Kona
These pictures were taken from a place called “Chillin’ on the Bay” in Kona City.
Puʻu ʻŌʻō Volcano
I took the helicopter ride over the big island and they flew over the magma flows. From the helicopter we could smell sulfur and feel the heat from below.
Pe’epe’e Falls
Umauma Falls
Waipai’o Valley
The scene in this valley is fantastic.
Whales
The helicopter flew around three whales that were near the surface. They look close, but I’m using a 250mm telephoto lens for these photos.
Pololu Valley Lookout
Here are some pictures from the Pololu Valley lookout. There is a hiking trail that leads to the beach at the bottom of the cliff. I walked part of this trail, but didn’t have time to go the distance. On the bucket list.
Telescopes
The Moana Kea Observatories can easily be seen from the Western side of the big island.
Sunset
Adventure Tour
We signed up for the bus tour around the island. It started with a stop at black beach where we could see large tortoises.
Thomas A. Jaggar Museum
The bus dropped us off at the Jagger Museum, which is built right in front of the Kilauea Caldera. There was news that in 2018 the museum might not reopen since it was built on an extremely unstable ledge.
Thurston Lava Tube
The bus stopped at the Thurston Lava Tube and we were able to get out and walk through the tube.
Orchids
The bus dropped us off at Akatsuka Orchid Gardens. Some of these flowers look like they came from an alien planet.
Big Island Candies
Switching Buses
Our tour bus stopped at a shopping plaza (in Waimea). You can see the Village Burger sign in these pictures. The bus tour was completed and passengers that only paid for the bus tour were driven back to their resort. We purchased an extra tour of a ranch that included dinner. They had a small bus that comes down to this shopping center and picks up those of us that packed our schedule for the day.
Kahua Ranch
I wasn’t sure how a trip to a ranch would be, since I was in my Hawaii mood. It turned out to be one of the best parts of the Big Island. The meal was excellent. The entertainment was outstanding. They had activities, such as lassoing (which they help teach you how to do it). They had a comedy act with a very large pig. They had a cowboy outfit that you can try on and take pictures (see last photo). Unfortunately, it was dark, so I don’t have a lot of photos that came out good.
Canoe Races
These photos are from Kona looking out over the ocean to the West.
