Hawaii Day 2

This morning we did our best to prove we weren't affected by the time difference by waking up at 5am. Around 7 we finally decided to give up and get our day started. It's a good thing we did, because a short time later we were serenaded by the sweet sounds of a very nearby helicopter, which had apparently landed on our balcony to airlift an in-heat female cat out of the bushes a few floors below.

So we got going and headed down highway 19 towards Hilo, with Heather dealing with the symptoms of her possibly vog related hives along the way. First stop was Umauma Falls and the World Botanical Garden.





I think the WBG might be suffering from delusions of grandeur with that name, but there were some cool giant trees and other strange/exotic plants. Heather was taken by the flowers, as she usually is. I'm pretty sure the ginormous peace lilies were her favorite. Umauma Falls is on the grounds of the WBG and has the distinction of being the only waterfall in the state that you have to pay admission to see. There's more to it than that of course and the three-tiered falls were worth checking out.

Next was Akaka Falls, a little further up 19 and a little closer to Hilo. Of the two falls we saw today, this one was definitely the best. Check out that 420 foot drop - good stuff! Akaka is probably the coolest waterfall I've seen and that has nothing (or very little) to do with the mongoose we saw running around the viewing area. Kahuna Falls is in the same area, but unfortunately the walking path was under construction so we didn't get to see it. Hard to believe it could be better than Akaka, so maybe it wasn't that big of a loss.



After a quick lunch stop @ the Woodshop Gallery and Cafe in Honomu (kickass mango chicken and tropical salad) we finally pulled into Hilo Airport for our helicopter tour and date with Pele.

If you know anyone who has been to Hawaii, especially the big island, they've probably raved about taking a helicopter tour around the island. After taking one this afternoon, we can see why many people consider it the best part of their trip. We flew up close to waterfalls, across huge black lava fields, over what was left of the Royal Gardens subdivision, and along the crater of the Pu'u 'o'o vent. Hard to pick one highlight, especially when we were fortunate enough to see lava in two separate areas, including one spot where it was flowing into the ocean and causing small explosions of water and solidified lava to blast into the air.

Did I mention we saw lava? And it was amazing? Ok - did I mention that we did all of this in a helicopter with no doors?





We heard that Volcanoes National Park was closed again today due to the toxic fumes spewing from Kilauea. Fingers are crossed that it will be open in the next few days so we can check it out. Heather also wanted me to mention the four pairs of hitch-hiking hippies we saw between Waimea and Hilo and the fact that there are not one, or even two reggae stations available on the big island. There are three - is there any other place outside of Jamaica that even has one?