The Hamakua Coast

Here is a shot that we took from the helicopter that shows most of the Hamakua coastline. It was amazing!

The Waipio Valley

We didn't think that anything would top the volcanoes from the air until we got up to the Hamakua Coastline. The waterfalls stole the show! We saw lots of waterfalls and they were beautiful. The pilot flew us back into one of the valleys and hovered near the back of the valley where three waterfalls fell almost 2,000 feet to sea level. The pilot had us at about 1,000 feet and so when you looked out the window you could not see the top of the waterfall because it was so tall. We never knew that these waterfalls were here until we took the helicopter ride. It was a great trip!!!!!

The fire down below!

Here is the primary cause of all of our vog! The carbon dioxide that is being emitted from the vent is toxic to plant and animal life. You can't get near the vent or it will make you sick. Scientists have studied the increased output from the volcano vent and assured the residents of the Big Island that the toxic fumes have mostly dissipated by the time it gets to Kona and it is water vapor that we breathe in. We're not so convinced.

A skylight of a lava tube that leads from the vent to the ocean. We could see the lava flowing through the skylight.

Here is an active surface flow of lava where it had come out of the lava tube and was running above ground. You can see in the picture that the lava had killed all the vegetation in the area and some of the trees were burning. The pilot hovered over this area for a while and we could smell the sulfur and feel the heat in the helicopter. The smell made Jillian's belly upset and she went to sleep. This area is only visible from the air and the casual tourist would not get to see this without a long and dangerous hike over miles of old lava flows.

The best way to see Hawaii is from the air!

Sunshine Helicopter Tours

We had been wanting to take a helicopter tour of the island for quite some time. Jeremy was able to book us a tour because a friend of a friend is a mechanic for Sunshine Helicopters in Hilo and we really got the hook-up! We departed out of Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel and flew towards the east side of the island where the active volcano is. From there we turned north past Hilo and along the Hamakua Coast before heading back to the resort.

Here is a picture of Jillian at the beginning of the flight before she got an upset belly. Later, the sulfur smell from the volcanic gasses made Jillian nauseous and she fell asleep.

A view of Waikoloa Village with Hualalai in the background. The vog is the brownish haze that surrounds the mountain.

Happy Valentine's Day

A special creation for Valentine's Day!

Jeremy and Jillian made this special Valentine's Day card and then delivered it at the end of the day when they came to pick me up at work. Oh, and there was a big bouquet of flowers to go along. You'll have to stay tuned to the next post to see the big Valetnine's Day excursion was!!!!!