The park in Hawai’i encompasses diverse environments that range from sea level to the summit of the earth’s largest volcano at approx. 75,000 km3, Mauna Loa and the most active volcano on the island, Kilauea.
The good weather forecast (a look through the window) confirmed we’re heading South today.With the sea on the right side, we commence on the Mamalahoa Highway.A view vista points are sprinkled along the coastline.But it’s rugged lava rocks, no sand in sight.It’s a broad way to Volcano.Not a steep road but impressive nonetheless.Rushing to the local grocery store before entering the National Park.Enchanted forest at the Kilauea crater rim walk.Looking down the Kilaue Iki crater.We were here! ;)Beauty is in the eye of the Cameraholder.Iki crater once more. If you look closely, these little ants on the path in the middle are actually humans. No, didn’t hike down in the heat lol.Entrance of Nahuku, the Thurston Lava Tube.The tube from the inside. The orange light makes it creepily real.Crater from the other side of the drive.And then we descend to the ocean on the Chain of Craters Road in our black Venza.We stand here at the edge of one of the world’s longest chains of islands, a vast archipelago that stretches far beyond Kaua’i to Kure Atoll, 2575 km over the Pacific.Hōlei Sea Arch, found it!Interesting lava formations, make a cook pavement like artisan floor tiles.Small and big, this one is a few metres high.The wind was not in favour of this selfie.Kilauea’s lava is formed by the melting of an oceanic plate, which means that it contains less silicon dioxide—the same mineral that becomes quartz—than continental plates. As such, it’s extremely runny and super hot. It also doesn’t put up much resistance to gases, which can freely pass through it. This little ball might as well have been formed when the hot stone touched the sea.Lahava fields forever. Totally did not sing this one.Returning to the top. The very black areas are where the youngest lava was flowing down.Eeek just look at the lavaflow, how high it towers next to the street that has been carved into it afterwards.Pauahi Crater, had only 3 eruptions, the last 1979.Everything is very calm up here though, despite all these craters.The steam vents near the Crater Rim Drive.Like a mystical fairy wonderland, just hotter.Mauna Loa shows us her best side on the way back.The ride is so long that we have to stop on the roadside to catch this sunset on the fly.
