Imagine waking up one day in the home you have recently built to find hot molten lava quickly descending down the mountain straight for your home! That is exactly what happened to the residents of Royal Gardens on the south part of the Big Island of Hawaii in 1990. The lave has continued to creep slowly to the sea since the Kamoamoa fissure eruption in March 2011. Recently, rushing lava from the east rift zone of Kilauea volcano is once again coursing back through the same Royal Gardens area. This amazing footage can be seen in this dramatic video of the Kilauea lava flow.
If you are going to Kailua-Kona, be sure to visit the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau in south Kona. This is a traditional Hawaiian place of refuge sanctuary where those who broke laws could come to seek forgiveness and absolution. In a society where the punishment for breaking a law was death, law breakers had to elude capture and seek the safety of one of these refuge areas. This one is particularly well preserved and is a great place to learn about ancient Hawaiian life. The park is open from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. daily. The Visitor Center is open from 8:45 A.M to 4:30 P.M. On weekends, the park often has presentations from locals who share crafts, explain Hawaiian customs and tell stories about the Hawaiian Culture. This is a great place for young and old to learn about ancient Hawaii. Since it is also a nesting ground for the Hawaiian Turtle, you may also see several of the wonderful creatures sunning themselves in the bay here as well.
For a time, the Pu’uhonua O Honaunau historical sanctuary was closed due to damage caused by the Tsunami of 3/11/2011. The park is now open again and receiving visitors.
Video – Historical Landmark reopens.
The recent earthquake and subsequent tsunami generated by this event hit the Kona side of the Big Island of Hawaii hard on Friday morning, March 11, 2011. The ground floor of the King Kamehameha Hotel and the Kona Village Resort as well as several shops along Ali’i Drive suffered extensive damage. There was no loss of life but one single family home was totally destroyed and another suffered damage in the Kailua-Kona area. Residents living near Kealakekua Bay further down the southern coastline received extensive damage in the coastline area with one house completing floating away. Fortunately, all residents in the area had been evacuated by the time the tsunami hit the Napo’opo’o area.
Video – West Hawaii Vacation Rental House Washes Away.
One of the unique benefits of having active volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands is the unusual black sand beaches that dot the Big Island’s southern coastline. One of the most famous and easily accessible beaches on the island is Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. While the water can often be treacherous at the southern end of the Big Island of Hawaii, the sheltered bay of Punalu’u provides a relatively calm and safe swimming area. The area has a bath house, picnic tables and even a small snack shop that is open in the summer months. A fresh water wading pool on the south side of the beach is also available here. You can often see the large Green Hawaiian sea turtles swimming here in the sheltered waters of this dramatic bay. Just remember not to disturb them since sea turtles are protected in Hawaii and bothering them can get you a huge fine so please don’t harass or bother them in any way.
Black Sand Beach
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As you visit the Big Island of Hawaii, sooner or later as you make your way around this beautiful and expansive island, you will probably visit the unique little town of Waimea (known as Kamuela to the post office to distinguish it from the two other towns with this same name in the islands.) in the northern part of the island along Highway 19.
While you may think you are somewhere in the cool, rolling hills of northern California instead of in Hawaii, the town of Waimea sits at an altitude of 2600 feet giving it a much cooler climate with frequent winds, rain and seafog from time to time. The town is dominated by Parker Ranch which is still in operation today. In fact, stop off in the Parker Ranch company store learn more about the Hawaiian Paniolo or Hawaiian Cowboys dating back to the early 1800′s. In the store, you can munch on local beef jerky, pick up souvenirs to take back home or buy authentic Parker Ranch western wear.
The saga of the Hawaiian cowboy began when John Palmer Parker married King Kamehameha’s granddaughter Kipikane and was given two acres of land for $10. He began capturing cows that roamed the area and built a bustling cattle business. He soon brought in Mexican cowboys to teach their Hawaiian counterparts how to be real, cattle-roping, cowboys in Hawaii. The paniolo tradition continues today and no where on the island can it be seen more clearly than in bustling little Waimea.
Although horses are less commonly used than ATV’s today, the spirit of the paniolo lives on in this quaint Big Island town. It is definitely worth spending a few hours exploring visiting the Parker Ranch area and company store and having lunch in the many excellent restaurants in the area.
