Talk about a Bucket List Event: Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is one of the very few places in the world where you can safely watch the orange glow of lava. While the Kilauea volcano has been erupting almost continuously for the last four decades there have been very few times where one can see the crater filled with hot molten lava from the safety of an overhead observation lookout. To...
by Andrew B., Friend of Paradise in Hawaii One of the main reasons our family visited the Big Island of Hawaii was to tour Volcanoes National Park. My wife and I first visited over 20 years ago and while we were there we hiked a small portion of the Park. Recently we returned with our two teenage sons; we wanted to see the volcanoes in a new way, and to see...
There is nothing like being a kid and finding a new playground to explore. Do you remember discovering a new fort or a new maze for the first time? While Hawaii has so many amazing experiences for kids and families alike, there are some fun playgrounds to enjoy and maybe make some new Hawaiian friends. One of our favorite playgrounds is the Anuenue Playground located in Waimea. If you find yourself on a...
Snorkel with the Manta Rays Imagine seeing a large, mysterious creature gliding like an acrobat through crystal clear ocean waters. Hauntingly beautiful and graceful, what is it you saw? You have seen a manta ray, the largest of the rays, reaching wing spans up to twenty feet and weighing as much as 3,000 pounds. On the Big Island of Hawaii, you can snorkel with manta rays at night! Manta rays...
One evening earlier this month, we went for a shoreline hike at Anaeho’omalu Bay, beside the Waikoloa Beach Resort area. We had heard that sea turtles often hang out on the quiet and less crowded beaches along this trail, and wanted to photograph them in the glow of the evening light. We headed out from the trailhead near the Lava Lava Beach Club about half an hour before sunset, equipped with flashlights for the twilight walk back. As we...
Tucked away on the shoreline behind the Kona Airport, you will find a hidden gem of marine education and conservation. Here, you can learn about ocean conservation and the world’s endangered sea horse species. The Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm is unique – as the world’s first and only sea horse farm, established to breed and raise sea horses for home aquariums and relieve pressure on wild and endangered sea horse populations. If...
Exciting volcano news – the current lava flow has changed direction and is now heading into the ocean through the National Park! According to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, the lava reached the ocean on July 26th (see map of current lava flow). Some of our guests have been able to hike or ride bikes to the lava flow in order to see the lava up close and feel the heat! While...
