Hawaii Time

After seeing our friends off and safely away, we were getting our chores done so that we could have a restful day back on the boat. We had an Uber driver bring us back to the dinghy dock with our bags full of fresh laundry when he mentioned we should keep an eye on when the volcano might erupt. He said it was due to blow any day now. He gave us his card and said if we were interested in a private tour, he could make it happen.

We went back to our boat to unload the laundry, etc., when we checked the WebCams that are on the current volcano state. It seemed to be spewing red-hot lava 1000 feet in the air. We quickly messaged the driver and asked him if this live WebCam was for real and if we should book a trip up to the volcano? He basically said “do not walk, run to the volcano!”

Even though we were pretty tired, we took him up on his deal and hopped in his car with a few snacks to see the volcano. It ended up being the best decision ever. This driver had so much local knowledge, history, and fun facts about Hawaii and Hilo in general. He was such a wealth of knowledge and a really great guy to boot. Which ended up being a good thing because we were stuck in his car in traffic for over two hours.

It was well worth the wait and the traffic, and before we knew it, we were at the top of the volcano, seeing the lava flow in real time. It’s a little hard to explain how neat it was to see the lava erupting, and also slightly anticlimactic. The volcano was really far away from where you are, but it’s still really neat. The walk around Volcano National Park is quite beautiful, and you see all sorts of flora that only grows on the volcano. Our tour guide knew the best places to stop and which viewpoints to get to, especially as it got darker and darker. I remember seeing a shirt that said “half the park is after dark“, meaning half of the beauty happens once the sun goes down and all you see is flowing orange-red lava. It was so true!

We all loved watching the lava flow change and become more and more glowing, just like a highway in the dark. We are also glad that our tour guide told us to pack sweaters because at the top of the mountain, even in Hawaii next to a volcano, it was quite cold. It was the first time we had felt cold in a really, really long time. 

This adventure remains one of the top adventures of our time in Hawaii, and possibly on our trip as a whole. We didn’t realize at the time how lucky we were to see such a big eruption at such a good time of day. 

After seeing such a cool site like the volcano, everything else seemed to pale in comparison. But we were happy to fill our days with walking around downtown Hilo and tracking down a really great cheeseburger, Vietnamese food, or nice cool drinks. 

Hilo has a bit of a reputation for being somewhat rundown and a little less glitzy than the rest of Hawaii, but that is no problem for us. We found it had still a bit of a Polynesian feel, after coming from Tahiti last. It’s still very North American; it still felt like a tropical island.

We never seem to be amazed at the strong canoe culture in these Polynesian islands. We’ve seen these outrigger canoes since we landed in the Marquesas Islands and even more so in Hawaii. It seemed every day there was some canoe club out in the bay, whether it was singles or a big group , often with young people learning. We were able to see a Saturday race day as well, which seemed to turn out most of Hilo to sit on the beach and enjoy race after race of canoes. 

My brother had shown some interest in coming to see us on our travels, and we mentioned Hawaii might be an easy spot to track us down. Before we knew it, my brother Dawson was flying in to come and live on the boat for a week or so. Lucky for us, he rented a car, and we could all get around and do adventures together much easier.

While he visited, we were able to check out a lot of different beaches and track down some beautiful and big turtles that we could swim with, and go on some really interesting hikes. Dawson, Matt, and Digory did a big excursion up another mountain to an observatory, and even had to take breaks halfway up the mountain to acclimate their lungs so they didn’t get altitude sickness.

We had a fun day together, driving out to Kona, which is a bit more of what you would expect when you think of Big Island Hawaii. Lots of little shops and restaurants and beautiful beaches. But you had to pay for parking everywhere you go, which isn’t a thing in Hilo. 

This July will be Matt and my 20th wedding anniversary, so we were due for some nice photos to mark the occasion. 

None of us had big expectations for Hawaii, as we all just wanted to be in a place where we could relax and enjoy life for a little while. Hilo totally fit the bill. We were able to get rid of some garbage, do lots of laundry, get some boat parts, and then restock the fridge for another passage, all pretty easily. The Hawaiian locals were all very kind and welcoming and super helpful. We weren’t sure how long we would stay here, but two weeks seemed to be the right amount of time to recharge our mental and emotional batteries before heading off on our last three-week ocean crossing.

We are all a little weary, thinking of another long passage, but we know we can do it and that the boat can handle it. The promise of home at the end of this one is very appealing. We have all really enjoyed this adventure, but we’re all ready to be close to home now. In just over one week, we will mark our 365th day away from home adventuring. Wow!

We’ve set off today for this passage, hoping to reach home waters in approximately three weeks. We might head as far north as Prince Rupert or as far south as Victoria. The wind and the waves will tell us which one is the best choice a little closer to the time.