Hawaii

April 2026

April 14. Started out today on our 5 month travel journey, first stop Hawaii…my 50th US State! 22 hours from leaving the airport hotel and a 5 hour layover in LA airport. 10,000 steps walking circles round LAX. First plane, quiet, a row of 4 emergency exit seats to ourselves. A cold coconut oatmeal breakfast with blueberries…delicious. 6 hour flight. Second plane smaller/older/packed 5.5 hour flight, a stingy bag of pretzels and a cuppa. Honolulu on O’ahu by 7.30pm walking among high rise hotels, tourist shops and Waikiki Beach. I swear I heard someone singing karaoke to Billy Idol Dancing By Myself. It’s warm and the air feels and smells tropical.

Hilo to Pahoa

April 15. Fly 1 hour Honolulu to Hilo on the Big Island, quieter, less tourist development. Pick up a hire car to drive to Pahoa. We’ll get rain on an island of volcanoes and rainforest, I’m craving greenery.

Honolulu airport is a time capsule…homely and welcoming, built half in half out, a breeze pushing through. Swirly green carpets at arrivals wood cases framing flight information boards in the walkways. A pretty garden where we share a sandwich, seeing Spotted Doves, Red Crested Cardinal, an invasive small Indian Mongoose. People are friendly and polite; quick to smile. The flight to Hilo in the air less than 40 minutes. Picked up our 4WD Jeep rental and drove to Foodland. Groceries are astronomically priced, little wonder obesity is common where fast food is far cheaper than ingredients to cook. No tomatoes in the supermarket, sold out. They get two deliveries a week, flown in. We spent $170 on some basics; enough for breakfasts for the week (granola, bran some fruit) and enough for two meals. I knew it’d be more expensive but it’s way more than New York.

And to our Airbnb which is eccentric, in an area of settled jungle. It’s worn, everything a little tired, the cooker hob is rusted and Dave scrubs the coffee pot clean which isn’t ideal. There’s steep stairs to negotiate in the middle of the night. Around the house, banana trees, ferns exotic waxy flowers, orchids flourish here in the wet humid environment. It’ll do us fine for a few days.

The Coqui frogs kicked in and it’s Puerto Rico all over again…for something so tiny these things are loud. Travel tired, asleep by 8pm…earplugs blocking out the Coqui cacophony.

April 16. Woke at 5am, had a decent sleep despite the small double bed hard up against a wall my side a wooden shelf the other. Laying in bed look up to see a Gold Dust Day Gecko skitter across the ceiling catching flies. Most of the Coquis quiet now but still some chirping. A constant chatter of birds, rainfall…then glistening palms wave in a breeze. Dave makes us breakfast with fruit and plans our day, routing a local drive.

Big Island Hawaii, the ‘newest’ island, is not as developed as O’ahu. Known for volcanic eruptions which have turned the beaches black. Picked up bagels from Uncle Robert’s Awa Bar, a pull in roadside shack with fresh smoothies. Here we met Toby, American and his girlfriend Oxana from Russia. We hung out for over an hour, Oxana knowledgeable on the environment and conservation Toby sharing the same passion and living in a small hut, both living off grid with rain water tanks and solar…interesting people, we swapped numbers we got on so well.

Driving from Pahoa south to Kalapana to get on the scenic ‘Red Road’ following the coast. Stopping at Kehena Black Sands Beach on to Lauhalaland’s black sand cove and palm trees. At Mackenzie State Recreation we see dramatic views of waves crashing against lava cliffs. There’s a sunken lava tube (too dark to photograph), a coconut grove dense with palms lava tide pools wash at its edge. There’s a blue tent pitched deep in the trees.

Driving the temporary road of Fissure 22 a dominant active vent which for 2 weeks flowed lava from the 2018 eruption originating from the Kilauea volcano over a wide area…destroying everything including homes before spilling in to the ocean. Ending the day at the gritty volcanic sand/gravel beach at Isaac Kepo’okalani Hale Park created from the lava flow. Geothermal pools (not pictured)…the pools looked ok but it wasn’t a pretty area, though the first where we saw an active lifeguard station.

Volcanoes National Park

April 17. A visit to the Hawaii Volcanos National Park a 50 minute drive from where we’re based near Pahoa. $30 entrance fee per vehicle which covers re-entry for 7 days…America might not be perfect but it’s excellent at maintaining incredible National Parks. Walking through towering unfurling ferns and palm trees to the 600 feet long Thurston Lava tube (Nāhuku). Formed by a river of lava flowing in its own channel, its central core reaching 1,090 degrees C (2,000 degrees F). As the surface cooled its crust hardened. The eruption stopped, the lava draining away leaving a long lava tube or tunnel which took about a year to cool down.

Drove the Crater Rim to see steam vents and the active Kilauea Iki and the Halema’uma’u pit crater. Locals believe the goddess of fire lightning and wind Pele (Peh-leh), inhabits the pit crater; we see old offerings of Lei (flower garland) left along the route. I can’t give all the facts as there’s too many but incredible to see it and learn of the devastation it caused in 2018 when it wiped out over 700 homes. Smoke was pouring out non stop today and lava fountains are forecast next week…not sure if that will happen before we leave but would love to see it.

After leaving the park we took the Kahakai Blvd to connect on to the stunning Government Beach Road in lower Puna. Native Hala trees create a shaded canopy alongside towering palms, mango trees, Casuarina, coconut, Hau and many others. It’s one of the best scenic drives we’ve taken anywhere.

Hilo and Around

April 18. To the farmers market in the town of Hilo a 45 minute drive north sitting on a coastal bay. Loads of different fruits and we finally found tomatoes…sold out in the supermarket which was odd. Bought fresh coconut from a very abrasive Hawaiian lady doing a brisk trade…she was fascinating. Ginger jams, fiddlehead ferns, mochi cake (bought some/not very tasty/chewy), lots of purple mangosteens. A wander around town, weather worn buildings, torn moldy awnings…ocean air plus rainforest humidity take their toll. Some of the shops on the front sold posh dresses. We see a lot of hippies, lived in tans tattoos…the occasional amusing hat.

Behind a 2-storey house a gigantic Banyan tree looms, trailing its feathery aerial roots. They originate from the branches, grow down to the soil where they thicken, take in nutrients for the tree and act as pillar supports. It must look monstrous at night. What an incredible tree.

Leaving Hilo heading north following the Pepeekeo scenic drive crossing a small bridge where three young people are taking photos of each other using a camera rather than phone, rarely seen these days. Kamuela, Anolani and Nainoa…a lot of vowels but Hawaiian names sound beautiful. Travelling here it’s easy to forget that Hawaii is part of the United States, it’s so culturally different.

Turning inland to visit ‘Akaka Falls State Park, only $6 entry fee each. Walking down through tropical green, super tall stands of bamboo, massive spooky Banyan trees…then up a bunch of steps to vista points overlooking first Kahuna Falls in the distance and much closer, ‘Akaka Falls dropping 442 feet in to a gorge. Met a couple living in Seattle with their two young boys. One asked Dave which football team he supported…on replying “Spurs” the youngest kid replied “sorry”. 

Pahoa Breakfast

April 19. A slower day to recharge, meeting up with Oxana and Toby for breakfast in Pahoa at Pele’s kitchen. Great food and great company, making new friends along the road is a special bonus to travel. A couple of hours swapping stories and a lot of laughing, we left them to jump on their motorbike and head home. We drove on to visit the community who’ve built homes, some tiny and eccentric, at Kalapana on the lava flow…not staying long as we felt like we were trespassing.

West Side Drive

April 20. Early-ish start driving the Hawai’i Belt Road heading over 2 hours for the western side of the island. Seeing roadside signs for “Nēnē crossing”, the endangered Hawaiin goose. More lava fields but brown rather than black, covered with stubby trees. Pulling over for gorgeous ocean views.

We stop at Pu’uhonua Honaunau National Historical Park. The site of a preserved spiritual sanctuary city, the Hale o Keawe temple and several other thatched buildings have been reconstructed based on originals thought to date to 1650 AD. Up until the 19th century Hawaiians (often defeated warriors) who violated one of the ancient laws (kapu) could flee here avoiding death and be absolved by a priest and freed.

Carved protector statues (kii) look fearsome…the ultimate protector the Hawaiian god of life, Lono. A 10 foot high hand built wall made from lava boulders and rocks surrounds the site, an impressive example of skills which are becoming a dying art.

In an A-frame structure with a palm roof I meet Mr Medeiros demonstrating traditional totem carving. We chat for a few minutes until another tourist asks him if he’s carving, “No” he quips “I’m just holding the tools.” I like him. I take a photograph for a Chinese family telling them we’ll be visiting their country on this trip, the parents don’t speak English their daughter translates, eager to share advice.

We wander out and around the corner to paddle in the cool water of Honaunau Bay, home to a canoe club, several boats pulled in on the grass. People are snorkelling, picnics set out on the lava rocks…everywhere lava.

20 minute drive further north for a spectacular view across a valley to the ocean from the balcony of The Coffee Shack on the Mamalahoa Highway in Honaunau-Napoopoo. I will never be able to pronounce anything right in Hawaii. A visitor to my table…popped up through the broken window frame to pose for a photograph.

We rejoin Hawaii Belt Road, pass through Keylakekua; a long string of tie dye hippy shops in sunbleached shacks, poke bowls, hot tubs, rooms above a place with “riddims” painted on a window. We can’t wrap our tongues around the names of the towns. Spots of rain and heavy cloudcover threaten.

We pass Puapuaanui Street. Later turning east, we go through the Pu’u Wa’awa’a Forest Reserve. Jacaranda trees a startling bolt of blue-purple against the blackening sky. Goats and cows graze on land around small one storey houses, cars and trucks tucked in beside them. Through acres of undulating grassland grown over the volcanic rock…jagged edges black poking through the green. Driving in to thick fog on Saddle Road, wet…the carpet green hills gone replaced by raw lava fields creeping with low growing red and sulphur yellow, scraggy tough trees…a different kind of fern glows…it’s eerie, visibility low. Rain hits but rolls over and is gone. Roadworks in Hilo back up traffic and it takes over 3 hours to get back.

Back to Honolulu For New Zealand

April 21. Dropping off the rental Jeep and the hour flight from Hilo back to Honolulu. We’ve driven 550 miles of the Big Island in 6 days. We’d planned to kick back and relax a bit but the Airbnb wasn’t the best place for that and plenty to explore. On the plane the pilot made an announcement: “Hi I’m David I’m the tall good looking guy up front. If you’ve been visiting I hope you had a good time, if you live here so do I, so look out for me, I’m the tallest guy on the island.”

We drop our bags at the hotel and wander to find something to eat. It’s sticky humid, we’re getting grumpy…a food truck park looks too gritty and the photos of food don’t appeal, an Asian food court looks like a mall and smells of drains. There’s so much fast food around but nothing much healthy and we don’t want a restaurant at 2pm. We find Dean & Deluca, an upmarket coffee shop near the Ritz Carlton. It’s contemporary and bright, we buy giant sandwiches, a bargain in Hawaii at $12 each and fresh ingredients…chocolate orange ice cream for dessert. We follow the canal on Ala Wai Blvd, teeming with dark fish with big bulging eyes. We stop to talk with a Hawaiian man who greets us as we pass so we chat, born in Honolulu he teaches us about Hawaiian pronunciation. Everyone you meet can teach you something new. To our hotel The Aqua Aloha Surf Waikiki on Kānekapōlei street…I have a long shower. It’s great to have a good bed again. We check that our NZeTA and entry statements are ready for flying to New Zealand tomorrow (we don’t need visas)…everything done on apps. It’ll be a long flight and with the time difference arriving a full day after we leave. We download loads to watch.

Hawaii’s been interesting, a mixed bag. Very friendly locals, a fascinating culture, stunning scenery…but it’s obvious there’s problems here. Tourism isn’t doing as well as it did…numbers are down. Sadly there’s too many people needing food stamps on the Big Island trying to get by…it doesn’t make sense in a country as wealthy as this. Like a lot of places we noticed plenty of homeless people. It seems far removed from mainline America but fast food culture is pervasive in Honolulu and it shows. I’m glad we chose Big Island, and not Honolulu.