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Hawaii Big Island
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Hawaii Big Island
| South Point on the Big
Island, the most southern point in Hawaii, is riddled with steep cliffs and
treacherous holes that drop into the ocean. |
Rainbow Falls located
near Hilo City on the tropical east side of the island. |
The rugged coast of
South Point. A wind turbine farm is in the background. The wood device is a
Hawaiian religious altar that allows them to interact with the ocean. |
| The 14,000 foot summit
of Mauna Kea from Hilo Bay houses the world's largest observatory for
optical, infrared, and sub millimeter astronomy. |
February 21, 2008 lunar
eclipse over Hilo Bay. Local Hawaiians were on the shore in small groups
chanting and beating drums in celebration. |
440 foot Akaka Falls is
is located 11 miles north of Hilo. |
| The nearest Palm on
Coconut Island in Hilo Bay is marked with four tsunami bands: 1957 8 ft,
1952 12 ft, 1960 15 ft and 1946 26 ft. Hilo is the tsunami capital of the
world. The tsunamis killed several hundred people. |
The sun drops below
Mauna Loa mountain from Coconut Island in Hilo Bay. |
Halemaumau Crater is
3,000 ft wide and 300 ft deep. It lies on the floor of an even larger one,
Kilauea Volcano Crater in Hawaii's Volcano National Park. |
| Waipio Valley is on the
northeast coast and was the historical home of Hawaiian Kings. The beach is
a mile wide and the surrounding cliffs are up to 2,000 ft high. |
Punalu'u Black Sand
Beach in south Big Island is a nesting place for Hawksbill Sea Turtles. The
black sand is formed by volcanic process and is fine with sharp edges. |
A tiered waterfall in
the rainforest of World Botanical Gardens on the eastern side of the Big
Island. |
| Puu Oo Cone Vent at
right horizon has been actively spewing lava for over two decades. The flank
eruption has ejected more lava than any in the past 500 years. |
A winter squall off the
Kona Gold Coast on the western shore of the Big Island. |
Mauna Kea at 14,000 ft
from the hotel restaurant veranda on Hilo Bay. Most days the summit was
shrouded in clouds, so this day was an exception. |
| Close up of Puu Oo
Crater Vent from helicopter, which has been erupting since 1983. Lava flows
from this vent cover over 43 sq. miles and have added almost 600 acres to
the island. |
Liliuokalani Park
Gardens in Hilo City near the bay is home to many exotic species of trees
and flowers. |
Triple tiered Umauma
Falls is located in World Botanical Garden 16 miles outside of Hilo City. |
| A mighty Banyan Tree on
Banyan Tree Drive in Hilo Bay. Most of them were planted 60 to 70 years ago
by major world celebrities of the time. |
A plethora of plants
grow on the rain forest side of the island in botanical gardens in the Hilo
City area. |
As the sun begins to
set behind Mauna Loa it cast its light on Hilo City Bay. |
| The Boiling Pots area
above Rainbow Falls near Hilo City is a favorite for folks enjoying a
picnic. |
Kilauea Iki Crater last
erupted in November 1959 for 36 days and filled the crater to a depth of 400
ft. in lava. |
The Greenwell Kona
Coffee farm has been in business since 1850. The blue behind the tree is the
Pacific Ocean. Kona Coffee is only grown between 800 ft. and 2,000 ft. on
the slopes of Mauna Loa. |
| Liliuokalani City Park
is 30 acres in size and is located on Hilo Bay. Japanese gardens are the
predominate theme. |
Late 19th century lava
flows cover the flanks of Mauna Loa on the Kona Coast. The Pacific Ocean is
in the background. |
A stream meanders
through the rainforest jungle at World Botanical Gardens near Hilo City. |
| Kilauea Iki Crater
erupted in 1959 and spewed lava 425 meters into the air. The eruption
involved some 60 Million cubic meters of magma in a little over a month. |
Old volcanic lava flows
form the rugged southern coastline at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach State Park. |
South Point area is the
southern most point in the Hawaiian Islands. The government is trying to
discourage visitors to this beautiful location. |
| The Keauhou Outrigger
Resort on Kona Coast is a 10 acre property that was once part of a large
ancient Hawaiian community. Historical sites on property include the Po'o
Hawaii pond or sacred bathing pool once used by ancient royalty. |
This South Point Drive
home is a very nice example of island architecture. The observatory on the
roof looks out over the Pacific Ocean at the back of the house. |
The Outrigger Keauhou
Resort is where we stayed on the Kona Gold Coast. It's a few miles south of
Kona City. |
|
Punalu'u Beach Park is the most
famous black sand beach on the island. It is located south of Hilo and is a
favorite spot of green sea turtles. |
The black sand at
Punalu'u Beach was created by lava that exploded as it flowed into the
ocean. Local tradition states that if anyone removes black sand they will be
cursed by Pele the Volcano Goddess until it is returned. |
On the western Kona
Coast, lava flows from hundreds of years ago made their way to the Pacific
Ocean, which is seen in the background. |
| The Keauhou Outrigger
Beach Resort Hotel is on the right. This is the hotel we stayed at when we
visited the Kona Gold Coast. A shopping center is on the left and a housing
development is in the center. |
Kilauea Caldera is the
home of Pele the Hawaiian Volcano goddess and is one of the most active
volcanic areas in the world. The crater is nearly 4 square miles and 500 ft
deep. |
On south Hilo Bay at
the end of Banyan Drive is a wonderful park full of many species of
interesting trees. On the left across the bay is Hilo City. On the center
right through the trees is Coconut Island. |
| Mauna Kea as seen from
south Hilo Bay is home to the world's grandest astronomical observatories.
This area is the only place in the world where you can go from tropical sea
level to snow capped peak in two hours. |
Mauna Kea as seen from
south Hilo Bay near Coconut Island. Mauna Kea is 13,800 ft above sea level,
but 33, 500 ft above the sea floor, which makes it larger than Mt. Everest.
A local said this was more snow than in the past couple of decades. |
Banyan Trees along
Banyan Drive on south Hilo Bay are a form of fig tree that puts down aerial
prop roots that over time become indistinguishable from the main trunk. The
Banyan Trees of Hawaii grow quite large over many years. |
| Rainbow Falls is in
western Hilo City not too far from downtown. In the early morning a
beautiful rainbow can often be spotted beneath the falls. |
Halemaumau Crater is
3,000 ft in diameter and nearly 500 ft deep. It sits at the bottom of the
even larger Kilauea Caldera. It recently became active again after a 90 year
slumber. |
Tourists gaze at the
immensity of the Kilauea Caldera, which in turn holds the Halemaumau Crater.
When we visited, the road to Halemaumau itself was closed due to dangerous
gas emissions. It erupted in new activity after lying dormant for nearly a
hundred years a few weeks after this photo was taken. |
| Hilo City on the
rainier east coast of the Big Island. You can see how Hilo Bay acts as a
funnel that directs seismic waves to immense power and proportions into the
city, the Tsunami Capitol of the world. |
Rainbow Falls just at
the outskirts of Hilo City is a favorite hiking and picnicking spot for the
locals. If you look closely to the left of the fall precipice you can see a
couple standing on a rock outcrop viewing them. |
The Halemaumau Crater
is the most active zone in the Kilauea Caldera. It awoke after nearly 90
years and began renewed volcanic activity. It is over a half mile wide in
diameter and nearly 500 ft deep. |
| Lava that flowed down
Mauna Loa volcano and made its way to the Pacific Ocean, in the background,
on the western, more arid Kona Coast. |
A squall rolled in off
the Kona Coast on a bright, sunny day and deposited its rain in a few
moments and then it was gone. |
Banyan Drive on south
Hilo Bay is home to some of the best hotels in the area. A large variety of
celebrities planted the Banyan Trees down through the years and most have
survived the tsunami waves of destruction. |
Hawaii Big Island
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