunset to see the red glow from afar which can only be seen in the dark.  
We made the mistake of returning using the Southern route based on the description in the BI Revealed book.  We had a 4WD so we thought we would be OK.  Not a good idea... A good twenty miles are completely unpaved and pitch black.  It was a terrifying drive that took forever.

Accommodations - We stayed at the Marriott Ocean Club in Maui which was fabulous. We got an ocean view room and loved the resort. 
 In Oahu, we stayed at Ko Olina. Based on all the reviews, I expected to love it but ended up wishing we had stayed somewhere else.  The location is very artificial, nothing there but other resorts and not close to anything. Also, the rooms (we had two studios) were railroad like and dark.  
I chose the Bay Club for the Big Island because everyone said how large the units were. Very true, a huge apartment really and beautifully furnished. But it does not feel like Hawaii because the ocean is nowhere to be seen, more like Arizona.  So next time, I would pick one of the other Hilton properties.

Though we generally like to go to new places on vacation, as we were heading home, all four of us were agreed to return to Hawaii.  It is paradise!


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## DaveNV (Jan 16, 2012)

Welcome home! Sorry about the flood.  That's a vacation-buzzkill, for sure.

Your point about sticking it out on one island is well taken.  For the airfare cost and hassle involved, less than a week on one island isn't worth it to us.  We own two Hawaii timeshares -- one on Oahu and one on Kauai. We do a three-point trip:  Fly direct from Seattle to Honolulu, spend the week in our Oahu timeshare, then catch an early interisland hop to Lihue, and spend the second week in our Kauai timeshare. Then we fly home direct from Lihue to Seattle.  It works out great.

One of these days we'll make it to the BI when the lava is doing something amazing.  We saw what you did last time we were there.  The red glow visible after dark is pretty great, but kind of a let down if you were expecting to see flowing lava.

Dave


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## MuranoJo (Jan 16, 2012)

optimist said:


> We spent way too much time transferring from one Island to the next.
> 
> Although I've posted a similar recommendation here to avoid island hopping, we did it ourselves again this last Fall--and regretted it. (And that was *only* two islands in two weeks.)  Absolutely next time, we'll plop on one island and stay there.
> 
> In Oahu, we stayed at Ko Olina. Based on all the reviews, I expected to love it but ended up wishing we had stayed somewhere else.  The location is very artificial, nothing there but other resorts and not close to anything. I chose the Bay Club for the Big Island because everyone said how large the units were. Very true, a huge apartment really and beautifully furnished. But it does not feel like Hawaii because the ocean is nowhere to be seen, more like Arizona.



Same here regarding the general South Kohala area--ended up wishing we had stayed in the Kona area again.  We were well aware we wouldn't have an ocean view, but I guess it just wasn't our cup of tea.


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## linsj (Jan 16, 2012)

optimist said:


> We spent way too much time transferring from one Island to the next. Many posts are about "which island"?  Honestly, I think it doesn't matter. They are all beautiful but it really takes away from the vacation to schlep between them. A full day is gone by the time you pack your bags, check out, make your way to the airport, return the car rental, check in an hour and half ahead for a 15 minute flight then do the same thing all over again at your destination. Next time, one island and stay put.



I've been preaching that for years. I generally go to Hawaii twice a year for 10-15 nights per trip--all on one island at a time. A big part of the reason to go there is to slow down and relax.


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## geoand (Jan 16, 2012)

optimist said:


> The trip to the Volcano National Park should NOT be done in one day if your base is Waicoloa Village.  We spent four days on the BI and we were staying at the Bay Club.  I should have rented accommodations near the volcano but I could not work it.  As it turned out, visible lava had stopped flowing the week we got there so we were unable to see lava flow but we hung around till sunset to see the red glow from afar which can only be seen in the dark.
> We made the mistake of returning using the Southern route based on the description in the BI Revealed book.  We had a 4WD so we thought we would be OK.  Not a good idea... A good twenty miles are completely unpaved and pitch black.
> 
> It is paradise!


I don't know if you mean Saddle road or southern route.  We are on the BI now and have driven Saddle rd in both directions.  We drove to Hilo.  Drove back at night.  Road is completely paved.  Had no problems.

We have driven to Punalu'u beach 3 times this past week to snorkel with the turtles.  Drive was hour and half each way.  Staying in Kailua.


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## vacationtime1 (Jan 16, 2012)

optimist said:


> We spent way too much time transferring from one Island to the next. Many posts are about "which island"?  Honestly, I think it doesn't matter. They are all beautiful but it really takes away from the vacation to schlep between them. A full day is gone by the time you pack your bags, check out, make your way to the airport, return the car rental, check in an hour and half ahead for a 15 minute flight then do the same thing all over again at your destination. Next time, one island and stay put.
> 
> The trip to the Volcano National Park should NOT be done in one day if your base is Waicoloa Village . . . .



I agree completely.  My purpose in visiting Hawaii is to relax.  I want to fly non-stop to my island of choice.  If I have only a week or ten days, I don't want to lose one of them on inter-island travel -- or to cram so much into a day trip that it become stressful.  I say the same about Hana as you do about the volcano; stay overnight and relax.

I also have this belief that if I am going to Hawaii, I want to see the ocean from my room.  The lava fields of Waikoloa are stark, lunar, and beautiful, but I came to see palm trees, sand, and ocean.


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## slip (Jan 16, 2012)

Man, I couldn't agree more. Hawaii is palm trees, the ocean and relaxing.


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## optimist (Jan 17, 2012)

geoand said:


> I don't know if you mean Saddle road or southern route.  We are on the BI now and have driven Saddle rd in both directions.  We drove to Hilo.  Drove back at night.  Road is completely paved.  Had no problems.
> 
> We have driven to Punalu'u beach 3 times this past week to snorkel with the turtles.  Drive was hour and half each way.  Staying in Kailua.



No, not the Saddle road, the Southern route. The one that is described in the Revealed book.  I am still not clear what we did, but we ended up off the highway, on a road where it felt like if you miss a turn, you will end up falling off a cliff into the ocean. It took forever, it was pitch black, there was not a soul anywhere, no cars, nothing....At one point, there was a cow plopped in the middle of the road and if it wasn't for his eyes glowing with the headlights, we would have run him over.


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## heathpack (Jan 17, 2012)

optimist said:


> No, not the Saddle road, the Southern route. The one that is described in the Revealed book.  I am still not clear what we did, but we ended up off the highway, on a road where it felt like if you miss a turn, you will end up falling off a cliff into the ocean. It took forever, it was pitch black, there was not a soul anywhere, no cars, nothing....At one point, there was a cow plopped in the middle of the road and if it wasn't for his eyes glowing with the headlights, we would have run him over.



Ok, so just to be clear, as we are planning to drive the southern route from Kohala to Volcano on Wednesday.  There is a normal road, right?  You did something intentionally off the main road?

Not keen on driving an unpaved road for many miles.

BTW, we are 2 nights in Volcano Village.

H


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## optimist (Jan 17, 2012)

heathpack said:


> Ok, so just to be clear, as we are planning to drive the southern route from Kohala to Volcano on Wednesday.  There is a normal road, right?  You did something intentionally off the main road?
> 
> Not keen on driving an unpaved road for many miles.
> 
> ...



 You are right. My mistake!   The road back from the volcano was paved. I was just reminded by my son that the road we took that was unpaved was the southern route back from HANA on MAUI. 
So you are OK on the Big Island.

Everything is blending into one big island


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## scrapngen (Jan 17, 2012)

heathpack said:


> Ok, so just to be clear, as we are planning to drive the southern route from Kohala to Volcano on Wednesday.  There is a normal road, right?  You did something intentionally off the main road?
> 
> Not keen on driving an unpaved road for many miles.
> 
> ...



I don't know what the OP did, but when we were there 2 years ago, we drove the Southern route and it was paved and quite nice.  We drove in the dark late at night back from the volcano and had no problem. You just stay on Hwy 11 all the way...  2 lane hwy - newly paved from the volcano to Na'alehu, and still fine the rest of the way..We were staying in Kona. 

The_ only_ time we drove unpaved roads was going off the main hwy on the South Point Road 8 miles to the very southern tip of the island and over to the green sand beach. 

Was there some kind of construction or repaving project???


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 17, 2012)

optimist said:


> You are right. My mistake!   The road back from the volcano was paved. I was just reminded by my son that the road we took that was unpaved was the southern route back from HANA on MAUI.
> So you are OK on the Big Island.
> 
> Everything is blending into one big island



Now that makes sense.  I had the same questions as others, because I knew that all of the roads you could have taken back on the Big Island are paved.

On Maui I luvvvv that stretch of road you are talking about - I often hear it described as the road "beyond" Hana to distinguish if from the road *to* Hana (though it's actually the road beyond the seven pools).

But that's during the daytime.  I certainly would avoid driving it at night.


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## heathpack (Jan 17, 2012)

optimist said:


> You are right. My mistake!   The road back from the volcano was paved. I was just reminded by my son that the road we took that was unpaved was the southern route back from HANA on MAUI.
> So you are OK on the Big Island.
> 
> Everything is blending into one big island



Whew!  Undoing then redoing this trip just now would've been a wicked hassle!

H


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## daventrina (Jan 17, 2012)

optimist said:


> ...
> We made the mistake of returning using the Southern route based on the description in the BI Revealed book.  We had a 4WD so we thought we would be OK.  Not a good idea... A good twenty miles are completely unpaved and pitch black.  It was a terrifying drive that took forever.



Missed that one. Sounds like it would have been a nice side trip for us (during the day). We'll have to look for it next time. Is in inside the park?


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 17, 2012)

daventrina said:


> Missed that one. Sounds like it would have been a nice side trip for us (during the day). We'll have to look for it next time. Is in inside the park?


When most people take the road to Hana the furthest they go is to the seven pools, where they turn around and retrace their path back through Hana and along the north shore of south Maui.  But the road does continue all the way along the south shore, connecting to upcountry on the west flank of Haleakala, very close to the Tedeschi winery.

Most people stay off that stretch of road because a stretch of it is unpaved and road conditions can vary with weather conditions and maintenance.  For a stretch it hugs a cliff that is close to the ocean and limited guard rails.

The scenery is wonderful and it's very quiet and peaceful because there is so little traffic - with the caveat that you can't be a person who is freaked by that kind of driving. We did it with another couple about six years in a two-wheel drive compact size rental car without any difficulty whatsoever, finishing up at Tedeschi in the late afternoon and having a dinner together upcountry before returning to Lahaina.

******

Side note regarding the seven pools.  When we were at the seven pools our friends, who were living on Maui at the time, advised us to be alert for "bongo drums" coming from the side of the mountain.  That is the sound of a flash flood as it's coming down the mountain.  

An hour after we left the seven pools, a flash flood came through the seven pools and swept a young boy out to sea.  The father jumped in to try to save the boy; Dad was killed but the boy was rescued by some bystanders who were firefighters on vacation.


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## optimist (Jan 17, 2012)

daventrina said:


> Missed that one. Sounds like it would have been a nice side trip for us (during the day). We'll have to look for it next time. Is in inside the park?



No, as I mentioned above, I made a mistake thinking that was at the end of our Volcano National Park day. It wasn't... It was at the end of the road to Hana day on Maui.  
We had just zigzagged all the way to Hana, it was getting dark and we didn't want to go through those winding roads again... 

As I look at it on the map, it's the stretch between kaupo and the beginning of the Pi'ilani Highway.

Here is a picture of that cow that we almost ran over.  I didn't touch up the picture, it really was this dark! 

(my first picture post so hope it works)






can't make the picture appear   anyway... it was a black cow...


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## Kauai Kid (Jan 18, 2012)

We were coming back from Hilo about 11 pm to Kona and I pulled over to the side of the road, shut off the engine and all lights, and my wife started screaming.  What is the matter with you?  She'd seen some horror movie and thought it was the end.

I said, just wait till your eyes adjust so you can see the stars.  There is an observatory on top of the mountain for a reason.

In about 5 minutes the eyes adjusted and we saw more stars that we ever imagined were in the Heavens.  Incredible.   Try it sometime where you can do it safely.

She doesn't watch horror movies any more.  :hysterical: 


Sterling


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 18, 2012)

optimist said:


> No, as I mentioned above, I made a mistake thinking that was at the end of our Volcano National Park day. It wasn't... It was at the end of the road to Hana day on Maui.
> We had just zigzagged all the way to Hana, it was getting dark and we didn't want to go through those winding roads again...
> 
> As I look at it on the map, it's the stretch between kaupo and the beginning of the Pi'ilani Highway.
> ...


From the BBS help:

How can I include a picture with my post?


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## optimist (Jan 19, 2012)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> From the BBS help:
> 
> How can I include a picture with my post?



I tried all these instructions. Obviously I am doing something wrong.  I even set up a Flickr account which I didn't have before and it is sitting there with just one picture in it!  I clicked on the insert picture icon, put in the url  which is this
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74645350@N08/6716611203/

then I manually typed in the IMGL stuff  (until I figured out that there is an icon for that too)  but it would not translate to a picture in the text 

So if you can figure out what I am doing wrong, I would appreciate it!


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## artringwald (Jan 19, 2012)

optimist said:


> I tried all these instructions. Obviously I am doing something wrong.  I even set up a Flickr account which I didn't have before and it is sitting there with just one picture in it!  I clicked on the insert picture icon, put in the url  which is this
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/74645350@N08/6716611203/
> 
> then I manually typed in the IMGL stuff  (until I figured out that there is an icon for that too)  but it would not translate to a picture in the text
> ...



The URL you entered is the link to the web site containing the picture, but not the picture by itself. If you right click on the picture, and choose "copy image location, the link will be something like this:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6716611203_e1e4c822c1_z.jpg

It should end with the extension for a picture like .jpg or .gif.

If you use the picture icon and paste the link, you will get:





You can use preview to make sure you got it right.


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## optimist (Jan 19, 2012)

Kauai Kid said:


> We were coming back from Hilo about 11 pm to Kona and I pulled over to the side of the road, shut off the engine and all lights, and my wife started screaming.  What is the matter with you?  She'd seen some horror movie and thought it was the end.
> 
> I said, just wait till your eyes adjust so you can see the stars.  There is an observatory on top of the mountain for a reason.
> 
> ...



I really wanted to get to the observatory to see the stars from up there, I had read so much about them,  but I was just not up to any more night time driving long distances back to the hotel.   

Next time, we will split our time on the island and not stay the whole time on one side.  From here, you look at the map and see that it's only 30 miles and you think, no problem. Then you get there and see that  30 miles on windy one lane country road is very different kind of driving.


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## geoand (Jan 19, 2012)

optimist said:


> I really wanted to get to the observatory to see the stars from up there, I had read so much about them,  but I was just not up to any more night time driving long distances back to the hotel.
> 
> Next time, we will split our time on the island and not stay the whole time on one side.  From here, you look at the map and see that it's only 30 miles and you think, no problem. Then you get there and see that  30 miles on windy one lane country road is very different kind of driving.



This is saddle road on kona and it is not a one lane country road.  If you consider going to the observatories (there are many on this mountain), you would probably want a 4 wheel drive.


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## optimist (Jan 19, 2012)

Thank you Artringwald!

I don't have "right click" on my Mac but I can figure it out now that I know what the problem was.


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## daventrina (Jan 20, 2012)

optimist said:


> I really wanted to get to the observatory to see the stars from up there, I had read so much about them,  but I was just not up to any more night time driving long distances back to the hotel.


They have a tour for that... I think that they pick up and drop off...


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## sailingman22 (Jan 20, 2012)

We have timeshares on both Maui and Kauai so usually spend 1 week on Maui and 1 or 2 weeks on Kauai. Traveling between the two islands takes the amount of time as going to Cosco or shopping downtown. Its just a new adventure built into our vacation and we enjoy the difference each island presents.


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## singlemalt_18 (Jan 20, 2012)

optimist said:


> As it turned out, visible lava had stopped flowing the week we got there so we were unable to see lava flow but we hung around till sunset to see the red glow from afar which can only be seen in the dark.



I like the title of your thread.  We ALWAYS return in a reflective mood upon returning from our visits to Hawaii. * The great thing about Hawaii is that the more you go there, the better you get at going there!*

When it comes to Volcano Park, we too had gone numerous times over the years.  It is NOT something one can easily get their arms around.  We loved the Chain-of-Craters road and were sorry that it got wiped out big time.  We have seen the "red glow" but always wanted to _feel the heat_.  On our last visit we did make it all the way to see the lava and it was literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  As most everyone here knows you can only get to see the lava from the air, by making an expert hike, or arrive by water.

Having done a helicopter tour of Kauai on our Honeymoon 15 years earlier, the air option seemed a little off the mark.  Hiking lava fields in the dark for miles was something we had previously found to be of little enjoyment.  So this trip I had the bright idea to take one of the boats… I mean that should be fun!

For anyone interested, the following link is to the photo album of our most recent visit to the volcano.  The commentary is for those less familiar with Hawaii overall, but the events of that day were like nothing we could ever expect. The first two photos are from a previous trip in 2005, but they captured an incredible moment that is worth sharing.  The photos then pick up with our approach thru Hilo since you must come in from the west if you want to get to the lava. 

Consider using full screen to view, and slow it down if you want to read.  I hope you enjoy!

Joe

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=665788786407%3A894345004&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee


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## optimist (Jan 20, 2012)

singlemalt_18 said:


> Consider using full screen to view, and slow it down if you want to read.  I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Joe
> 
> http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=665788786407%3A894345004&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee




I really enjoyed your photos and reading your comments. Thank you for sharing them.  You have got to get lucky twice to see lava flow, once that it is flowing when you get to Hawaii and another that nothing should go wrong when you get close enough to see it!


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## fillde (Jan 20, 2012)

Great pictures. Have you done any other tours on the island?


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## MuranoJo (Jan 20, 2012)

Hey, Joe,
Great photos!  I've always wanted to view the volcano from a boat, but I wanted to do it more towards sunset and into night.  Not sure they even offer that.

Two BI trips ago in March '05, we did that hike over the lava fields to the flow.  It was pretty tricky at night, and I had the lava shards in my legs the next day to prove it!  However, once there, we could walk right up to smaller flows, and we were pretty close to where it was rolling into the water.  In fact, across the way, we could see the flow falling into water, just like a fiery waterfall.  Beautiful at night.

Highly recommended to take in plenty of water and cover your legs and feet.  We saw young teens wearing flip-flops.


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## winger (Jan 20, 2012)

singlemalt_18 said:


> I like the title of your thread.  We ALWAYS return in a reflective mood upon returning from our visits to Hawaii. * The great thing about Hawaii is that the more you go there, the better you get at going there!*
> ...



Thanks for sharing - now my kids do NOT want to go (looks too dangerous) LOL


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## Karen G (Jan 20, 2012)

Joe, thanks for the pictures. Very interesting!


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## singlemalt_18 (Jan 23, 2012)

singlemalt_18 said:


> The photos then pick up with our approach thru Hilo since you must come in from the west if you want to get to the lava.



Sorry, should have read EAST!  And thanks for great comments, glad you enjoyed...



optimist said:


> I really enjoyed your photos and reading your comments. Thank you for sharing them.  *You have got to get lucky twice *to see lava flow, once that it is flowing when you get to Hawaii and another that nothing should go wrong when you get close enough to see it!



Well said!  And if you want to see lava twice, you do need to make sure your affairs are in order.   Actually, my wife was a real trooper; she was fine all the way up and she was thrilled to be there at the lava flow.  It was on the hour long, pounding ride back in the dark that she lost some of her positive outlook.  We just could not get the ride over with soon enough.  She did not panic or loose her cool, but she did become pre-occupied with the events of the day and the dead surfer.  I needed to pry her hands off the side of the chair once we got back.  She was shaken, very quiet and eventually got a bit emotional.  

*I meant once in a lifetime, literally.* 



muranojo said:


> Hey, Joe,
> Great photos!  I've always wanted to view the volcano from a boat, but I wanted to do it more towards sunset and into night.  *Not sure they even offer that.*
> 
> Two BI trips ago in March '05, we did that hike over the lava fields to the flow.  It was pretty tricky at night, and I had the lava shards in my legs the next day to prove it!  However, once there, we could walk right up to smaller flows, and we were pretty close to where it was rolling into the water.  In fact, across the way, we could see the flow falling into water, just like a fiery waterfall.  Beautiful at night.
> ...



Good for you for making that hike! It really is a challenging and difficult hike.  Not for the average person, and not without proper prep... it did not take us long to bag that idea on the day of that rainbow back in Oct of the same year. 

FYI - Those boat tours do occasionally run a night cruise instead of a sunset… It depends on the weather & ocean conditions, and if they have enough people signed up.  Obviously it was not a night for one the day we were there.



fillde said:


> Great pictures. Have you done any other tours on the island?



We are not that big on doing “tours”; we are more the independent, go-on-our-own types.  We log about 750 – 800 miles during a week on the Big Island.  We have done many diving and snorkeling outings.  Mostly skin diving to scuba now, and we stay with operators using small boats – they avoid the crowds and get around much faster, and they are more flexible to go where conditions are optimal. 



winger said:


> Thanks for sharing - now my kids do NOT want to go (looks too dangerous) LOL



Smart kids… how old are they?  If you are there however and the conditions are optimal, it could be just the ticket.


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## Laurie (Jan 23, 2012)

Wow, what a stunning slide show - thanks for sharing.

We've seen (and felt the heat from) some amazing lava on the Big Island as well, both up close, crossing the road right in front of us and under our feet, plus spilling into the sea and spewing high into the sky - thus our love affair with the place. 

BI and Yellowstone are my 2 favorite places on the planet - the raw, living earth. There's no power like it.


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## MichaelColey (Jan 23, 2012)

Missed this post the first time around, but I totally agree with the OP's main points.

We have favorite islands, but we love them all.  It doesn't matter which one(s) we go to.  Just that we go.  

We had a 3+ week trip to Hawaii between Thanksgiving and Christmas, just visiting two islands.  We spent a little over 2 weeks at just one resort (Wyndham Kona Hawaiian) on the Big Island, and it was AWESOME not having to move for that long.  We really settled in and enjoyed it.  We normally switch resorts (and sometimes islands) once a week.  I wouldn't want to do it more often than that, and less would be even better.  It does waste pretty much a full day.  There's also grocery shopping to consider, and planning to whittle down your groceries before you leave.


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## rifleman69 (Jan 23, 2012)

optimist said:


> Thank you Artringwald!
> 
> I don't have "right click" on my Mac but I can figure it out now that I know what the problem was.



There is a right click on your mac, but it depends on which mac you're using.   Laptop, regular keyboard, mac mouse, trackpad?  

Command click will always perform as a right click btw.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Jan 23, 2012)

I understand your feeling about seeing the ocean, but I find the beaches north of Waikoloa the best of all.
Liz


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## BevL (Jan 23, 2012)

muranojo said:


> Hey, Joe,
> Great photos!  I've always wanted to view the volcano from a boat, but I wanted to do it more towards sunset and into night.  Not sure they even offer that.
> 
> Two BI trips ago in March '05, we did that hike over the lava fields to the flow.  It was pretty tricky at night, and I had the lava shards in my legs the next day to prove it!  However, once there, we could walk right up to smaller flows, and we were pretty close to where it was rolling into the water.  In fact, across the way, we could see the flow falling into water, just like a fiery waterfall.  Beautiful at night.
> ...



we were able to see lava flowing close and into the ocean on our first trip to the big island.  Greg still doesn't let me forget after the hike over the lava turning the final corner, and shrieking back to him, "THERE'S LAVA."  it ranked up there as one of the most exciting things i've seen - new world being created.

Three more days here in paradise, then back to reality for us.


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## daventrina (Jan 24, 2012)

BevL said:


> it ranked up there as one of the most exciting things i've seen - new world being created.


Like this:





or





So ... we arrived had to relocate to our timeshare after a couple of days. At that point our dive plan left one day to go to Waipio Valley and one day for the Volcano. The Volcano had been not overly active. We had been chasing a trip to see the lava for 20 years. Early in the morning (like 2am) of the day we planned to go to the Volcano there was an earthquake that rattled things around and started the lava flowing. We were so fortunate. 2 days later when the film crews from Oahu got it on the news... it was mostly gone. But, now there is a little mountain that didn't exist prior to our arrival...


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## sdbrier (Jan 24, 2012)

optimist said:


> Thank you Artringwald!
> 
> I don't have "right click" on my Mac but I can figure it out now that I know what the problem was.



Yes you do. Hold command key and normal mouse click and this gives you right click options.


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## optimist (Jan 24, 2012)

sdbrier said:


> Yes you do. Hold command key and normal mouse click and this gives you right click options.



I tried this and it doesn't seem to work.  I just got this new MAC desktop (version 10.2) and it's got a lot more functions that I don't want (like zooming in when I accidentally tap the mouse, or turning the page when I touch the mouse a certain way - i am not sure what way ).  It's such a sensitive mouse and I am still getting used to it.


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## kwindham (Jan 24, 2012)

Love the slideshow! Awesome!


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## geoand (Jan 25, 2012)

optimist said:


> I tried this and it doesn't seem to work.  I just got this new MAC desktop (version 10.2) and it's got a lot more functions that I don't want (like zooming in when I accidentally tap the mouse, or turning the page when I touch the mouse a certain way - i am not sure what way ).  It's such a sensitive mouse and I am still getting used to it.


Go to Systems Preference.   Click on mouse and make adjustments to adjust the sensitivity and to give yourself rt click ability.


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## optimist (Jan 25, 2012)

geoand said:


> Go to Systems Preference.   Click on mouse and make adjustments to adjust the sensitivity and to give yourself rt click ability.



WOW THANK YOU!! I feel so foolish, I did not know I could make changes to the mouse all this time


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