We decided to splurge on a helicopter tour of the island. It was well worth it!
We started by flying over the lava fields from the 2022 eruption, which destroyed a few roads that have yet to be repaired because the ground remains hot for so long.
Along the way, you also see many army training sites- tough environment for training, but I guess that’s the point.
This morning, the weather was clear, so we got nice views of Mona Kea - the tallest one, which has observatories on top because it has such a clear view to the sky, and Mona Loa, which is much bigger but not as tall and still considered active.
We got very near Kilauea and flew right above the plume, which is very strong right now, so you can’t really see the caldera itself.
We also saw many small exciting volcanoes, and the signs of more recent lava flows.
We then went to the east coast of the island to see the famous cliffs and water falls - the falls are 2000 feet high at some points. They do not start in lakes or river, but simply as the overflow from all the rain that side of the island receives.
Which explains why that side is so lush and tropical. The valleys we flew through were like something out of a movie. In fact, they have been used for many movies- including Jurassic park, and you would not be that surprised to see a dinosaur or two just poke their head out of the foliage.
We landed at the base of one of the falls (top picture) right by the rocky ocean. This is a spot that is not accessible any other way, making it really special.
On the way back, we flew over the large cattle ranches that have been a big part of the Big Island economy for a long time (so was sugar, but that stopped in the 1990’s - they just could not compete). But cattle is still big (the little black dots on the picture are cows).
In the afternoon, I first went to the petroglyphs park that happens to be right next to the hotel and one of the biggest and most important petroglyphs sites in Hawaii. It’s a tough and hot trail across the lava fields, that goes to a large area (maybe the size of a football field) completely covered with petroglyphs.
Most are basic human figures.
Some are more complex, with eyes and fingers or hair,
some are entire families and some are animals.
No one has any idea what they represent, who carved them and why. They date from around the 1500’th, but why people (who did not have thick soled shoes) walked across the sharp lave field, in an area without any water to do this is unknown. It was a hot walk even for me, but super cool!!!
Walking back from the petroglyphs, I shot this picture of our hotel, showing how it really stands on a lava field….
Then went to the little beach in front of the hotel, expecting just a nice swim, but then I saw that people were snorkeling around the breakers and decided to try it too. What a treat! Not only is there a huge variety of tropical fish, but I almost ran into a sea turtle!!! Of course, I had forgotten to take my underwater camera…. I will try again tomorrow, which will probably cause the turtles to stay away….. But there still should be lots of cool fish!
We went for a sunset cruise, not expecting much because it was cloudy. But we still got a very pretty view of Maui (the next island in the archipelago), and then…. The clouds opened and we were treated to the most magnificent sunset ever! (No, really- i have seen many beautiful sunsets…. This was truly remarkable- none of these pictures are filtered).
Here are pictures of the birds of today: Saffron finch, common waxbill and pacific golden plower
The mammal of the day is the goat ( which were a gift from captain Cooke and have become quite a nuisance. I also saw a mongoose, which are also a problem (they were introduced to kill rats but instead kill native birds), but could not take its picture.
And here are a few more pictures from the helicopter ride.
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