Exploring Puna

South of Hilo and beyond the town of Pahoa we found the Lava Tree State Park. Here, we saw lava trees which had been formed when fast flowing lava (pahoehoe), encountered wet trees. As the flow drains away, it leaves a thick coating around the dying tree. We saw evidence of this at the Park, most of these free-standing tubes are moss covered. We sauntered around the park for a while marvelling at the huge chasms created during the explosive eruption of 1790. We also saw some amazing monkey-pod trees so large they dominated the area. Past Lava Trees, the canopy of trees is absolutely lovely.

Continuing south we made our way to one of the the more unusual locations on the Big Island. Dozens and dozens of spring-fed, brackish pools and tide-pools, some volcanically heated and strewn throughout the area known as the Kapoho Tide-pools.
Great place for snorkelling (although we didn't on this occasion).

Farther down the Highway is Ahalanui - a spring-fed and ocean-fed pool with a manmade wall and an inlet separating it from the ocean. Billed as a "real gem" in our guide book we could not help but be disappointed. The pool and surrounds were tatty and not particularly inviting. We didn't stop for long and decided to continue our trip following the quiet and quite beautiful Puna highway, mostly untouched and exceptionally beautiful.

We arrived at Isaac Hale Beach Park where local fishermen launch their boats. We took the shoreline trail and found, in the vine-covered jungle (but only 40 ft from the ocean!), a small warm water pool, the settting is stunning!

Continuing along the shoreline we could see that this part was covered by a lava flow in 1790.

Finally and at the end of the road we were confronted with the consequences of the current Kilauea eruption. A rolling sea of hardened lava stretched in front of us. This particular flow occurred in 1990 and the sheer size and scale of the lava flow left us speechless.

We walked for 10 minutes or so straight out across the lava and found the new black sand beach. From the beach we could look back and see the top of Pu'u'Oo and the source of all the lava.

Hamakua & Waimea Sights

Heading north out of Hilo took us on a lovely coastal highway. The area all along this coast was dotted with surfers, riding the huge waves.



We past the Hawai'i Tropical Botanical Garden which is situated on a scenic route and decided to keep this for another day, as we felt it warranted a visit all on its own.

We travelled on through former sugar land to Akaka Falls.


This waterfall is 420 feet, and to get to it we walked through lush vegetation and streams. It had just stopped raining when we got there, so all the ferns and plants were dripping with water.






We stopped in a small village and had lunch sat in the sun at pavement cafe. We watched the little community going about its business. There were some strange folk, one even walking down the road in his dressing gown and not a lot else. Luckily there was a friendly cop nearby, who was obviously well used to this sort of behaviour.

We chatted to a lady who owned the Woodshop Gallery, she is from New Zealand, and we gave her our card for future house sitting opportunities. Never miss an opportunity.

Instead of taking the new highway which was once a railway line, which got swept away in the 1946 tsunami, and was later made into the present day highway, we took the old road which winds around the mountainside, going down to little coves where people were surfing in the big waves. There are lots of picnic tables and BBQ areas in these spots.

The road winds on through vine-filled forest, down to ruins of an old sugar mill which was destroyed in the tsunami.


We had to cross over a river bed and then climb up the other side and then carried on passing huge gulches full of ferns and huge palms, with waterfalls dotted all along the way.

Back onto the old road again we drove past small clusters of houses with little post offices and shops, outposts of pioneer towns. The little streets were flanked by sugar land, old bridges and vine-covered trees. The bird song is very loud in these parts, it is like stepping back in time.

Before the highway was put in it took many days to get from Hilo to Waipi'o Valley. On horseback it was a harrowing ride having to be plunged down and then trudge up gulch after gulch, fording raging streams on a terrified horse.

We also saw the spot where a barge full of Toyotas broke loose from its tug and washed ashore in 1985. We can remember this news item at the time.

Rainbow Falls

The nearest attraction to our house is Rainbow Falls. These falls change dramatically depending on the water flow. We had had quite a downpour of rain the previous night so on our first day of exploring we headed out to see them.

The best time to catch sight of a rainbow is in the morning with the sun behind us, but although dry, the sky was overcast so the rainbow stayed hidden.

There was a footpath to the side of the falls which took us into a forest of banyan trees. These trees are huge, people were climbing in them, can you spot them?

There is a huge cave below the falls where Kamehameha is said to have buried the bones of his father.

Hawaii island and Hilo

The Island of Hawai'i is also called the Big Island or Hawai'i Island and is a volcanic island (the eastern-most and southern-most in the Hawaiian islands chain) in the North Pacific Ocean. It is the largest of all the other Hawaiian Islands and is the largest island in the United States. Traditionally, Hawai'i is known as the "Big Island" to reduce confusion between Hawai'i Island and the state.

The Big Island has it all. Nowhere else in the world will you find the diversity available here. Pristine rain forests, lava deserts, world-class beaches, snow-covered mountains, an active volcano and dazzling sunsets.

Hilo, where we are based until 7th April, is a charming mix of old and new Hawai'i. Once a thriving town bolstered by limitless sugar revenues, the demise of the sugar industry has kept Hilo in a time warp. Though a full-fledged city, things move slower here, and the community is tight. They've been through a lot. Lashed by tsunamis, threatened by lava flows, racked by a changing economy, Hilo has withstood it all. Hilo is also a strikingly beautiful town. Abundant rains give the flora a healthy sheen that soothes the soul.

Au Revoir Canada, Aloha Hawaii

The mid-afternoon ferry crossing took us from Duke Point on Vancouver Island to Vancouver where we spent the night at an airport hotel before our Air Canada flight which would take us to Honolulu.
Security at the airport was high and we underwent numerous checks, paper and physical(!), including the all new full body scan!
Thankfully, the airport was not too busy and it took just under an hour to complete security and cross customs into the US!
Our flight was on time and was bumpy all the way to Honolulu thanks to some high cloud.
We managed to get some fairly decent aerial shots on approach in to Honolulu, our first glimpse of the islands!

Our inter-island flight via Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu to Hilo was on time and uneventful.

Our hosts met us outside the arrivals hall and we made our way to our new place where we enjoyed a glass of wine and met our 2 new charges, Sadie and Frieda!

A Pot Luck Supper, a birthday and a week of farewells!

Since our Pot Luck Supper last Sunday, we have been busy packing up, saying farewells and travelling by car, ferry and airplane.

We invited friends we have made on Vancouver Island to a Pot Luck supper - we were pleased that almost everyone we had met over the past 5 months was able to join us which gave us an opportunity to thank them all for their welcome, support and friendship during our stay. We sincerely hope we will be able to return to the island at some point in the not too distant future and revisit the local Oceanside community and our dear friends.



The Pot Luck itself was a real success! The dishes that people brought were both delicious and plentiful, lots of vegetarian options and very tasty too! We will not forget the generosity and warmth shown to us by so many in such a short spell of time - thanks to one and all!












March 23rd was Della's 45th birthday(!). Lunch was at the local restaurant "Rawthenticity" (http://www.rawthenticeatery.com)
and where we enjoyed wraps stuffed with carrot, beets, bean sprouts and falafel accompanied by a kale salad. Della continued the healthy theme with a wheatgrass drink(!), it was a vivid green and smelt of grass (well, it would!).
She says she would prefer a G & T next time!!

The remainder of our week was spent packing up and enjoying time with Angus and our new friends mainly eating and drinking(!), before we left Qualicum for the ferry crossing to Vancouver on Thursday.

A Wildlife Spectacle

In Spring, coinciding with the arrival of the Brant geese there is another wildlife spectacle; the Pacific herring spawn. This abundant food source attracts tens of thousands of water birds and marine mammals to the beaches and bays in Parksville and Qualicum.

Pacific herring lay their eggs on seaweed such as eelgrass. The spawning of millions of herring turns the colour of the water a turqoise hue and the surf turns foamy white as it breaks onto the beaches - it is quite a sight.



















We ventured out to French Creek, the local fishing harbour and



















we were lucky enough to see lots of harbour seals and sea lions feasting on the herring along with more gulls than we have ever encountered!

Black Brant Goose

Lately we have seen flocks of Black Brant geese along the shores of Parksville/Qualicum Beach and so, to find out more about them we spent one day last weekend at the Brant Geese Festival learning all about these beautiful birds.

The ones we are currently seeing are on a remarkable journey of migration from California and Mexico to their northern breeding grounds. On this northward migration, Brant geese relay heavily on coastal estuaries, beaches, bays and spits like those found along the shores of Parksville and Qualicum to feed and rest.

Some of the key facts we gleaned from the experts included the fact that the global population of Pacific Black Brant is estimated to be only 150,000 birds and that Brant spend up to 70% of their day feeding.

Whilst we were at the shore, binoculars in hand and telescopes at the ready we were treated to several sightings. There were at least 5 flocks which came in to land whilst we were there, not to mention a number of bald eagles including immature bald eagles who had decided to stay on the sandbar for a time and as a result, scared off the brant from landing!! We also had the good fortune to spot a beautiful Great Blue Heron, plenty of Black Oyster Catchers and the stunning Northern Pintail duck.

You could be forgiven for thinking we are serious "twitchers" - and, there are some who would argue that we have always shown a penchant for birds(!!!), truth is, we have always enjoyed seeing all sorts of wildlife, in the wild, and the sheer variety of different birds here cannot fail to spark some interest.

Chemainus World Famous Murals

A few weeks ago when the sun was shining(!) we ventured south to the town of Chemainus. One of the most visited towns on Vancouver Island, Chemainus is renowned for the many professionally painted murals and sculptures beautifully depicting its history and culture. Here are just a few examples of these stunning works of art.