Beach Camping!

It's nice to get away once in a while, to immerse ourselves in different surroundings, gain perspective and appreciation for home, and to indulge in letting go of the day-to-day cares and responsibilities for a time.  So when the kids invited us to join them in a family beach-camping weekend at the beginning of the month, we leapt at the opportunity.  Besides, it had been years since our last camp-out.  High time to do it again!

We met up at Spencer's Beach Park, near Kawaihae on the other side of the island.  The kids had chosen a perfect spot right under a huge shady tree.  Believe me, shade is important on the hot dry side of the island!  The main camping area was pretty crowded, but we were a little away from that, across the paved path and near the rarely-used tennis/basketball court.



A's new Giant Inflatable Rainbow Pegasus became our campsite's mascot. We pitched our tent next to their's and hit the beach.  I dove right into the warm calm Pacific - and thus baptised, I was really feeling the beach camping groove.

Oh yeah, this beach has sand - lots of sand! - unlike our mostly rocky shoreline and pebbly lava beaches on the windward side of the Big Island.  I love that feeling under my feet!  Of course, it is prime sandcastle material, too.  A and I also created some fantastical sand gardens as well.

Being on the west side of the island gave us a chance to see a spectacular sunset.  No green flash, but the colors were stunning!  We wondered if the lone sailboat would make it into the harbor as the light was fading and the waves were high.  It did, eventually.

Night comes quickly in the tropics - not much in the way of twilight as the sun goes down in a more direct path and on the actual horizon.  All was calm, the stars were bright, and we soon drifted off to sleep with the lull of ocean waves.

Then, about midnight, the winds started up.  Mike and I had camped at Spencer's a couple times before so we knew about these nighttime downslope winds... however, we had completely forgotten how incredibly forceful they could be!  There was a constant patter of leaves and twigs from our lovely huge tree overhead.  The Giant Inflatable Rainbow Pegasus had to be deflated and stowed in the van.  I must have missed that happening as I kept dreaming of it flying out to sea during my intermittent fits and starts of sleep.  I was not the only one awake during this long tormented night; throughout the entire campground people were retrieving and securing loose items left outside and repounding tent stakes.  At least our tents stayed up - there were a couple that completely collapsed with broken frames.

But oh, the feeling of an early morning dip in the ocean!  The water was so calm after last night's extra-high tide plus storm swell waves that washed the entire beach clean and even splashed into the stone pavilion!  Aches and tiredness from the long windy night were (mostly) washed away.

Later in the morning, we all hiked from Spencer's to Pu'uKuhola Heiau Historic Site and the shark bay below. No, we didn't go into the water there; it's full of black-tipped reef sharks!  There is an ancient underwater heiau dedicated to the shark god in this bay, according to the informative signage along the trail.  The shady grove of keawe trees offered much-appreciated shade, and thorns - ouch!

It was so hot and dry and brown in this entire area that we were really appreciative of our green and lush and wetter side of the island.  There's no place like home.  And there's nothing like a little time away to make one appreciate it all over again.

Discovering Tide Pools

After a beach bbq picnic and swimming (or rather, lolling about in perfect temperature water) at the warm pond, we thought a nice walk along the shoreline was in order. The kids had never yet explored this stretch of the coast on foot - they had a treat in store! Come along for the stroll...

We start off at one end of Ahalanui Park, through the grove of neatly trimmed coconut palms, and then we enter the jungle...

The grassy trail ends where the lava rock begins.... a little further, and we come upon tidepools.

Acacia finds friendly little hermit crabs. She names each one, but I cannot remember which is Hermie and which is Mishella. We manage to find shells which are unoccupied that she can bring home for her collection.

We watch for whales since it is the season for the humpbacks to be in Hawaiian waters, but we see no telltale sprays or splashes. Fishing boats make their way back towards the Pohoiki ramp.

The huge waves of a couple days ago have simmered down to their more usual amount of energy (else we would not have come out to this shoreline ledge) but we maintain a close watch on them, nonetheless.

We come across a large patch of sand - a rare treat along the Puna coast. It feels so soft underfoot, warmed from the sunshine, and perfect for creating elaborate landscapes of the imagination.

We are lulled by the sunshine, the sound of the waves, the gentle breezes... time passes...
Eventually, it occurs to us that there are chickens to tend to, eggs to collect, things to be done before evening. And so our perfect day at the tidepools comes to an end.

Exploring Kilauea Iki

Mike and I took some time for a little lunch and hike date today, just the two of us. We headed up to Volcanoes National Park, one of our favorite places to hike on the island. The sandwich place we like in Volcano Village is apparently closed on Sundays... and it was a little rainy for a picnic anyway... so we ate at Uncle George's at Volcano House, overlooking the big Kilauea Crater. Here's the view from our table by the window:

Studying the map I'd brought, we were able to find a trail that we had not hiked before: Kilauea Iki Trail. It starts at the Thurston Lava Tube parking area and heads down, down, down to the floor of the Iki crater. There was a lot of foot traffic on this trail, and so many of the people making their way uphill as we were descending were huffing and puffing.

I lost count of the switchbacks as the trail wound its way down the cliff.

 

It looks like a beautiful Japanese rock garden where the trail reaches the base of the cliff. There are the rockfalls, of course, and the hard lava floor broken into huge slabs as the lava cooled... and then there are scores of ahu (piles of rocks to mark a particular spot, or as in this case, a trail) dotting the area - pretty and interesting, as long as you can find the actual trail. Of course, we had no trouble finding our way to the crater floor.

Due to time constraints, we made it only about halfway across, to the first steaming crack. But that just means we get to return for further explorations!

 
We left ourselves an hour for the return (uphill) trip - but it took only half that time. It was quite a morale boost that I only needed to stop for a breather one time coming up that long steep trail!

We had a really fun day exploring this beautiful area.

Hiking in the Desert

The drought is officially over, at last, and we have been getting lots and lots and LOTS of rain. Yep, our normal winter weather has returned with a vengeance. I hear there's snow on Mauna Kea again--quite low down, too--but we sure can't see it from here with all these low dark clouds.

After a week of nothing but drippy wetness, high humidity, and chilly temperatures, I was very ready for a change of scenery. We decided to take advantage of the cloud cover and explore the Ka'u Desert.

The Big Island of Hawaii is unique in many ways, not least because it has 13 of the world's 15 climate zones. In theory, if you get tired of one climate, it's only a short drive to another. We drive through this desert area on our way to South Point or when we beach camp at Ho'okena... but we had never taken the time to stop and explore. Usually it's a scorching hot area, but with recent rains (not as much as we've been getting in Pahoa, but still...) the desert was fairly green and full of flowers.

We found the trail head alongside the highway, and began our explorations of this remote part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The high cloud cover was welcome and the vog plume from Halema'uma'u was blowing off in a different direction. The air was cool, the winds moderate. Perfect hiking conditions!

It was so quiet. There are far fewer birds out there; mostly it's the wind you hear. The scenery was stark and beautiful. Ohia grew twisted by the wind into fantastic shapes and covered with bright red Lehua blossoms, thanks to the recent rains.

At first, the Ka'u Desert Trail winds through 400-year-old a'a lava. Then suddenly, it drops to a pahoehoe flow that gradually gives way to sand. The particles are black and green. I bet it's scorching when the sun beats down.

Acacia is a fun hiking companion. Her long legs and high energy easily keep up with the big people, and she has that wondering wandering spirit, just like her Grammy. What's beyond that outcropping? Where does this path lead? Can I get to the top of that hill? Parts of the trail are marked only by ahu, or rock piles. Acacia quickly learned to scan for the next ahu to lead us further along our way.

This is also the area where ancient footprints have been preserved in volcanic mud. We were underwhelmed upon seeing them, semi-preserved under a pavilion. It's hard to tell what you're looking at, but the idea of the ancients trekking through this same area way back when resonated with us as we meandered about and found further prints in the solidified old mud. These latter have been circled by rocks that hikers have placed to protect the artifacts, and they seem to have fared somewhat better than the ones under shelter.

There are several wadi (I'm sure there must be a Hawaiian word for this geological feature, but I don't know it) where it's clear that flash floods rush through. The rocks are scoured and even undercut in some places.

We enjoyed a little picnic - two, in fact! It's hard to resist when a friendly rock invites you to sit a spell.

The path goes on and on, part of a backcountry trail system. I have no doubt we'll be back for further explorations on another overcast day.