:: Hilo and surrounding area ::
Hilo is on the Eastern side of the island. It's an old plantation town turned tourist town. They don't grow much sugar cane if any. I never found a working plantation on the Big Island. The town people are friendly and there are several beautiful waterfalls near town. I open this set of pictures with some shots from the open air Farmer's Market. I followed up with Waterfall shots all within 15 miles of the downtown area. I took a helicopter ride from the Hilo Airport to the Lava field. I was never more that 500 feet above the ground. Some of the Lava field shots look like I was only a few feet, it was always a bit more, usually between 300 to 500 feet. I have several pictures from the surrounding country side including some from the "Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden".
:: Birds, Fish and Critters ::
Most of these pictures were taken in August 2007 on the Kona side or on the southern tip of the Big Island. Only the picture of the craw fish was taken on the West or Hilo side of the island. The Cardinal like red head birds and fish were taken in the south town of NaAlehu. The pictures of the Nene (Hawaii Goose) were taken on the Chain of Craters Road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The cat, spider, gecko, mynah birds and pigeons were taken at the hotel in Kailua-Kona.
:: Hawaii National Park ::
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution — processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with unique ecosystems, and a distinct human culture.
:: Kilauea Crater ::
These pictures are taken in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at the Kilauea Crater. Kilauea went dormant in the very late 1980's and the Hawaiian hot spot emerged a few years later as another crater several miles to the east called Pu'u O'o, which is the current active volcano crater on the island.
:: Kona ::
Kona is a district on the West Side of the Big Island. The Northwest side is dry but not as dry as Arizona. The Southwest side is wet and tropical with lots of coffee plantations. The coffee is excellent in the local shops in Kona. Pictured are traditional Hawaiian tiki wood carvings next to a thatched-roof temple building at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park.
:: Mom, Aunt Lol and Me ::
These are pictures of myself, mom and Aunt "Lol". Bob worked at Manuka State Park and we got his picture when we visited there.
:: Lava on the Big Island ::
Lava on the Big Island as seen from a Helicopter. The lava is flowing out of the Pu'u O'o crater on the eastern edge of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The lava was flowing down to the sea in June but in August it is flowing to the east and into a forest in the general direction of Hilo. The lava flows very fast in places and is one of the most amazing things I have seen in all my life.
:: The active Pu'u O'o crater ::
The active Pu'u O'o crater is source of all the flowing lava on the big island. The Kilauea crater in the center of the national park has gone dormant and lava no longer flows from the crater. Kilauea was active until the late 1980's. Pu'u O'o is now the active crater and is 3 miles east of Kilauea at the eastern edge of the National Park. It currently flows east into national forest. Here are my pictures of the crater.
:: Waipio Valley ::
These pictures are the Waipio Valley on the Northwest side of the Hawaii Island.
