Hawaii '17: Snorkeling at Captain Cook

After getting set up with our kayak, which really did all work out great, even though I was very concerned at the time, we kayaked a mile across the bay. The water was smooth as glass, so it was pretty easy going. There was one group of guided kayakers and another couple by the monument, but that was it. Going early was key! I had multiple underwater cameras, as one would expect, so we both got to take pictures. 

So, at this point, you might be asking yourself, well that's all well and great, but how do you get back INTO the kayak when it's time to head back? Great question. I asked the kayak girl the same thing. She said if we needed to, there were so rocks somewhere along the shore that you could use to boost yourself back into the kayak, but to be careful of coral. Hmmm. Well, when it came time, we tried it the old fashioned way, of hoisting ourselves up and out. On the third try, we were successful in not tipping the kayak and dumping the other person. I'm pretty sure we were the morning entertainment for all the other snorkelers. 

Hawaii '17: Captain Cook Bay

Tuesday was deemed snorkeling day. We decided to try out Captain Cook bay, aka Kealakekua Bay. I can't say that word, so I just call it Capt Cook bay. It was recommended to us as the best place to snorkel, and it was closest to the house. So the thing with Capt Cook bay is, the best snorkeling is on the northern side of the bay. But it is a protected site, so the only way to get there is a 2 mile downhill hike, kayaking across the bay, swimming across the bay, or charter boat. We went down to the park on the south side of the bay to check it out. While there, a guy came up and started talking to us. Mind you, it was about 7:30 in the morning, way before anyone else was around. We got to talking and he asked us if we were planning to go snorkeling. He runs a kayak rental place, and for $60, we could rent a kayak, unlimited time, and head across the bay. So basically, we got solicited and I was pretty nervous, but it actually all worked out great! 

This is the view from above the bay. We started out from the left hand side, where you see the water breaking at the point, and went all the way across to the back corner, which you can't see from this angle. It was about 1 mile across the bay. We were really smart to go out so early, before it got hot and all the charter boats showed up.

The white pointy thing, is the monument. You can see all the charter boats and kayaks out. This was around 10 or 11 in the morning. 

Hawaii '17: A Sunset from the House

Hawaii '17: Some Plants from Volcano NP

Volcano NP has some unique foliage. One minute you are in arid desert, the next in a lava wasteland of nothing, and the next a tropical fern forest. It's just weird. But cool. 

The ferns were really cool. The new growth on this type is red and they unfurl. 

A fern tree

A ohia tree flower

The Thurston lava tube. The lights were out, so it was a very dark, short walk. 

Hawaii '17: The Illusive Nene

All over the island, we kept seeing these Nene crossing signs on the roads (of course I forgot to get a picture of one). The Nene (nah-nah) is the state bird of Hawaii and is a type of goose. Most of the signs we saw were at high elevation areas, so I guess that's where they typically live. I figured we wouldn't see any, just because I wanted to see one so bad. But, we found two! They were hanging out near the Devastation trail. 

Hawaii '17: Down Chain of Crater Road

We drove down Chain of Craters road to the ocean. In the travel book I had, it said that the climate would change considerably from the visitor's center (cool and wet) to the ocean (hot and sunny). And it was spot on. We were not really dressed for the 'lower' portion of the park where it was 85° and full sun. But we still walked a part of the way on the gravel road toward Kamokuna, where the lava is entering the ocean. 

It's even hotter when you are surrounded by black lava, absorbing the heat and reflecting it.

The sea cliffs and some choppy waters

The different lava flows and the various colors from different flows is pretty awesome!

Kamokuna in the distance. It was an 11 mile round trip hike, and we weren't really prepared to do that at mid day. 

The road down - it took about 30 minutes to wind down the cliff and then to cross the lava flats to the ocean.