With that kind of land, it's easy to see why the island is also not as inhabited or populous as the others. Driving on their highways sometimes feels as empty as driving through the desert in the midwest. The gas stations are few and far between and the towns are 30 minutes or more apart from each other with nothingness in between. Then the northern part of the island is such a stark contrast as it is lush jungle, dense and reminded me a lot of the Philippines actually.
Waikoloa
We stayed at the Hilton in Waikoloa, which seems like a resort that just pops out of nowhere amidst the barren land. In talking with one of the employees, he did say that because of all the volcanic charred land, nothing was growing here. All the trees and plants that make up the resort landscape had to be imported. So the resort really does seem like an oasis amidst it all.
The largest building of the resort, which is the main hotel, is really cool. It's large and has a train of sorts that can take people from one end of the hotel to the other. It has an outdoor area with waterways and rivers that house some pretty large fish. They even have a lagoon where people can go kayaking. The resort itself has its own shopping centers and shuttles for free that can take the guests around.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Quite a bit of a drive away up towards the volcanic parts of the island. The clouds seem to gather up above and just stay there so the area is rainy and lush and a bit cold too. You do have to pay to go in and it is per car. You can also buy multiple day passes since some parts, you would need more than one day.
First stop is the steam vents and yes it does smell like sulfur. One of the steam vents is pretty large and sometimes blows pretty strongly, like the ground is farting at you.
Next is the Jaggar museum which is next to an overlook where you can see best the fuming vent of the Halema'uma'u crater. Now that's a mouthful. At the time much of crater rim drive was blocked off due to lava activity.
We took a stop to walk through a lava tube, which almost looks like a cave. Lava that flowed through developed a hardened outer shell and left that behind to form the tube. It's really dark inside. Good thing my phone has a bright light.
Onwards down the chain of Craters road. The landscape is just volcanic rock. We did stop to go hike to see the Pu'u Loa petrogylphs. It's a rough landscape to walk through and we just had to follow stacks of rocks to know where we are going. Not something I would recommend to do at nighttime.
At the end of the road, you can continue on foot to walk to where the lava actually is. Mind you this is a long and arduous trail and we were not prepared. The road is paved for a little bit then turns to gravel. It became dark and there are no lights on this road. After walking two miles I believe, we gave up and turned back since it was late and we had kids with us. My parents though, went back the next day, because they are adventurous types, and walked to see the lava. So the whole thing is like 6 miles one way. Don't bring your kids. The gravel road eventually ends and you will have to hike through lava rock landscape with just some rope to guide you for a mile. Although they did get a picture from afar of the lava, which is as close as they can get, I'm glad I didn't go because that sounds like torture. Keep in mind my parents have been long time marathon runners. So they were in the correct fitness level for this type of thing.
Honokaa
The nothern part of the island is basically a jungle and it's funny because it reminded me so much of Iloilo actually. Iloilo back then, not so much Iloilo now. We did this cool ATV tour where we got to drive through the forest, see an isolated village in the valley of the mountains, and even swim in a spring by a waterfall where freezing cold water comes down from the mountains.
Kona
We also spent some time exploring a bit of Kona. We stocked up on the Kona Coffee at their costco. I mean stocked up. We bought like 7 large bags. Our luggage only smelled like coffee. Ate at Umeke's, a very recommended poke place. Walked through some oceanfront shops. Close by is the Mokuaikaua Church, Hawaii's oldest Christian church founded in 1820, and the Hulihe'e Palace, which apparently was former vacation of home of Hawaiian royalty now turned museum.
I wouldn't mind going back to the Big Island to see the lava. This time I will bring appropriate shoes and gear. I was not prepared! I had to buy water shoes at the walmart! We did not get to see the other side of the island by where Hilo is at. I hear it is easier to get to the lava from the other side so we will try next time.
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