Big Island - Hawai‘i

So we went back to Polynesia. After Easter Island, which describes the eastern corner of the Polynesian triangle, now to its northern tip. Our first destination was the island of “Hawaii” or also called “Big Island” because it is the largest of all the islands and gives the archipelago its name. The airport was relatively small so we were ready quickly and were able to pick up our rental car. For the first time we booked the so-called “Managers Special”, which means you get a surprise car for a small extra charge. That can certainly go wrong at times, but we were lucky and were able to choose between a Ford Mustang and a Dodge Challenger. We took the Mustang and were thrilled right from the start - especially Philip. The car was a real sports car and hummed ostentatiously when the engine was started 😄. Our first accommodation was in the south of the island, in the town of “Ocean View” and had a whirlpool under the stars - a dream. In the evening we drove to “South Point”, the southernmost point in the USA and enjoyed the sunset.

We realized that we wanted to do something slowly because we were becoming more and more “saturated” and could no longer absorb so many new impressions at once. So we had written out a few beaches and sights, but overall no concrete plans for Hawaii - apart from one. We had booked one of the most popular dives in the world: the manta ray night dive! We previously spent the day on a beautiful white sandy beach with fairly high waves, in which Philip still bravely bathed. In the afternoon we drove to the harbor where the diving boat was waiting for us. First, a dive was planned in the light and after sunset we were supposed to go into the sea in the dark. The manta rays in the area live on the coast, so they are pretty reliable and even have names. They eat plankton, this is attracted to light and the diving schools shine flashlights underwater in the dark to attract the plankton and thus the animals. Even before we got ready for the first dive, the captain announced that the waves would probably get very strong in the evening and we might have to cancel the night dive. The disappointment was evident on everyone's faces - after all, that was the main reason we were all there! We remained optimistic at first and when our diving guide told us that the manta rays can often be seen during the day, we were in a really good mood again. We preferred to see the animals in the light and without any “attraction” anyway! In two small groups, each with a guide, we jumped into the water and quickly descended in order to escape the waves, even if you could feel them even on the seabed. It didn't take long and the long-awaited moment came, we saw our first manta ray! We were speechless - we wouldn't have been understood with the breathing apparatus in our mouths anyway 😜 - and watched this elegant, huge ray that seemed completely unaware of the waves that were washing us from right to left. Our guide sometimes shined a flashlight, arousing the curiosity of the animal, which is one of the most intelligent sea creatures. As soon as we turned around again, the second one came floating up and this time even swam really close to us! We were in seventh heaven and overjoyed! We looked for them everywhere and then they came by here as if in unison and eyed us at least as curiously as we did them. After 20 minutes we had already seen three manta rays and in the next 25 minutes under water two more came by. One was even so close to our dive buddy that his fin almost touched her head. It was crazy! We also saw small box fish and a large moray eel. As our air slowly ran out, we climbed up calmly and were shaken by the waves the closer we got to the top. Back on the boat it was announced that unfortunately we couldn't do the night dive. That was a shame, but since we had already seen so many manta rays and that too in daylight, we were happy with the decision and drove back to land in the light of the setting sun.

The remaining days were relatively unspectacular, we visited black sand beaches and on one you could even see turtles on land and while snorkeling.

On our last day in Ocean View, we took a cool hike to one of only four green sand beaches in the world. The color here comes from a substance called “olivine” and the sand almost looks like crumbled emeralds, it was really beautiful. We cooled off in the waves and then hiked back. We then drove to the east of the Big Island to our second accommodation in Keeau. Here we basically had a whole house to ourselves with a large bathroom, balcony, great kitchen and there was a macadamia tree and a coconut palm in the garden!

On the first day on the rainier and greener east coast we drove to various waterfalls. First to the 130m high Akaka Falls, which tumbled down a green mountain and were actually a bit reminiscent of the film “Avatar”. Afterwards we took a short hike to Onomea Bay and through a palm forest. The second waterfall was called Rainbow Falls because you can often see a rainbow there. Unfortunately we didn't see anyone and the waterfall was a little less spectacular than expected, but still beautiful. Finally we drove to Waiale Falls. After a long search we found the path that led directly to the waterfall and the small lake in front of it. The water was a bit cold at first, but we went for a swim and got to just before the cascading waterfall. Due to the force of the water there was such a strong current that we were driven back again. The swimming was really great and super refreshing. In the evening, like the last few days, we cooked and had a cozy movie night. That was a good idea, because in the afternoon there were often clouds and it even rained. Overall, the climate was very changeable when you drove across the island, after all, the Big Island has almost all of the world's climate zones!

The following day we went to the Volcanoes National Parc, which we could also go to with our annual pass - it was really worth it. For many years, the liquid lava from Kilauea could be seen here, erupting almost constantly. Then it was quiet for a few years, it broke out again in January of this year, but currently it is only bubbling subliminally. So unfortunately we didn't see any lava, but we hiked through cool lava fields, with lush green jungle right next to them. That was very beautiful and cool to see. We also saw the Hawaiian national bird called “Nene”, a sea goose. After the hike, we walked through a lava tunnel, did another short hike, checked out a few viewpoints and then went home again.

On the last day we drove further north through a small town called Waimea and from there to the west coast. We visited the “Pu'ukohola Heiau”, the most important temple in Hawaii. The islands were settled by Polynesian sailors and each island was administered independently. Then came Kamehameha I, who built this temple and ultimately unified the Hawaiian Islands. The name sounds funny, but it was really called that and it means “The Lonely One”. Afterwards we lounged on the beach, walked to another along the coast and drank a beer at the bar of a ridiculously expensive hotel. On the way back to our car we marveled at the beautiful sunset over the sea.

We are now going to the most populated island “Oahu”, where the capital Honolulu is also located.