Posted on by Sue DeMaggio

The Big Island

I just realized, we have talked a lot about the areas of the Big Island. This map may help you get the big picture. Excuse the strip across, just a printer error. But it does highlight where Kona is, right on the left end of it. The volcano right behind our resort is Hualalai It’s a 2.5 hr drive down to Volcanos National Park or over to Hilo

Posted on by Sue DeMaggio · 3 Comments

Hawaiian birds we’ve seen

  • It’s mating season! The wings of the have white and they are really showing it off her!
  • He checked me out!
Saffron finches, yellow break cardinals, Java sparrow, zebra doves, common mynah, night heron, and the state bird, the Nene. This is the first time I’ve seen a small
Flock of them!
Of course, the feral chickens are everywhere, and we saw a plover or two
Posted on by Sue DeMaggio

Volcano destruction

After our night in Volcano, HI, we drove thru the Leilani Estates and down to the south eastern coast of the island to see the destruction of the Fissure 8 eruption in May of 2018. Over 700 homes were destroyed and miles of land covered with lava, floating into the sea to enlarge the island.

For for perspective, here is the USGS map of where we were. We drove over the 3 flows near MacKenzie on that road, and the Coastal pictures are from asking there. The black sand beach is at Isaac Hale Park, where you can see where the Flow met the ocean there to create more island.

We stopped for lunch at Pepe’s Kitchen, in Pahoa, a small typically Hawaiian town close to the Leilani Estates. We met the proprietor who told us a bit about the destruction and made us a Hawaiian boat, a traditional gift from the native to the foreigner to bring them back to Hawaii again! He also made the most Beautiful locomoco and blintzes.

  • Hawaiian Cacao
Posted on by Sue DeMaggio

Our Volcanos National Park trip

We decided to stay near Volcano, HI one night so we could take in more of the park and the devastation of the 2018 eruption in Leilani Estates. Our drive down the island of course had to include a stop at the Punalu’u Bakery and the black sand beach. Sorry, we gobbled down the malasadas before we could take a picture! They made a great dessert for our picnic lunch at the beach. Near Sea Mountain Resort, at the golf course, we saw a flock of Nene, Hawaii ‘s state bird.

Our next stop was the national park and the Kilauea volcano summit. Since the lava lake is low right now, the bases enjoyed and the glow at night were minimal, but still interesting!