"Bluecollar's Big Island Experience" Hawaii (Big Island) by BlueCollar

So what is this picture about? What does it look like to you? Come on.. take a guess. Okay, I'll tell you. It's a close-up of the ceiling of a lava tube. You can see how the molten lava just dripped from the ceiling when the flow receeded.

But this isn't just any lava tube. This tube is just south of Pu`uhonua `o Honaunau on the west coast of the island. The tube is only about 40 meters long and ends over the water's edge about 6 meters above the water. In the center of the tube, you have to almost crawl to go under the low ceiling. It then opens to a larger cavern of about 2.5meters in diameter. It abruptly ends over deep enough water (about 6 meters deep) that you could jump if you wanted to. We chose not.

What's a lava tube, you ask? Read more about it here.

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There is so much to see and do on this island that even two weeks isn't enough. And you definitely cannot see it from staying just in Kona or Hilo. You would need to break your stay into two or three or more places around the island to effectively deal with the expanse of land between sites on the island. Try staying in Kona 4 nights. Then to HVNP for 2-3 nights. Maybe in Hilo 1 or 2. Then the Waipi`o area for a night or two. This will allow you to more effectively explore the areas surrounding each.

Admittedly, we just stayed in Kona on our first visit to this island and did the whirlwind drive around the Big Island in one day. We were not that impressed.

It was not until our return trip several years later that we spent more time and more closely explored the sites. It was then we realized how much we missed previously and how our initial opinion was so wrong.

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You, too, can hike out to see the flowing lava. But heed the warnings on this sign.

For more info on this hike and photos of the flowing lava, click here.

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Here are my favorite pages for sites on The Big Island:

Waipi`o Valley. It's the most beautiful spot on the Big Isle.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. A most fascinating site on the isle.

Hilo. The quiet side of Hawai`i.

Kapa`au. Just beyond this little town is Pololu Valley. It's the second most beautiful spot on this island.

Pu`uhonua o Honaunau. Lots of island history here.

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We rode on Tropical Helicopters "Feel the Heat" tour. They fly over the lava fields with the doors OFF the aircraft. What a trip! More info on my Hilo page.

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Return to my Big Island page.

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Return to my main Hawai`i page.

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• Pros:Some of the most beautiful sites in the whole State.
• Cons:It's too big to stay in just one place your whole stay
• In a nutshell:You have to go here!