Day Seven – South Point to Green Sand Beach to Volcanoes National Park

We had to back-track a little to get to South Point, the southernmost point in the United States.  It was a pleasant ride along a one-lane paved road to a cliff overlooking the sea where there isn’t much to do but take pictures to show you’d been there.   Along the way we passed solitary houses painted into endless fields.  It’s not hard to imagine the solidarity of those who call this vast plain home.  

The strong winds at South Point blew us sideways

 Just east of South Point is Mahana Beach, also known as Green Sand Beach.  This one of a kind beach owes its color to a semi-precious gem called Olivine.  Thick veins of the stuff contained in ancient eruptions ended at the ocean, which continues to dismantle it into sand particles.  Because the dirt road to the beach is full of deep ruts and requires a 4WD vehicle, we left Mahana Pu’u and walked the two miles to a cliff overlooking the horseshoe shaped cove.  We scrambled down a well-trodden path to the shore for pictures, and were reminded of the unpredictability of the ocean when a wave raced up to our ankles while we had our backs turned.  Chastened, and wet, we hopped in the back of a local’s pickup truck for a bouncy ride back to the makeshift parking lot.

Maya and I on the hike to the Green Sand

We finally arrived at Volcanoes National Park campground and grilled our dinner.  We had only managed one shower during our week on the road, a blessedly warm one at Ho’okeena Beach, and rinsing off with warm water from the restroom sink felt like quite an indulgence.    

Afterwards, we hiked the short distance to Jagger Museum to view exhibits on the history of the park and information about the different volcanic eruptions.  As night fell, we moved to the Kilauea Caldera overlook adjacent to the museum.  At the time we visited, the caldera had a hole the size of three football fields filled with a lava lake.  Although the lava is not visible from the overlook, because it was a clear night, we could see the fiery glow light the sky like a flashlight with red cellophane covering the lens. 

 

Camping at Volcanoes National Park

To view actual lava flows from Pu’u O’o vent, which has been slowly oozing lava since 1983, required a strenuous hike outside the park boundaries at the time of our visit.  Instead, we set out for Kileaua I’ki crater early the next morning.  This outstanding hike winds gently through a tropical rainforest before descending steeply to the other-worldly crater floor of Kileaua Iki, which erupted for 36 days in 1959.  Now, the natural stillness of crater, with steam escaping through cracks in the lava floor, is an eerie reminder that there is nothing like this back home.   

There was a lot left to discover in the park, but the four-mile hike tested both the limits of our kids and of our time.  As we scrambled up the last incline to the parking lot and a waiting Mahana Pu’u, we had just enough time to high-tail down Mauna Loa to Hilo for a hasty drop-off at the garage and shuttle to the airport.  It wasn’t until we were settled into our seats that our accomplishment, mixed with melancholy, set in.  It had been another eventful day in a week full of memories.   

In the crater

 As the plane rose and the lush river valleys of Hilo moved out of view, I remembered the guidebooks that cautioned not to forego these eastern-side treasures.  In our rush to get to camp on that first day, I recalled, that is exactly what we had done.   

With the size of the island, and the variety of things to do at every turn, there just hadn’t been enough time to do it all.  Turning my eyes from the window, I met my wife’s smile from across the aisle.  I was grateful to have made and shared these memories with her and our children, but I knew that we had left a lot of memories behind.  And that we would be coming back to collect them.