Hawaii - Day 8 (O'ahu)

Our last full day in Hawaii. This time we took a road trip south and west. First stop was Diamond Head, so called because it sparkles like a diamond. Sadly they are not real diamonds, just calcite crystals embedded in the rock.

Waikiki Beach and Honolulu

Diamond Head was used as an Artillery Observation Post in 1908. Relics still remain like this observation bunker.

Old Artillery Observation Post - Daimond Head

From the car park inside the near perfect circular crater, the trail to the summit takes about 2 hours. It passes through parts of the old artillery fortifications. A flashlight is handy for the tunnel sections.

Switchbacks inside Diamond Head Crater

After Diamond Head we drove along the southern coastal road around the island. The seas were rougher on the south but beaches were few and far between.

Breaking Waves

A lone ligthhouse watches over the rugged south coast.

Lone Lighthouse

After driving around the southern coast we cut back across the island to Honolulu and went for a obligatory swim at Waikiki beach. I took the waterproof Olympus camera for a swim too.

Hnonlulu and Daimond Head

Later that night I took a few long exposure night shots of Honolulu from our hotel.

Honolulu

That's it from Hawaii. We fly back to Japan early tomorrow morning. Just one short week here. However it's a fascinating place that I would like to come back to some day. Etsuko really wants to visit Maui next time.

Hawaii - Day 7 (O'ahu)

Today was our first day to look around O'ahu Island. We have two days here so we chose to take a road trip around the north and west half of the island.

Cutting straight across the island from Honolulu, our first stop was Byodo-in Temple in the Valley of Temples. It's actually a 3/4 size recreation of a temple in Japan. I've seen the original in Kyoto but this one is much more colourful. This temple also features on the Japanese 10 yen coin.

Reconstructed Byodo-in Temple - Hawaii

After that, we took a drive around the coast line heading to the world class north shore surfing beaches. It's a bit flat for surfing today. Apparently the big waves develop from winter storms to the north.

Tropical Hawaiian Waters

Apart from the beaches, the mountains that make up Hawaii are fantastic, rugged yet green.

Rugged Green Mountains

There are plenty of rocky outcrops along the coast. Still no big waves though.

Rocky Coastline

Some volcanic rock pools. The inner area is shallow enough for some good snorkeling and there were a few divers on the seaside too.

Rock Pools

Some locals were enjoying the rock pools on a hot afternoon.

Hawaiian Children Playing Around

I spend an hour or two swimming around in these rock pools and then watched the sun set.

Hawaiian Sunset

Hawaii - Day 6

Today was our last day on the Big Island. Our flight to O'ahu was in the afternoon so we had the morning for some last minute sightseeing.

We spent the morning at the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. To get there we crossed some older lava flows that are starting to regenerate. It'll be another few hundred years before this volcanic rock breaks down enough for farming though.

The Pu'ukohola Heiau (temple) that was converted into a fortress to protect the harbour below.

Pu'ukohola Temple Fortress

After that we visited another historic site that contains thousands of ancient petroglyphs. The original meaning of all these carvings has been lost to antiquity.

Hawaiian Petroglyphs

Some interesting plant foliage along the coast of Hawaii near where we stopped for lunch.

Hawaiian Vegitation

Finally the hour of our flight back to O'hau arrived.

Leaving the Big Island

Our adventure is not over yet. We still have two days to look around O'hau.

After checking into our new hotel we headed down to Waikiki beach. A statue to Hawaii's most famous sportsman stands at the entrance to the beach. He's a 5 times Olympic swimming medalist and credited with the spread of surfing world wide.

Statue of Duke Kahanamoku

While watching the sun go down we watched a free performance of the hula dance.

Hula Dancers

Hawaii - Day 5 (Big Island)

We spent today kayaking and snorkeling around Kealakekua Bay. People often see dolphins here but we weren't so lucky. It's also famous (or infamous) as the place where Captain James Cook met his maker.

Loading up the rental with a couple of kayaks.

Rental with Kayaks

We arrived at the boat ramp on the south side of the bay for a leisurely 2.5 km kayak across the bay to the site of captain Cook's demise.

Etsuko and I Kayaking across Kealakekua Bay

But first it was some lunch and snorkeling.

Reef and Fish Life of Kealalekua Bay

Self portrait with my new Olympus underwater camera. Great for snorkeling and around beaches.

Self Portrait

More of the fish life around the reef.

Reef Fish

Kealakekua Bay has a spring that flows into the ocean. It's a little salty but still quite drinkable unlike the water on the far side of the rocks (top right).

Fresh Water Spring

The monument erected on the site where Captain Cook was killed by Hawaiian natives after overstaying his welcome.

Monument to Captain James Cook

Finally it was time to head back across the bay. But to start with we had to negotiate a few lava rocks and waves as we head off our landing and out into the bay.

Kealakekua Bay from the north

Hawaii - Day 4 (Big Island)

Today we woke to another overcast morning. We visited the Historical Capital of king Kamehameha I. Not much remains as most of the land around is now owned by a hotel. This is a replica of 'Ahu'ena Heiau, the king's personal temple.

'Ahu'ena Heiau

For the rest of the day I took a tour to the top of Mauna Kea, the biggest of the 5 volcanoes that make up the Big Island. To get there we took a road to the saddle between Mouna Loa and Mauna Kea. We stopped here for a short walk around an old lava flow and this ancient Hawaiian stone structure.

Prehistoric Stone Structure

Since Mauna Kea is 4205m high we stopped at the visitors centre (2800m) for a few hours "acclimatisation" which should reduce the risk of any altitude sickness. We were also allowed to walk around the area and being above the clouds we were afforded some stunning views.

Clouds stretch across The Saddle

Lava rocks above the visitor's centre and clouds. Those hills are pressure buildups that didn't end violently.

Disfigured Lava Rocks

Finally we get to drive to the summit. We were on the summit for about half an hour tops. It was quite short but also well timed to catch the sunset and avoid any altitude problems.

Sunset from Mauna Kea

The Gemini Observatory (north) opening it's doors in preparation for a nights work. It's owned by several countries, including Australia. There is a second (south) Observatory in Chile which together provide almost complete coverage of northern and southern skies.

Sunset on Gemini Observatory North

After the sunset we returned to the visitor's centre and did a little star gazing ourselves. However our equipimet was much smaller than what these scientists get to play with.

Hawaii - Day 3 (Big Island)

Today was another road trip. this time visiting sites down the west coast.

Hale o Keawe Temple

First up was a visit to Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. It's an interesting Hawaiian archaeological and historical site that preserves several traditional Hawaiian buildings as well as display some reconstructed ones like the temple above.

Palm Tree

A palm tree with a traditional Hawaiian wall behind.

Hawaiian Road

A Hawaiian road lined with late summer flowering plants.

Green Turtle

Next up was a visit to Punalu'u Beach, also known as Black Sands Beach because of it's volcanic basalt rock. It's also a popular place to see turtles up close.

Kilauea Caldera

The Kilauea Caldera, one of the largest active volcanic Calderas in the world. This Halema'uma'u Crater is about 6 km in diameter.

Steam & Sulphur vent

Steam mixed with Sulphur dioxide escaping from a vent along the rim of the Halema'uma'u Caldera.

Halema'uma'u Crater

Sulphur dioxide spewing forth from a vent in the Halema'uma'u Crater within the Kilauea Caldera.

Hawaii - Day 2 (Big Island)

We are based in Kona on the west coast. Today we drove around the island spending most of our time visiting sites down the east coast.

Hawaiian Roads

Driving across the top of the island and then down the east coast.

Waipio Coastline

Hawaii's dramatic north east coastline as cliffs drop into the ocean.

Akaka Falls

The east coast has several notable waterfalls that we wanted to visit. The Akaka falls are 129m high.

Tropical Flower

One of several interesting tropical flowers we found around the falls.

The Top - Akaka Falls

Another totally different angle of Akaka Falls.

Lonely Tree

A single tree resists the wind on a plateau above the east coast of the Big Island.

Volcanic Rocks -

Waves crash over volcanic rocks along the east coast of the Big Island.

Rainbow Falls

A trickle of water over Rainbow Falls. No rainbow today though.