So What about Those Lava Fields? (Discuss)

I recently read a description of the Kohala resorts that referred to them as being deluxe enclaves ';in the middle of nowhere'; and deploring the ';awful'; Kona lava fields. I do know that the first time I landed at keAhole, I thought I%26#39;d landed in Hades...the whole place looked like it was paved in asphalt. However, by the end of that first stay on the Big Island (3 nights at the old Kona Hilton and 1 at Volcano House) I was hooked. We now spend almost every Hawaii vacation solely on the Big Island, staying in one of those Kohala resorts.

I never tire of the amazing contrast of black lava and glittering blue water, the different types of sand (Black, greenish, white coral sans, salt and pepper, yellowissh gray), the clear water that results from no dirty runoff...

I love the feeling of walking along some of the newest land on earth (1879 was not all that long ago!) and in seeing the incredible power of the life force at work...the tiny plants that get a toehold in a crack, the way kiawe groves survived in amkipuka as the lava flowed around them, the way the vegetation on the ';bare'; fields along the airport highway has changed over the years that we%26#39;ve been coming.

I am awed and always moved by seeing the KVR, WAikoloa, and Puako petroglyph fields and imagining people walking along the lava trails and stopping to carve them (without metal!) over the decades and hundreds of years...and wondering how many more works of art and culture lie under the later flows...

But that%26#39;s me. What do other people think about the less-verdant parts of the Big Island?

So What about Those Lava Fields? (Discuss)

Aloha,

I think you stated it beautifully Honu_Ohana.

My first visit some 22 years ago was similar, we arrived from Maui and I remember having the same feeling of thinking I was landing on the Moon! That year we stayed 5 nights in Kona, 5 nights in Puako and 5 nights in Volcano. I left feeling that all 3 places had special meaning to me.

On our return, 9 months later, we stayed 5 nights in Kona again, and an additional 7 nights at Sea Mountain in Punalu%26#39;u and I fell in love with that part of the island and Herb Kane%26#39;s art...

On our third visit, within the year, we stayed in Hawi and Captain Cook and again feel in love with those areas. We knew we were hooked and would always return.

I can list dozens more trips, all producing the same results, we loved the Big Island and every part offered us something new and exciting.

What makes the Big Island so special, in my opinion, is that there is an area for all of us, a place we love and want to share with others. For me the area of the BI I love best is the one I am in at the time., this may sound corny but it is a fact. I do have a place in Kona and another in Kealakekua Bay, so I guess those places are where I feel most comfortable. BUT we go to Volcano Village often, we drive up to Kohala at least 3 times a week and I never tire of the Hilo Farmers market. At least twice a month we go to Hawi for ice cream and a walk and we drive up to the Mauna Kea Astronomy visitors center when ever the moon is small and the sky is clear.

So What about Those Lava Fields? (Discuss)

I think what knocks most people for a loop is that it takes some time and effort to enjoy everything the BI has to offer: drive time planning, searching for a good beach, appreciation of the diversity of landscapes and the general down home feel when you get away from the big resorts. We love the BI because it doesn%26#39;t yet fell like the ';Hawaii Disneyland Ride.'; It is so odd that many people do not do their research are ';just shocked'; when they land in Kona. I guess it all depends on what people want from a vacation .

I certainly appreciate the beauty of the lava fields. I love the pu%26#39;u (the cindercones) as well. The white grass growing out of the black.

The mountains in the backdrop.

I don%26#39;t particularly care for walking across lava paths, too hot for me.

I think the a%26#39;a fields over by Kapoho are mind-boggling, thinking that all this fountained out of the rift zone in 1960.

Pahoehoe is very beautiful, the ropy patterns in it. It is not merely black rock.

I remember my first sight of the Big Island, from the window of our inter-island flight from Maui. I have always been fascinated by volcanoes, from the time I was a kid, but I just don%26#39;t think anything can prepare you for the sight of miles and miles of lava. To me, it%26#39;s an awesome sight. I think that people expect the islands to be tropical, like the Road to Hana or Hilo.

Of course, hubby and I also think Death Valley is beautiful, so I guess we are considered a little strange by most people%26#39;s vacation standards.

dermatologist