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Kauai, Hawaii
I just want to feel some sunshine, I just want to find some place to be alone
After an overnight flight from Kansai and a very annoying US customs official in Honolulu who kept asking me if I had something that was “even just a little bit illegal” (hint: I did not), I found myself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and the island (US) state of Hawaii. All things considered, there is almost no better place to wake up bleary eyed than a tropical paradise, and even though the entire trip wasn’t rainbows and perfect beaches (like this one, Ke’e Beach in Kauai), there were certainly more than enough of them to go around.
On the western coast of the scarred "big" island (which, incidentally, is actually fairly big) at Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, stands some great big wooden heads. The site was a place of refuge, where you would go if you needed to get away from something. And while I had absolutely nothing with me something that was “even just a little bit illegal” (I seriously did not), it was nice to know that if I did, there was hope for some refuge if I could just get to here.
Thin crust warnings, steam vents in fields, scary giant (30-40ft high) ferns, hot lava flowing into the sea, heaving black earth, plentiful seismic activity, mediterranean fruit flies and an occasional unemployed local await you on the so called "big" island, my second least favorite (or, conversely, my second favorite) of the three Hawaiian Islands I visited. This is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where hopefully you avoid getting in trouble since you’re a good two hour drive away from the place of refuge at Puuhonua o Honaunau.
This next picture is the Kīlauea Crater and its splendid devastation, deep in the heart of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The National Park was named by someone who was not kidding around- there are active volcanoes (and even a lava flow or two) in the park, which at times can be one of the more dangerous places to be in the entire park system.
There is more to do than just fear for your life at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. If you go out on one of the trails you have the chance to have the park to yourself, at least for a few moments.
If you love the idea of lava but don’t really want to see any, then maybe a visit to a lava tube is for you. These are tunnels where lava once ran through, but now are just places where you can walk through to get away from one of those scary, giant ferns that seem to be everywhere.
We’ll be in Hawaii for a few pages, stopping at not only the big island but also Kauai and Oahu. As a preview of things to come, here is a scattering of photos from across the islands, of beaches and cliffs and trees and the unavoidable Pacific.
