Hawaii (Dec 2013)
Day 1 - Big Island - Volcano National Park
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawaiʻi on the island of Hawaiʻi. It encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive subaerial volcano. The park gives scientists insight into the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and ongoing studies into the processes of vulcanism. For visitors, the park offers dramatic volcanic landscapes as well as glimpses of rare flora and fauna. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
Lava..Lava.. everywhere and was very excited to see an active eruption in the volcano so close.
Day 2 - Big Island - Kulaniapia Falls
It was a challenge finding our way to the Inn at Kulaniapia falls, after visiting the Volcano National Park. The darkness created an additional challenge that we almost wanted to go back to the town. The beauty of the location didn't unfold until we woke up and ventured out. The noisy frogs and the sound of the waterfalls provided a peaceful couple of nights for our stay here.
Day 2 - Big Island - Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. Standing 13,803 ft (4,207 m) above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the U.S. state of Hawaii. However, much of Mauna Kea is below sea level; when measured from its oceanic base, its height is 33,100 ft (10,100 m)—more than twice amount Everest's base-to-peak height of 11,980 to 15,260 ft (3,650 to 4,650 m).
With its high altitude, dry environment, and stable airflow, Mauna Kea's summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation, and one of the most controversial. Since the creation of an access road in 1964, thirteen telescopes funded by eleven countries have been constructed at the summit. The Mauna Kea Observatories are used for scientific research across the electromagnetic spectrum from visible light to radio and comprise one of the world's largest facilities of their type. In April 2013, the Thirty Meter Telescope project was approved and will be the largest telescope ever built. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
Day 3 - Big Island - Helicopter Ride & Garden
A relaxing beginning at the Hilo Bay and its adjacent Liliuokalani Park and Gardens was very pleasant. The helicopter ride was a bummer because of the weather. The ride got shortened to only a few minutes instead of ~1hr and sure, it was disappointing! The co-pilot experience was nice though.
Day 3 - Big Island - Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
The garden contains over 2,000 plant species, representing more than 125 families and 750 genera, with good collections of palms (nearly 200 species), heliconias (more than 80 species), and bromeliads (more than 80 species). Some of the garden's mango and coconut palm trees are over 100 years old. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
The trip to the 'tropical' garden made it memorable that it was raining a lot during the entire time that we spent there. Sometimes it rained heavily, sometimes light and sometimes, there was sunlight. Some of the leaves were as big and longer than our height that we got some shelter under them. Umbrellas helped us also. It was so interesting to see the varieties of Banana plants!
Day 3 - Big Island - Akaka Falls
We were very skeptic about the timing and the trip to Akaka Falls. It was late afternoon by the time we were approaching the location and it was raining well. But, we never expected that this beautiful falls would be so easily accessible within a short hike from the road. It was awesome falls that we were glad not to miss it because of the weather!
Day 4 - Big Island - Hamakua Coast, Waipio Valley, Pololu Valley
Day 4 - Big Island - Hamakua Coast, Waipio Valley, Pololu Valley
Waipio Valley was the best location overall! I believe the level of pristinely maintained there mainly is due to the difficulty in accessing the location. The only way to get there is by driving down a 25% gradient road (supposedly the steepest road of US). Some of the pictures can show how steep the drive is.
The varieties of flora that one can enumerate here could be countless! Anything and everything seem to grow here. What attracted me most was the Naval Pazham tree here. I haven't had the fruit for a very long time and couldn't resist tasting it. Unfortunately, none of the fruits were accessible (until we reached the Kauai a few days later)!
The shuttle driver who took us down there was great. He offered fruits that he plucked just that morning -- passion fruits and avocados. The avocado was so buttery and smooth - never before tasted like this, though we regularly buy avocados. He mentioned that there could be as many as 300 varieties of avocados!!
Day 5 - Big Island - Kona Coffee Farm Tour
Kona coffee is the market name for coffee (Coffea arabica) cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Only coffee from the Kona Districts can be described as "Kona". The weather of sunny mornings, cloud or rain in the afternoon, little wind and mild nights combined with porous, mineral-rich volcanic soil, creates favorable coffee growing conditions. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
At Greenwell farms, we saw coffee fields and the processing facilities.
Day 5 - Big Island - Atlantis Submarine Ride
The submarine ride was planned in the last minute - the night before the trip. After we reached Kona late in the evening and had our food at Kamana Indian, we decided to do something very relaxing that doesn't involve a lot of travel. Just across the street from Kona Seaside was the submarine ride. It was not a bad ride - the sub took us down to about 105 ft to the ocean floor where we saw a lot of corals, fishes and a Shark silently settled without any movement on the ocean floor (apparently subdued by a bunch of other predatory fishes swimming around!). We also saw a WWII era boat (similar to ones that were used for Normandy invasion).
Day 5 - Big Island - Kekaha Kai State Park
Day 5 - Big Island - Kekaha Kai State Park
Kona area had a lot of beaches and it was a crowded town too. So, we weren't sure where to go when this beach showed up in our search. It was accessible only through a very rough unpaved road. Our Nissan Versa could handle it, luckily without any damage! The wind in the beach was so strong that the sand flying felt like sand-blasting on our legs! We chose a spot where it wasn't rocky and the waves were moderate. It was so enjoyable to dip into those forceful waves. Amazing!
Day 6 - Big Island - Green and Black Sand Beach
Day 6 was our final day in Big Island before flying to Maui in the evening. We vacated the Kona seaside hotel and had our agenda set on visiting the 'green' sand and 'black' sand beaches before catching our flight at Hilo. Though we had read about the green sand beach, never imagined how secluded and amazing the location of the beach was! The beach is impossible to access without a high profile SUV or an ATV. It was a fun drive to the secluded location. We enjoyed ATV roller coaster ride. On the way to the beach, we drove past the 'Southern-most point of US.
After the Green sand beach, we set out for Black sand beach, which was much better access. Here, we saw a few sea turtles close to the beach sand.
Day 7 - Maui - Haleakala National Park
The very next day that we landed in Kahului of Maui, we decided to go to Haleakala for Sunrise. It was an ordeal, but worth it, once you see the sunrise from atop the summit at Haleakala. The drive up and down was very scenic with diverse landscapes all in one trip.
Day 7 - Maui - Iao Valley Park
January 16, 2014
After the trip to Haleakala, we relaxed for few hours at the hotel and decided to go to some nearby sites, the first of which is Iao State Park. I wouldn't call Hawaii state parks being maintained as well as the NPS, but it is compensated by the natural beauty of the landscapes and locations. Iao is one such place where the beauty speaks for itself. It was a gorgeous place with waterfalls, streams and peaks.
Day 7 - Maui - Drive to Lahaina
After a short hike in the Iao state park, we still had time to kill. So, took a drive to Lahai'na. It was a beach town with lot of eateries. We had late lunch at Maui Tacos, a reasonably good restaurant and took a stroll along the beach road. It was a wonderful day with lots of sunshine. Lappert's ice-cream was great in that sunny afternoon. Decided to retire in a beach on the way back to the hotel and luckily it was one of the best sunsets that we saw there!
Day 8 - Maui - Road to Hana
Although Hāna is only about 52 miles (84 km) from Kahului, it takes about 2.5 hours to drive when no stops are made as the highway is very winding and narrow and passes over 59 bridges, 46 of which are only one lane wide. There are approximately 620 curves along Route 360 from just east of Kahului to Hāna, virtually all of it through lush, tropical rainforest. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
It was a wonderful drive, but in our opinion, one day wasn't sufficient to do the trip in a relaxed manner. By the time we drove close to Hana (still about 8 miles to Hana), we saw an eatery serving Thai food. Apparently, all other food stalls were closed due to New Year's eve. There was one lady making Thai food and the waiting time was more than an hour. Since, we wanted to get back before it was dark (was a little apprehensive about driving back in dark), we didn't wait for the food. On the way back, we stopped at a fruit stand - the tender coconut and the sugar cane juice that we had there was so tasty and fulfilling. A hint of lime and ginger made the sugar cane juice unbelievably delicious, especially for an end of the day!
Day 9 -Travel from Maui to Kauai
Day 10 - Kauai - Napali Coast Air Tour
We started the day with an air tour in Kauai, especially to see the Napali coast that is not accessible by roads. But, in addition, the waterfalls and the mountain range along the coastline was gorgeous. The movie Jurassic Park was supposedly shot here.
Day 10 - Kauai - Sunset Catamaran Ride
After the air tour, we went to Hanapepe, had Mexican at Paco's Tacos for lunch, indulged in another Lappert's at their 'Original' location and then came to our Catamaran ride from Port Allen near Eleele. If the waves were calm, the ride could've taken us to the Napali Coast again, but today wasn't the lucky day. We saw some Whales, had a sunset dinner and came back to shore.
Earlier, we saw a poster for Art Night in Hanapepe in the evening. So, we decided to go there after sunset. It was small fair with lot of artists exhibiting painting and sculptures. Interesting to see those in a small town in the middle of nowhere!
Day 11 - Kauai - Iraivan Hindu Temple
The next day, we decided to meet up with our friends at the Hindu Temple before heading north shore. It was amazing to see such a calm and magnificent structure portraying a temple built by somebody from California and being maintained by the monastery with several ascetic priests! Construction was in progress for miniature version of Chidhambaram Temple including a Golden Vimana!
Day 11 - Kauai - Kilauea Lighthouse
On the way to the North shore, we visited the Kilauea Lighthouse which was on a cliff. This region was an established National Wildlife Refuge. We could see several sea birds and their nesting ground along the coast-line. It was a beautiful clear day which made it even more interesting for the bird watching.
Day 11 - Kauai - North Shore and Trails
We had lunch at Princeville and nearby there was a look out for Hanalei Bay. Eventually, by the time we reached the North shore beaches, it was late afternoon. There was a tender coconut vendor right where we parked and the one we bought had so much water that we struggled to finish between the two of us. We couldn't waste it as it was so delicious (for only $5!).
We quickly hiked to the Kalalau trail, trying to hit it before the sunset. Along the way, there were numerous Naval Pazham trees and there where several low hanging branches with fruits. Apparently, no locals and visitors touches those fruits because they don't know about it! We munched some along the way. Once we reached the 0.5 mile mark, it was an unbelievable view! It is the Napali Coast line that we saw from air, but up close and from a different angle!
We didn't proceed further as we know that we wouldn't be able to make it back before dark. By the time sun was setting, we were back at the beach. Gorgeous sunset with light rain in the beach made it even more special. Complimenting this in the foreground was dangerously high surfs in the ocean.
Day 12 - Kauai - Waimea Canyon
The day after we visited the North Shore, we ventured south of Lihue again, went past Hanapepe towards Waimea Canyon. Waimea Canyon is the other side of the Napali Coast.
It is very green and there were a few Waterfalls that you can see from look out points. Some of them are accessible via trails, but most trails need to be planned ahead to account for the time and strenuous nature. We did the Cliff Trail on the way back.
Day 12 - Kauai - Pihea Trail
Pihea Trail is a trail in Koke'e State Park. The trail head states that it is one of the wettest on the earth! Adding to that fact is the steep slopes along the trail. It was a tricky hike. About quarter mile into the hike you get to see beautiful view of the Kalalau Valley. We didn't continue much further into the trail as it was strenuous and slippery because of the wetness. I am sure a whole day hike through the trail would've been very beautiful.
On the way back, we decided to venture into another trail that took us to a lookout for Waimea Canyon region. Further ahead in a mile, we would've reached the top of a waterfall, but it was getting late and we decided to cut short our hike.
Day 12 - Kauai - South Shore - Poipu Beach
Climbing down the Waimea Canyon on Route 550, we saw a clear day and the sun was setting. So, we decided to resign to a beach where we could see the sunset. Poipu Beach was a slight detour on our way back to the hotel. It was another amazing sunset at the Poipu beach. Poipu itself was a nice little town with several resorts. We dined in Poipu for dinner before getting back to hotel. Poipu tropical burgers was an 'okay' place to dine (the service was very mediocre).
Day 13 - Kauai - Wailua River and Kauai Coffee Farm
This was our last day in Kauai and in fact, Hawaii (or so we believed!). Since our flight was only in late afternoon, we decided to visit the Wailua falls and Opaeka'a Falls, both of which were very accessible for viewing from the roads.
After that, we decided to have lunch at an Indian restaurant - Shivalik. It was a very bad choice and nothing more to elaborate. We still had time. So, decided to get some Kauai Coffee. The Coffee varieties were great and it tasted great too! We bought some to bring back home and called it a day for our Hawaiian vacation!
Day 14,15,16 - Back to Mainland
If you were wondering why it took 3 days to get to mainland, take a guess! No, not the weather. We got to Hilo from Kauai without any issues, but it was a mechanical snag in our United flight from Hilo to LAX that led to a cancellation. This cascaded into losing all our connecting flights. The Polar vortex had already caused several cancellations and delays in the mid-west and east coast. Eventually, we did get back home, but 2 days later with a missing checked-in luggage, which, luckily got delivered couple days later at our home!
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