The trip began on October 5th, 2001 as we flew from Seattle to Honolulu, then connecting to Hilo on the Big Island.  Due to the Sept. 11th tragedy in New York, security was tighter but we arrived at the appropriate time at the airport to deal with possible delays prior to our flight.  After a long wait to check in at Northwest Airlines at SeaTac, we had a comfortable amount of time to wait for the flight..  This was the first time Stephen and I have booked the Air through the cruiseline, as Celebrity had a very competitive rate and included our transfers from Ensenada, Mexico (our final destination)   to San Diego airport for our return flight home.

Aloha ! We arrive in Honolulu.   Stephen bought me a nice lei "since it was our 10th anniversary and all"

We had just arrived in Honolulu but were waiting on our flight to Hilo - took the Wiki Wiki from one part of the airport to the Inter Island terminal.

Aloha Tower Cruise Terminal in Honolulu from the air - looks like a Holland America ship in the port.

Waikiki

Diamond Head

Another island from the air

The flight to Hilo was cool and we picked up our rental car at Budget when we arrived.

We had lots of CD's to listen to since we knew the Royal Suite would have a CD player so we got to listen to them in the car as well... Louis Prima, Chuck Berry, Asleep at the Wheel, etc. Top down oh then up then down oh rain ! then up ! oh sun ! Down.... hehe

We enjoyed our "deluxe room" at Arnott's, each morning we sat under our lanai, sipping coffee listening to the birds in the tropical brush.

Touring the North and East Coast of The Big Island

Arnott's Lodge describes this tour like this, we did a modified version due to the Iron Man Triathlon taking place in Kona  :

Valleys and Waterfalls
Breathtaking waterfalls and lush deep gulches are bursting with life on the Hamakua Coast. Cruise on the old scenic highway through stunningly beautiful tropical forests with steams and waterfalls, then visit 420ft. Akaka Falls. You and your guide will customize your adventure as you go. Depending on the day, you will visit all or some of the following places.

	Surf pounding Laupahoehoe Point with dramatic views of the sea cliffs.
	Heavenly Kalopa Native Forest State Park, which offers hiking.
	Waipio Valley lookout with an unforgettable view of the spiritual valley.
	Along the coast, mile after mile of rolling grassy hills and wide open plains of the 225,000 acre Parker Ranch.

If the weather is undesirable to explore the valleys and waterfalls, we will take you to a beautiful white-sand beach.

BRING: Swim wear, sunscreen, footwear, water, lunch, and light jacket.

Water flowing from a lava tube.  The big island is criss-crossed with lava tubes which once were rivers of lava that left only their tubular shell behind.

A stop for lunch at a place with true local flavour.  I had Loco Moco - hmm not sure what to think about it, rice, meat and gravy topped with an egg as you like it in a cup.  Certainly filling !

A Northern coastal Valley

Our tour guide from Arnotts wished he was surfing these waves !

Sometimes we'd stop and the driver would pick fruit for us to try along the route.

Since I took the stills, we have lots of pictures of Stephen, we have more video with me in it since he's was video guy.  Sometimes we'd find a kind passerby to click a shot of us together.

The East coast of the Big Island, where Hilo is located, is rough and rugged and not as suitable for swimming as the west coast near Kona.

Many dramatic coastal views.

Stephen with the "wind swept" look

The next day we took off on our own to visit Volcano National Park, only about 45 minutes from Hilo.

Before we went to visit the park we stopped at Black Sand Beach

The surf was quite respectable, we stopped here and had a picnic lunch.

After checking out the Visitor's Center we started our drive along Chain of Crater's Road.  Our first stop was by some sulfur vents.

Many of the lava flows from previous years were right beside, and sometimes approaching onto the road.  No active lava pools are visible by the road.

We'd often stop and hike off the path a bit.  There are many wonderful hikes of various duration.

A tree mold with bark inside a lava boulder

Plants sprouting out of the rock

More Lava Flows

This lava flow terminated the road.

I used my hiking stick to steady as I walked on the rough lava fields. 

In this harsh terrain we found many beautiful rainbows leading us to the next site.

"Mauna Kea is the world's top astronomical site and the world's tallest mountain when measured from the ocean floor. Ascend to the summit of Mauna Kea (13,796 feet) for a spectacular view of the sunset.   The landscape atop Mauna Kea can be described as a "majestic moonscape". Looking down on the clouds is mesmerizing.

Then descend to the Ellison Onizuka Visitor Center at 9,200 feet for an unforgettable night sky with thousands and thousands of stars, planets, galaxies and nebulas! We provide warm jackets if you don't have one and we bring oxygen in case of need. "

We passed by Rainbow Falls just outside of Hilo so stopped to get photos, of course )

At the Summit of Mauna Kea are many telescope observatories.  This is one of the clearest place on earth to view the night sky.

It was a thrill to be above the clouds and watching the sunset below us.

Its quit nippy up there so we brought some warm clothes. 

Never expected I'd be bundled up like this in Hawaii !

Its easy to get light-headed and feel a bit dizzy here since the oxygen is only about 40% of that at sea level.  You have to move slowly or you'll get out of breath fast.

Shane was our tour guide from Arnotts, we had a bilingual tour as he spoke Japanese as well.  After the sunset we headed back down to the Ellison Onizuka Visitor Center and set up for stargazing.  The observatories are not open for public viewing, but can be toured during the day.  The sky was awesome and I saw a meteor!   Shane pointed out many constellations and nebulas as we peered through the telescope.

We had very comfortable accommodation at Arnott's in Hilo.  This was their "deluxe room" - they have everything from camping on property, dorms, and the deluxe units.  We were in a small building containing several of these and we had a large well equipped shared kitchen with laundry.  It was extremely reasonably priced for $57 per night for us, and as a guest of the lodge we received generous discounts on their tours.

This is the area in our room we had for storage .. tons of it!  It was great.  Its a separate area behind the wall beside the bed on the photo on the left.  Comfortable bathroom with shower and tub.

The accommodations are not "luxurious" but certainly clean and comfortable.   We were delighted with the experience.

This is a great place to stay if you want to enjoy the tours and visit the sites on the east side of the island.  The best beaches however, are on the west coast near Kona.

Here's the office area at Arnotts with Bicycles available for rent.  They also have a gazebo for movie viewing that is well stocked with videos.  Many books are available for reading or studying up on the area.   Also 2 computers are on-site for Internet and email use, $6 an hour I believe.   Juice, coffee, muffins and bagels available here each morning for a small charge.  

All the staff at Arnott's were fabulous and very accommodating.  The clientele is mostly sociable and adventurous travelers especially interested in the volcanic sites and hiking opportunities on the island.

Arnott's offers much more strenuous and extensive hikes that what we did, check out their site for more details at : http://www.arnottslodge.com

NEXT: Hawaii and Mercury - boarding the Mercury for the cruise around the Islands