Memories of A Lost Land

Back in March I wrote about the Puna District on the Big Island of Hawai'i that I love so much. The last time we had been there was in January - and had I known that it literally would be the last time that I'd see it this way I probably would have taken way more photos than I actually did. But the memories of this now lost land are in my heart and it's where they will stay.

A big part of Puna has changed forever and is still changing every day. While it comes as no surprise that an active volcano would behave - well, actively - it is still heart breaking. Having your home being consumed by lava that creeps into your backyard is simply terrible. Even though the people had enough time to save a lot of their things, their homes are lost, and even those houses that remain standing may be unreachable because of the lava flow.

This beautiful road along the coast - Highway 137 - is cut off in several places, covered by lava. The lava flew down from Leilani Estates, crossed the highway and entered the ocean.

I fell in love with Puna during our first visit to the Big Island, and most of these pictures are from the summer of 2016.

It's a rugged coast, rough and black. No white sandy beaches are found here, only lava beaches, either rocky or with black sand. There's an abundance of palm trees and, since this is the rainy side of the island, rich and plentiful vegetation. It rains a lot here.

Along this coast there are (or should I say "were") bays and beaches where you could stop, just hang out, surf, talk to the locals or just sit in a chair and look out over the ocean. Often someone brought fruit for everyone to share.

Some of these places still exist since the lava didn't go everywhere, but it might be a challenge to reach these spots.

I'm pretty sure that this road no longer exists. It leads to Kapoho Bay - with wonderful tide pools and great snorkeling. The lava from fissure 8 has entered the ocean here and Kapoho Bay is no more.

While all of this is incredibly sad, it is also amazing and beautiful at the same time. Nature definitely never stops to fascinates, and it does what it wants. No way we can manage it. We can be smart and prepared, but in the end we can only react to what nature has in store for us - much of it as a result of our own destructive behavior. Remember the principle of the seventh generation I wrote about? It certainly doesn't apply to an active volcano, but it's still good to keep in mind.

This is what hot lava looks like (this is the lava flow in 2016) - you can see more pictures here:

I am forever grateful that I could experience Puna in January one more time. The avocado tree house is still standing, but it is difficult to get there. Highway 130 from Pāhoa to Kalapana has several cracks that are worrisome, but as far as I know you can still drive there (only if you're a resident though). At the moment an emergency road is bulldozed through the lava across Chain of Craters Road in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (where I took the pictures of the lava above), but that would be a huge detour. Still, better than having no way out...

Black Sand and Green Sea Turtles

For obvious reasons my thoughts are on the Big Island a lot these days. We are in contact with the owners of the Avocado Tree House and know that for the time being they are safe - if you can ever be really safe, living on a volcano. Their organic farm is just beyond the East Rift Zone toward the ocean and the nearest fissure is about three miles away, but the lava is flowing in the other direction (downrift and farther into the lower East Rift Zone). As of today there are 15 fissures in Leilani Estates and neighboring Lanipuna Gardens. My heart breaks for the people who have already lost their homes to the lava.

I thought that today I take you to the other side of the volcano, toward the west. We had heard about the black sand beaches but never visited one back in the summer of 2016. This time, however, we discovered Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. It's almost like a regular beach with the slight difference that the sand is volcanic and therefore black and there is a lot of lava. After all, we're almost at the foot of the volcano, near the South point of the island.

Of course there were lots of palm trees, and as usual it was a bit windy, but otherwise a gorgeous day.

We could sit on the lava and look out toward the ocean, watch the waves break against the rocks.

The sand was - indeed - black, coarse and there were some sparkles in there as well.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the tiny beach snails. They were clinging onto the lava everywhere.

We watched a black crab crossing the lava - sideways of course. Yes, even the crabs were black!

And then there was this bird - I assume (but am not sure) it's a Stilt Sandpiper in winter plumage. I observed it for quite a while.

Since this is Hawai'i, there was also this on the beach - a rescue surfboard!

I didn't mention the palm trees, did I?

And then we saw this:

But where were they?

We found them a couple days later.

They were super calm and didn't pay any attention to the picture taking humans. Thankfully no one got too close to them, everybody gave them lots of space.

They were beautiful.

I could have watched them for a looong time.

When Clouds Cry

Hawai'i is such a sunny paradise, right?

Nope.

Well, yes, of course it is. But it is also very humid and that gorgeous vegetation doesn't come out of a dry soil. At least not in those parts that are covered with rain forests, like the Southeastern part of the Big Island. It is stunningly beautiful and it is... wet. Very wet.

This is the Puna District, and it's probably the least well-known part of the Big Island. It does rain a lot here, and I mean a LOT. The skies just open up and the water gushes down. For people who are chasing the sun this is certainly not the place to go. There are no sand beaches here, but the coast is stunning. Wild and rugged. Lava coast, of course. We're right at the foot of the volcano after all.

These four photos above were taken within one hour, and you can see how quickly the weather changes. From grey skies and heavy clouds to some blue gaps and rays of sun and then back to torrential rain.

Highway 137 - a favorite road of mine - winds along the coast, most of the time very close to the sea so that you can hear the ocean roar and sometimes the spray of the waves hits the windshield. My favorite part is driving through those natural tunnels made out of bizarrely crooked trees that bend over the road.

It feels a bit like being in Tolkien's Middle Earth  - I was expecting either some elves or Treebeard to appear among the tree stems.

On the Southeast corner, at Cape Kumukahi, we parked the car and went through the lava moonscape down to the ocean - we started in the sun and ended up in the rain. Of course. Even though there is mostly lava here, new life is fighting its way to the light, dotting the mostly black landscape with its cheerful green color.

By the time we reached the water it had started to rain again and everything was grey, but the ocean was stunning. It never disappoints. Just look at those colors.

Puna District and the volcano are the areas that first come to my mind when I think of Hawai'i. No sand beaches for me (except for black sand, but that is for another post).

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From March 22-29 I'm having a spring sale.

15% everything in the store.