Kilauea and Hilo Side

We began our day early with a walk through a rainforest and lava tube in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park area. The lush rainforest was empty and we experienced the sounds and sights of the  rainforest alone. I wish I could begin every day like that. 

After a walk through the lava tube, and a jaunt to the crater rim at the Jagger Museum, we had buffet breakfast at The Volcano House. The food was average, but the view of the crater was worth it. I was so inspired, I picked up a book about Volcanoes in the tourist trinket shop. I must have been a geologist in a past life. 

We walked the black sand beach at Kalapana. After awhile the black sand beaches get a little boring on the big island; there are simply so many of them. It looked like there must have been a wedding recently because we followed a trail of plumeria blossoms to the coastline. It felt like sacred ground. 

Finally, it was time to gather at the airport for the helicopter tour of the lava flows and waterfalls. This was incredible. We had a wonderful pilot named Kovi, who expertly maneuvered the chopper around the island as we listened to his narration mixed with traditional Hawaiian music in our headphones. It was hard to come back down to earth after that. We finished with an excellent dinner at Ponds.