Visitors can get up close to the action at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Photo / 123rf
Visitors can get up close to the action at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Photo / 123rf
Headed to beautiful Hawaii? Alongside the beaches and evening cocktails, don't miss the incredible lava fields of the Big Island, writes Sue Wallace.
Big Island, also known as Hawaii Island, is a land of contrasts. The island's capital, Hilo, on the windward east side is the rainiest city in the US, often receiving an annual drenching of 3984mm. Over in Kailua-Kona town – on the opposite side, it's usually dry and sunny.
"Bring your umbrella and raincoat, people who live here are used to the rain and it's just a part of life," says our guide, Jim, as we head off on a four-hour tour to discover the highlights of Hilo.
Lush greenery sits alongside stark lava fields on the vast island of contrasts. Photo / 123rf
The Land of Frozen Fire tour includes driving through Hilo's enchanting, wooded backroads where trees form a pretty canopy, and visiting the volcanic eastern rift zone with tangled charcoal-coloured lava fields and black sandy beaches.
Hilo hit the headlines in 2018 when volcanic eruptions destroyed 700 homes.
"Earthquakes caused cracks in the roads and there were lava fountains spewing 91m into the sky and nearly 2000 residents were evacuated," Jim says.
"This amazing force evaporated Green Lake, the largest, natural freshwater lake in Hawaii and is just one example of the mass destruction from the Kilauea Volcano at the nearby Hawaii Volcanoes National Park."
The active shield volcano along the southeastern shore that emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago, is estimated to be between 210,000 and 280,000 years old.
A stop at Isaac Hale Beach Park and Pohoiki Beach reveals a black-sand beach that contrasts with turquoise seas and blue skies and, just as Jim predicted, it rains. The black beach was created by Kilauea's lava flows and is an incredible sight,
Lava stopped at the edge of the parking lot and the entire cove and boat ramp was filled in with black sand.
As you look at the extensive desolate lava fields, you can spot small green shrubs every so often – all part of mother nature and her wonders.
Steaming craters are a mesmerising sight on the Big Island. Photo / 123rf
On our way back we stop at the historic Star of the Sea Painted Church in Kalapana. It was built in 1927-1928 by Belgian Catholic missionary priest Father Evarist Gielen, who helped care for leprosy patients.
He painted the upper section of the church interior, which was moved in 1990, ahead of an advancing lava flow.
The 85-year-old wooden church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with frescos and stained glass adorning the interior, plus a few curious wandering chooks.
The surrounding garden features magnificent brightly coloured tropical flowers, including hibiscus and frangipani.
The Big Island is home to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where you can see the Halemaumau crater, a pit crater within the much larger Kilauea caldera at the summit of the Kilauea volcano. Steam coming from cracks and fissures and often red-hot lava can often be seen, creating an eerie landscape.
Glowing lava inside the Kilauea Caldera. Photo / 123rf
According to Hawaiian culture, the circular crater is home to Pele, goddess of fire and volcanoes.
The town of Pahoa, a former booming plantation town is now a hippie-centric town, which was nearly destroyed following lava flows. There's a trail to a petrified forest and a deep fissure.
Across the island at Kailua-Kona, where sunshine reigns, the area is known for its coffee. It accounts for almost half the coffee grown in Hawaii and has a big following marked by the annual Kona Coffee Festival in November.
This 46-year-old tradition celebrates and promotes the heritage and culture behind Kona's famous coffee on the Kona Coffee Belt along the western coast of the island, which stretches for 48km.
What's it like? Expect a strong taste and a heavenly smell that will have coffee lovers swooning.
Big Island is the youngest and largest island in the Hawaiian chain and nearly twice as large as all other Hawaiian Islands combined - hence its name.
It's big by name and big on stunning scenery and landscapes, and as Jim, our guide, says – 'It's got it all."
