Volcano National Park

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

This morning we woke up and were greeted by this view.   It's very cool having your hotel changing locations.

 

That is not a white cloud you see, but rather the snow covered peak of Mauna Kea, the second highest mountain on earth (if you count the part that is underwater).  It stands 13,000 feet above sea level with another 20,000 on top of the ocean floor.  Evidently we were fortunate to see the peak above the clouds. 

We had a great breakfast on one of the rear deck restaurants. 

We disembarked the ship for our tour to Volcano National Park today. 

Here's a view of our ship from the mainland.  

After about an hour bus ride we arrived at Volcano National Park and our first stop at the Jaggar Museum and the Kilauea Cauldera (a crater that is more than a mile wide).  

The views are surreal.  

These steam vents were located nearby. They offer a multi sensual experience as you feel the heat, moisture and smell of the steam coming from within the earth. 

These vents were located at the edge of the cauldron. 

From there we went to the Kilauea Iki Crater and viewed it from the Pu'u Pua'i Overlook.  Can you see the hikers in the crater?

Here's a closer view. 

Pictures do not do this justice.  This crater erupted in 1959.  

This lava flow was from 1973.  

Most of the Flora and Fauna you see in the Hawaian Islands arrived by man, but once you get to these elevations (we were at 3000 feet), most of the species are native to Hawaii (arrived by air, sea or feather).  

We got to walk through this very cool Lava tube.  

At times you felt like you were walking through a set from Jurassic Park.  Just another amazing day.  

On the way back to our ship we stopped at a store where I picked up some pure Kona Coffee!

Tonight was Elephant night :)

We finished the night off with another great dinner and a magic show. 

Tomorrow we wake up in Kona on the other side of the Big Island. 

Aloha.