Author Topic: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island  (Read 6593 times)

Offline mechayamom

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Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« on: November 12, 2015, 02:40:11 AM »
So checked out of Kauai early Sunday morning.
Again lesson learned...the airport opens at 5:30 AM on Sunday.  Don't listen to the be there 2 hours before the flight.  We sat in an empty airport.

Second Lesson Learned.  Book Hawaiian Air tickets from JJ.  Thought I would be smart and use points. 
They weighed our bags, and they weighed our carryons.  Turned out to be overweight so we ended up paying $35 overweight fee.
Plus we paid $15 for each checked bag (cuz we joined Hawaiian Program).  And had I booked with JJ I could have gotten on one flight earlier.

The reason I didnt was because when I checked it was about $167 per person, so I used United points.  Right before the flight it went down to $100  .  Oh well...next time book with JJ.

So there is no direct flight from Kauai to the Big Island.  You have to fly LIH-HNL  and HNL-KOA or HNL-ITO (Hilo).
We decided to fly into Hilo for two reasons.
1) We wanted to do the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter right away and then move on to the Kona side and stay there.
2) When we went to book the Jeep Wrangler (which by the way I absolutely LOVE), for a short period of time it was like $250 to rent in Hilo and Return in Kona.  Then I blinked and it was gone.  After that it was $667 YES $667 to rent the Wrangler in Hilo and return to Kona.  That was with Costco.  All other deals were even more ridiculously priced.

I had an epiphany.  Why not rent just one day from ITO to KOA.  Then return it in Kona and take it out again returning to Kona before we flew home.  That turned out much better.  I think it was $75 from Alamo for the one day.  And it was supposed to be $262 from Enterprise for the remaining 3 days..turned out a bit cheaper, maybe because I returned it an hour or so earlier.


DAY 1

Ok so with rental car and airlines set we were on our way.
Took a 6:20 AM fight so we would get an early start.

I kinda like Hawaiian Air.  They run like clockwork.  Their seats are not uncomfortable...very short flights..didnt really mind the two segments.
I couldnt believe they actually made me move 1 pound of stuff out of my carryon..but we combined all our overweight into one bag and paid the fee.

Landed in HNL no problem.  There actually was an earlier flight to ITO but our flight was only an hour later and boarding was fast so no big deal.
We had scheduled a 10:00 AM Helicopter ride.  So here is what we had done.  Originally, I had scheduled an A Star looking to save a few bucks since we did the EcoStar on Kauai.

Having flown the EcoStar on Kauai and having such a smooth ride, the Kauai Blue Hawaiian convinced us to change our choice in Hilo to the EcoStar.  They made some changes on the computer and said we were all set.

We literally got off the plane from HNL and Blue Hawaiian is in the airport.  Grabbed our bags and stashed them in the Blue Hawaiian office.
Had a few minutes till checkin so we ran across to Alamo and got the paperwork to pick up the Wrangler.  We did not physically take the Wrangler just got the keys.

When we get the safety briefing for the helicopter they put the AStar briefing on.  I was a bit tired from getting up so early and the flights so didnt even notice.  My husband did notice though but we figured they put on the wrong Video.  I politely asked for the front seats but there was another couple going and they ended up getting it.  When the helicopter arrived it was an AStar.  I start telling them that is not what we signed up for and we want the EcoStar.  They tried telling me, oh it is the same, you will never know the difference. Lies  Lies Lies...:) 

I told them I flew Blue Hawaiian in Kauai and flew the Ecostar.  The windows are bigger, the back seat is more comfortable it is much quieter.
They said, well, you can go on the Astar or you can come back at 2 PM.  I was not coming back at 2 PM as we had plans to go to Mauna Kea after.  So we decided we might as well take the Astar.

There is a BIG difference in the Astar...or maybe it is the Astar combined with the pilots driving.  We had an older guy...not too much talking..not too much telling us what we were seeing.  So we flew over the greenery and on to the lava fields.  he explained what Pahoehoe Lava and A'A lave was and then flew over the crater.  We saw a breakout of lava and a few breakouts in the crater.  Then he drove us over a series of waterfalls which were quite nice and back to the heliport.  He did alot of turning the helicopter so both front and back got to see the sights.  All that turning made me a little green and I was not a happy camper when I got off the helicopter.  I ended up getting some decent pictures which I will try to upload. I was Underwhelmed with this helicopter ride.  Maybe I am just underwhelmed with lava.  After a while it just looked like a pile of Mud.  But you do get a feeling of the desolation of the land along with the rebirth of the greenery.

I got to the counter and had words with them.  They said they would charge me for the Astar..well that is nice..because that is what I rode.
I ended up telling people walking by that if they had the chance they should never fly an Astar only the Ecostar and that is not what they promised.  Then the manager came over and said she would see what she could do.  I told her I wasnt feeling well and the flight was really not comfortable.  Long Story short...she gave us one Helicopter flight FREE.  And I was going for more so I asked her to throw in the DVD also.  So they did.  Picture quality on the DVD is awful but it was free so fine.

Funny thing is while I was arguing about not wanting to take the Astar the pilot was on video talking to the other couple.  They said Oh I think that couple wanted the front seat and didnt get it so thats why they dont want to go.  The pilot said if we werent coming they would cancel the flight.  All not known to us..but on video..ha.

So the flight was okay.  Not nearly as beautiful or exciting as Kauai but Big Island is a different ballpark altogether.

So I had read the revealed books until it was coming out of my ears. I had so much info overload that I didnt end up writing my itinerary till 2 days before we left.  I am one of those people who has to have an itinerary.  Whether we follow it all or not is irrelevant.  But if I dont have one we dont head out till 12 oclock and have no idea what we are doing.  Also it gives options to swap out different things.  And it helps to prioritize the things I wanted to see.

We were only going to be here from Sunday to Thursday at 12:45 PM so it would be a short few days.

So now we pick up our luggage from Blue Hawaiian and fill up all of our water bottles there before we head out.  We didnt want to waste time picking up anything in Walmart as we had planned to get to Mauna Kea by 1:00 PM for the guided Summit Tour.

Went back to Alamo to pick up our Beautiful Cobalt Blue Wrangler.  Much to my husbands credit he decided to try the gears out before we left the parking lot.  Really Good idea..and I highly recommend it...BECAUSE the car was stuck in 4WD and wouldnt come out.  The mechanic couldnt get it out either.  Which is good because 1) sure is nice not to find that out in the middle of Mauna Kea and 2) I dont want to be responsbile to pay for it.

So they gave us a silver one that was functioning well and off we start racing to Mauna Kea.  I think it was like 12:00 PM now and you have to be there by 1:00 PM.

We took the saddle road and got there at 12:45 PM and run into the visitors center and say  "Here we are for the summit tour"....and THEY SAY...Oh they cancelled those...havent been doing that for a bit now...I'm like...HUH?  They said oh...somewhere else somebody shot at one of the telescopes and the people here realized what a security risk it is to have the telescopes wide open like that so they cancelled the tours.

Well what are we supposed to do now? We cant wait around here till 5:30 PM for sunset...But there is not much around here to do. Two options go over an hour to Waimea but not much to see except grab a Starbucks.  Or go back to Hilo also about an hour and stop in Walmart and pick up some groceries.  We hung around a bit and spoke to the ranger and figured we would acclimate to the height a little.  Truth be told I was a bit dizzy.  We were careful to drink alot of fluids but I think I was a bit dehydrated from the flights, the nauseous helicopter etc.

We go back towards Hilo and stop at Walmart and Target for some stuff...Case of water..Some Fruit, Yogurt, and Eggs so we can have omelets the next morning.  And then we find Baskin Robbins.   Wow that was good. I think we woke up after that.

We could have gone to some caves but we just werent into it at this point.  So we start heading back to Mauna Kea get to the visitors center about 4:30...hang around for about 1/2 an hour.   Feeling much better now.  Changed into our winter stuff.  Seriously I packed my packable down jacket, hat, gloves, thermals and my hiking boots.

Even though there is no guided tour, the ranger comes up to the summit too.  There are a bunch of tour buses...lots of Oriental folks.  The tour bus gives them parkas..its kinda funny.
The ranger told us most people hightail it down after sunset but if you stay past that, that is when most of the colors come out and really light the sky.  He showed my husband near which telescopes to stand.

So we drive up the mountain.  I do not do 4L so it is up to my husband.  He is an excellent driver and has done 4L before so up we go.  The first 5.5 miles are not paved going up the mountain.  There are cars in front of us and kicking up dust so you almost cant see.  We tried to keep a car in sight..easier to follow.  I forget, I think about Mile 2 it gets kinda washboardy but the rest of the way the Wrangler was good.  Scary to look down..you are climbing higher and higher above the clouds.   We get to the top before sunset and it is pretty cold.
I think it was in the 40s but the wind was pretty strong.  After a few minutes my fingers were numb...had to put them back in my pockets.
We walked around the outside of the telescopes and stayed for sunset.  Then for nightfall and the oranges and reds were great.  My pictures are from my iphone but they are not bad.

So all the buses go down the mountain and we decide to head down.  It is now pitch dark.  We go down slowly and get to the visitor center.
I will tell you , I still think the worst drive we had was trying to get to the Maha'lepu Beaches on Kauai with a Mustang.  This road with a Wrangler was not bad if you know what you are doing;

At night, the visitor center breaks out the telescopes and gives a 2 hour lecture on what stars you see in the sky.  Not really my cup of tea, a little interesting...but my husband is a sponge of knowledge and he loves this stuff.  He ate it up.  He saw Saturn, the Space Shuttle various constellations.  They have free hot water and paper cups and I knew to bring hot cocoa with us...so we went thru 4 hot cocoas up there.

Again, a suggestion I made on the Kauai trip is to make various bags of articles of clothing and stuff you need for different activities.  Since we knew that we would be doing Mauna Kea, we packed a bag of winter clothes in our carryon and had it ready to pull out and change.

K so now it is like 8:00 oclock or so and we have to drive to Kona and check in to the condo we reserved on VRBO or Homeaway.
We take the Saddle road towards Kona and 190 to 11 I think. 

This is the place we stayed http://www.vrbo.com/132090
It advertises A/C included..but if you look at the fine print it says it is on a 4 hour timer.  Ok not a big deal it is not the heat of the summer.

We get here and there is a lockbox to get the key.  We rented from Kona Coast Vacations.
Get in at 9:30 PM and are pretty tired because of the long day.  It has a washer/dryer, kitchen , TV in living room...not bad. Great Location directly across from Kahalu'u Beach Park where the snorkeling is supposed to be really good.

First thing I notice is it is quite warm. I go to turn down the thermostat...and there is a LOCKBOX on it.  Seriously.  It says do not set below 70..well you cant set it to anything because it is locked.  We turn it on and put on all the fans.  Then I see little ants crawling on the kitchen counter and see gnats in the bathroom sink.  I am pretty grossed out now...and see that the patio door does not shut and I can see daylight which is probably where the bugs are coming from.  I feel pretty icky but we are wiped out.  We decide not to unpack and just crash.  We called the 24 hour service and the guy said he cant reach the property owners so it has to wait until the morning. I told him my complaints.

Other than that it is not a bad place.  We go to sleep and wake up the next morning and decide we really dont want to stay here.  Dont even want to shower here.  I did my laundry the night before..that worked well :).  So I call the Sheraton to see if they had any availability and decide to do a Cash and Points stay for the remainder of our stay and decide to check out. You gotta read the contract from this place it is about 20 pages long and basically says no refunds for anything.  In the morning my husband found a hawaiian centipede crawling on the floor.  Those things have a nasty bite.

DAY 2

So we decide to check out and then call the property manager once we are out.  We pack our stuff before 11 AM and get on out.  Then call the property manager and start the process to see if we could get refunds.  They said they would refund partially and charge for cancellation fee of $150 which is fair.  In the end they charged me the cleaning fee too which was like $140.   When I complained they said they would refund it if I signed a release form and I said no thanks.  I would rather write a review.  When we got up in the morning there were gnats on the linens and my husband was bitten up.  We took pix of the lockbox , the gnats and the centipede.  I realized why they had no negative reviews is because if there are any issues they ask you to sign a release.

Anyway we check into the Sheraton and get upgraded to an ocean view because of Gold.  I asked them for a microwave and they already had a fridge in the room so we are good to go.  Got early check in...dumped our stuff ...unloaded our food and tried to figure out what to do with our day since we killed more than 1/2 a day doing this transition.  First things first...get a shower and then we head out.

We decide since we have the Wrangler to do a different off road adventure every day.
Day 1 was Mauna Kea Summit   Day 2 is going to be Waimea Canyon.

We decide to drive through the town of Waimea towards Waipio Valley and then we would go down into the canyon.
The road to Waimea is really nice.  There are alot of farms and ranches...horses and cows.  We stop in Waimea for a Starbucks and walk around the shopping center.  Then drive toward Waipio Canyon.
We stop at the overlook and it is just breathtaking.  The Cliffs and the ocean and the black sand beach.  Lots of signs indicating danger only 4WD to go down into the canyon. 
We drive down the windy road..it really isnt that bad..like I said Mahalepu still the worst drive we had.
You have to go really slowly and stop for upcoming traffic..and try not to hit the hikers who walk on both sides of the road and dont seem to move to the side.  We get to the bottom and there is a pretty river.  Then we drive to the left to the waterfalls.  They are really gorgeous.  We cant hike or drive into the paths closer as the locals dont like it.  We met some interesting characters.  There is a cabin..more of a shack..yet it has satellite dishes on it.  The valley is plush and green. There is a stable down there with horses.  To get to that you had to cross a river in the road.  Didnt think we could drive through it but the strange hippies said..sure you can.  Thought they were just waiting for us to get stuck...guess we are a bit timid driving the Wrangler.  On the way back there is a loose horse just roaming the road.  We go down the road towards the black sand beach.  That road is now pitted and has large puddles where you dont know what is in the bottom  and then....it starts to rain.  We get to the black sand beach and it is pretty.  All kinds of people camping out and there is a river that runs right into the ocean.  We head back up in the rain before it gets more slippery and climb out of the canyon.  It was a really beautiful drive.  Glad we got to see that.
On the way back it is pouring and we drive the road to Kukuihaele Park.  There are several bridges over the road with water flowing beneath. We pass thru some local stores.  The sun starts to come out and we decide to head to Hapuna Beach for Sunset.
Picture Perfect Sunset.  Then we stop in Waikoloa and the shops to browse and hit up another Starbucks.  There is a local hula keiki (kids) demonstration.  We walk around and head back to the Sheraton.

Time to heat up our meals and relax.  Went downstairs to Ray on the Bay to see if we could see any Mantas.  There are boats that go out for Manta Ray Sightings and they all gather just a bit off shore.  I didnt really see anything.

DAY 3
This is going to be a long long day.  Got the omelets cooked...breakfast served and cooler packed for the day.

Get up early and head to the bay that has the spinner dolphins...starts with a K.  Drove down Napoopoo Road..that is some long winding road with no shoulders and dropoffs on the side of the road.  We get to the bottom and you can see Captain Cooks Monument but no dolphins as it is already like 9:30. There are locals renting beatup kayaks and a guy hacking coconuts.  We take a different road towards Place of Refuge and go there for a visit.  Honaunau has a place where people are snorkeling supposed to be very nice.  Maybe another day.
Walk around...its okay..We decide our offroading today will be Road to the Sea to the Black Sand Beach.  Didnt realize it was like 5 miles in and 5 miles out on a miserable road.  Still not as pitted as Mahalepu...that place really traumatized me.

We had the revealed App downloaded to our phone which was very important as there are no signs and roads coming in from different directions at times.  We followed the blue dot to make sure we were headed in the right direction.  At the end we headed to the left to that black sand beach.  The other black sand beach was on an even worse road..and one black sand beach was enough for today.  You just drive through barren lava fields for miles and miles.  And then there is a house in the middle...and then more lava.

This took longer than I expected so it is taking time off from the Volcano park which is where we are heading.
Back on the road we are going to stop now at South Point.  Again, that is about 12 miles in.  But the road is at least PAVED and very picturesque.  Barns and farms and the magnificent Wind Turbines.  When you get to South Point and the Boat Hoists, the water is the most incredible blue and clear as can be.  There is a grotto there that again, reminds me of Rosh Hanikra, where the water is crashing through the grotto.  Okay nice place to stop and very pretty.

Back to the main road and one more stop before Volcano.  Punalu'u Black Sand Beach.  Okay that one is fairly right off the road and it has to be my favorite black sand beach.  It is fine black sand against the crashing blue ocean.  Across from it is a lily pond kind of lake..with palm trees growing on the black sand beach.  I thought it was lovely.

So it is now like 2:00 PM def later than I thought we would go to Volcanoes.

We get to Volcanoes and stop at the visitor center and talk to the ranger.  He says for this short time, go to Thurston Lava Tube, the Steam Vents, Kileaua Iki (i spelled it wrong) overlook, Jagger Museum and Volcano House to see the Caldera.  My goal is to stay till dark to see the Crater glow at night.  So of course we will attempt more than that.
First Volcano House and you can see the steam emanating from the Caldera.

We start at Thurston Lava Tube and walk through it.  SHows how the lava flowed.  You walk through a rain forest to get to it..It is nice.
We go to Kileau Iki Overlook and it is a lava lake.  Originally planned to do that hike..bummed we didnt get to it...but another time.
We did run ahead a bit to see some other vistas of the crater. Interesting to see the different textures.

Then we went to Devastation Trail and hiked a bit of it.  I got the feeling of devastation mixed with grennery.  Ran across the lava field and saw another view of the Caldera.

Decided to take a drive down part of Chain of Craters road.  so we drove for a few miles to see the various types of lava flows.  I stopped at a place that had picnic tables and the wind was really ripping almost knocked me right off my feet.  Sun starting to go down...so head back to the main road and go to the Steam Vents...a little stinky.  And you can see steam coming out of other vents in other parts of the field.  Decided not to go for the sulphur banks.  But decided to fill up with gas at the military barracks.  It takes Visa by the way,  no Amex.

Then off to the Jagger Museum to watch the sun go down on the crater..and then to watch it turn pitch black and the crater glow RED.  Amazing.  Went inside to the museum and read up on the volcano and other assorted info.  That night they had an author give a talk in the auditorium.  We stayed for a few minutes...got bored and left because it is a really long drive back to Kona.  The road is very winding and at most places 35 MPH.  I gotta say the Wrangler handles really well and handles turns amazing.  I drove down from Kona and my husband drove back.  I have driven stick shifts before but I love that you get to do that without hitting a clutch.  I down shifted all the way there and then upshifted when needed..so easy and smooth.

My husband drove back to Kona and I passed out...got up at a small store to get a Hershey bar.  again...never too much chocolate.
Back to the Sheraton and Good night.

Day 4

My husband is going Scuba Diving with Jacks Diving Locker Today.  Thanks PBaruch and all the others for your suggestons. I forgot who told me about Jacks but they are a class operation.  I didnt get my act together and would have felt more comfortable with a refresher class but missed that.  My husband is a more confident diver and he just went without it.  SO I decided to drop him off and go snorkeling while he went diving.  He went for a two tank dive and had a great time.  Dove the Golden Arches and Suck me Up Lava Tubes.  In between the two dives they went and found pods of dolphins.  He said the clarity of the water is unbelievable and he saw beautiful reefs and great fish life.  They saw octopus, rays, fish...etc.

I decided to snorkel Kahalu'u Beach. As I had only snorkeled in Poipu in Kauai for the first time i wanted to be someplace that I felt kinda safe by myself.  The water entry is rocky .  I had brought my scuba gloves and those proved quite helpful in not getting scratched on the rocks.
The visibility is not the best but the fish life was quite amazing.  i saw turtles, angelfish, wrasse, damsel fish and all kind of other colorful stuff.  They have like a water ranger in the water with fish identification cards and they tell you where to swim to see the fish and how far to go out.  I stayed for about an hour or so.  Was thinking of going to Honaunau to snorkel but after speaking with the reef lady and another guy who had done it the day before decided against it.  They have a place called two step because it is a two step lava bench that you go off and into the water.  Off is not the problem...getting back up and out is. You are coming from 10 feet of water and you need somebody to haul you up.  Figured not a place to go myself.  So went to pick up hubby instead.

Not far from there we found Falafel in Paradise.  Counter guy Meir is adorable and so upbeat.  Food was delicious. They were out of falafel so we had meat kebobs and the most amazing french fries.  We ate the first batch while we were standing there and saved the meat kabobs for dinner.  I think we found another Baskin Robbins too.  Then headed to A- Bay for Sunset.  Watched a beautiful sunset while scarfing down our meat kebabs and salad.  First fresh food that I didnt have to prepare...mighty yummy.

Went back to pack for our trip home.
Way too short.

Day 5
Flight at 12:45..Take it easy in the morning..hang around the hotel and then check out.  Fill up at Costco and head to the airport.
Didnt learn our lesson from Kauai.  The airport only opens at 11:00 AM for the 12:45 flight.  Counters open at 10:30.  No air conditioning.  No inside terminal  you sit on benches outside.  Okay...just enjoy the experience.

So they open up..no problem checking in..no overweight because our food is done.
Go through agriculture inspection twice.  and get ready to board. 
There are a million elderly people today using the forklift to get onto the plane.  There must have been 6 trips that they put people on that.
And you walk across the tarmac and walk up the steps to your plane.

Flight is KOA-SFO  and then SFO-EWR Red eye.
Entertainment on both segments were great.  Flight to SFO uneventful..Stopped in the United Club this time as my passes were going to expire in two days.  Hung out a bit and checked onto the red eye

Went coach on these flights window seats..I dont mind.  We dont even sit together...married 35 years...we both like window seats.
Flight was fine...landed at like 6:00 AM on EWR...got our car...oh yeah we went to the wrong parking lot.  Thought we parked in Self Park but ended up we parked in McLellan.  That was a first.

Drove home...cooked for Shabbos...and slept most of shabbos.  Jet lag hit me at home.  Didnt have any jet lag in Hawaii.
Was a great trip.

I owe everybody on this forum, and many who extended themselves and offered guidance and advice a debt of gratitude.
It was really a fabulous trip.
Something to check off the bucket list.

Eventually I will get my pictures off my phone and upload some select ones.




Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2015, 01:36:50 PM »
Thanks mechayamom for the great write up! Sounds like you had a great time.

How did you pay for VRBO house? You might be able to dispute the charge with your CC company, since it clearly states AC included. The house we rented when we went to TBI in August said clearly that AC was an extra charge ($100 per day per zone, and there were 3 zones in the home!!). After asking around a bit, most people said they were fine without AC there in the summer. Well, we were HOT!! We were so hot that we were ready to pay for it in at least one zone, but it was locked and we were unable to get through to the manager.


Offline Ergel

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2015, 01:53:06 PM »
Awesome TR.
I hope to be doing things like this with my DW of 35 years some day.
Sounds much better than shlepping around 2 (now 3) kids
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2015, 08:28:00 PM »
Thanks mechayamom for the great write up! Sounds like you had a great time.

How did you pay for VRBO house? You might be able to dispute the charge with your CC company, since it clearly states AC included. The house we rented when we went to TBI in August said clearly that AC was an extra charge ($100 per day per zone, and there were 3 zones in the home!!). After asking around a bit, most people said they were fine without AC there in the summer. Well, we were HOT!! We were so hot that we were ready to pay for it in at least one zone, but it was locked and we were unable to get through to the manager.

Thanks. I paid with my ink bold. I am in the process of disputing the charge. They said it would be difficult because a partial refund was given.

Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2015, 01:48:56 AM »
Awesome TR.
I hope to be doing things like this with my DW of 35 years some day.
Sounds much better than shlepping around 2 (now 3) kids
After raising 5 kids k"ah now is the time to enjoy.

Offline PBaruch

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2015, 01:43:31 PM »
Glad to hear you had a nice time.  Too bad you didn't go for the doors off tour with my buddies at Paradise Helicopter.   :)
What do you do after your dreams come true?

Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2015, 03:13:28 PM »
Glad to hear you had a nice time.  Too bad you didn't go for the doors off tour with my buddies at Paradise Helicopter.   :)

Wasn't in the cards. I was pretty nauseous after the AStar. Would have lost my lunch with doors off

Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2015, 11:37:25 PM »
Leaving Kauai at 4 AM

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Lava Breakout from Heli

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Steam from lava fields

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From the Crater
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Lava field
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Waterfall from the Heli
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View from Heli
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Starting on the Saddle Road to Mauna Kea  Nice paved road

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Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2015, 12:32:34 AM »
Another view of waterfall

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Warning signs for the summit to Mauna Kea

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Seriously?
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Visitor Center
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Unpaved Section

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Big4 by mom, on Flickr

Now Paved for last 3 miles
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Our Jeep
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Telescopes

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Sunsetting
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Big4 by mom, on Flickr

Big4 by mom, on Flickr

Big4 by mom, on Flickr




Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #9 on: November 22, 2015, 01:19:21 AM »
Day 2

Waimea to Waipo'o
Mall in Waimea with Starbucks
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Everything here is about Parker Ranch
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Driving towards Waimea you come across beautiful ranches
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Waipo'o
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The way down
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At the bottom in the valley
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Lush
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Waterfall
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Lets drive through a stream
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Black sand beach in Waipo'o in the rain
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Getting Messy
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Back up
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Stopped on the side of the road of Waikoloa Road to take this
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Sunset at Hapuna Beach
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Stop in Waikoloa and Queens Marketplace for Starbucks and a Hula Demo
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I left out the Not Tznius ones..too bad
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« Last Edit: November 22, 2015, 02:10:24 AM by mechayamom »

Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #10 on: November 22, 2015, 01:54:45 AM »
Day 3 Drive to Volcano National Park  stopping along the way from Kona
View of Captain Cook Monument

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Next Stop Place of Refuge

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Road to the sea  5+ miles of these roads till the beach
Thank goodness for the Hawaiian Revealed APP we downloaded.  We followed the blue dot on the GPS to figure out where to go.

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Black Sand Beach at the end  the one to the left ..wouldnt attempt the one to the right
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Next South Point
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No green sand for us today

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Blueist water

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The trees really are bent because it is so windy up here
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Wind Turbines
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View on the Road and then Punalu'u Black Sand Beach which is magnificent
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Pond right in black sand beach
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Volcano National Park
Caldera
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Kileaua Iki Lava Lake
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Chain of Craters Road
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Thurston Lava Tube
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Crater by day
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Devastation Trail
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All the way at the end is a great view of the Caldera

And the Crater at night
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Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2015, 02:16:23 AM »
Day 4
DH went scuba diving with Jacks Diving Locker, I went snorkeling at Kahalu'u Beach

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Lunch at Falafel in Paradise, Meir was a sweetheart

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Sunset on A bay
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Big4 by mom, on Flickr

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #12 on: November 22, 2015, 07:22:00 PM »
thanks for the pics, brings back amazing memories!

Offline mechayamom

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #13 on: November 22, 2015, 09:11:42 PM »
YW.  Just pulled these pics off my Iphone..seemed the easiest thing to do

Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2015, 08:49:59 PM »

thanks for the pics, brings back amazing memories!

+1

I love seeing other people's pictures!

Offline AJK

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #15 on: December 02, 2015, 04:07:43 PM »
Awesome; those pics from sunset look gorgeous. Thanks for taking the time!
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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2015, 08:12:58 PM »
Thanks AJ for bumping this, I had not realized she uploaded pics. Awesome shots! Really enjoyed looking through them.

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Re: Mechaymom hops from Kauai to the Big Island
« Reply #17 on: December 06, 2015, 11:37:16 PM »
You're welcome