Hawaii Trip (Part 2-Big Island)

Contd... from Part 1.....

The previous post was about the first part of our trip to Hawaii. The first three days were spent in Maui and we planned to spend the next three days in Big Island. This post is about our trip in Big Island..

So, Big Island... one thing is for sure. This island is really bigggg.. atleast comparing the Maui island.
Big Island has two airports and we decided to fly to Hilo (the eastern airport). Luckily, flying to Hilo was cheaper and also all the activities that we planned were close to Hilo. This worked in our favor. Going in to trip details...

Day 4: 
We were lucky to get a nice hotel in the budget and the views from the hotel were amazing. After checking in to the hotel, we took some rest and decided to go to Mauna Kea visitor center to check out the star gazing program they had for the visitors. My suggestion is.. the FREE star gazing program is not worth the effort. First of all, it is at a higher elevation about 9000ft. Next, it gets so cold during night. And finally, the people who talk about the stars did not do a good job at it. So, if you want to go for star gazing, try paying a professional group who can explain you well. However, one thing about the drive to Mauna Kea was that we had to drive through the clouds and it was a new experience. Also, after reaching the top, we walk through the clouds and it was fun.

View from Hotel lobby

Day 5: 
We planned Day 5 for ziplining. None of us did zip lining before and we can say this is the HIGHLIGHT of the entire trip. It was amazing and fun. We did the one where the last zip line would go over Akaka falls and the sight of Akaka falls from the zip line is awesome. The good thing about the Skyadventures eco tours is that they have a total of 7 zip lines and the lines gradually become longer and fun. This way when the time for the 7th and final zip line comes, we are ready and prepared to enjoy the view of the waterfall... Highly recommended if you like zip lining..

During zip lining

Zip lining

Akaka Falls in the background

Day 6: 
This day was the day to visit Volcano National Park. It was hot that day. So, we planned to take the drive route to the Sea arch (Also the starting point of hike to visit flowing lava). On the way we saw craters, lava tube and older lava flows. From the top looking at the previous lava flows shows how we are insignificant in front of the nature. Those lava flows ensured the removal of two villages.

View from Sea Arch

View from Jaggar Museum

Inside a lava tube

In the evening of Day 6, we caught a return flight to San Diego from Hilo. We reached San Diego the next day morning, took some rest and finally headed back to Phoenix and Tucson that afternoon after lunch in San Diego.

Overall, it was fun and all of us enjoyed a lott. Next time, maybe we will plan to spend for more days in Maui as both myself and Munny liked Maui...