If it weren’t for jetlag, we would have gotten an extra hour
of sleep. But, traveling 5 hours behind the last time had to have some effect!
We started the day at around 6 AM HST, which is about 11 AM
CST. After fully waking up, we decided that the first thing we would do is go
to the pool. At around 6:40 AM, we were ready to swim in the pool until we
realized that the pool doesn’t open until 8 AM. That meant we had quite a bit
of time before we could get into the pool.
We took a stroll next to the ocean and settled at a
beautiful spot on the cooled lava rocks. We took some awesome pictures and talked
a bit. After a bit more waiting and strolling, the pool was finally open. The
pool was great! At first, it was quite cold, but after a bit, we got used to
it. We needed to get ready for our booked snorkeling event (sometime soon!), and
we had lots of fun. We enjoyed some eggs, toast, and pancakes at a nearby restaurant
called “Hula Hula.”
Afterward, we were ready to hit the road. We first visited
the Kaumana Caves, where we entered two dark, wet lava tubes with rich,
life-filled entrances. We descended the steep concrete steps to enter the caves,
and even though the caves go for miles, we only stayed in the caves for ten
minutes. Still, the experience was terrific.
Next, we went to Rainbow Falls, a vast waterfall leading to Wailuku
River. As the name intends, this waterfall is known for rainbows.
Unfortunately, the sun wasn’t out, so we didn’t see any rainbows. Even further disappointing,
the trail to reach the top lookout of the falls was closed due to COVID-19. Two
of us had seen the waterfall a long time ago, and they were a bit disappointed with
not being able to go to the trail.
Fortunately, our next destination was Volcano National Park,
a national park with many trails and pathways for sightseeing. After lunch, we
headed to the park, where we went on many routes. We learned about how the steam
vents from the ground and how the 2018 eruptions changed everything. We even went
all the way down to the coast to see the cooled lava expand the island.
We first walked down the trail to see the Sulphur Banks,
where the steam came out of the ground! It was smelly but fascinating. We made
sure to stay on the path because you could get scorched from the steam if you
break the ground. We then drove on the Crater Rim Drive to see the huge crater created
from the volcano collapse in 2018, in addition to previous eruptions.
After that, we drove up and down to see all the points high in
the sky. It was windy! We even saw the edge of the ocean and kept driving to
see the end. It was getting dark as we reached the ocean, and we took a walk to
the end to see the Hōlei Sea Arch. It was beautiful, and we were thrilled with
our day. We then took the long drive out of the park and to the hotel to retire
for the night. Tomorrow – High in the sky!
Nice pictures :)
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