How to Plan an International Trip: Travel Tales and Tips : Hawaii Trip Report, Day 11: Volcano national park; Day 12: Punaluu beach, Hulihee palace:

DAY 11, DEC 20, 2012:

Hilo Seaside Hotel:

Pic shows Our hotel rooms and the small koi pond with the lovely banyan tree just outside the entrance.

There were plenty of birds and it had been a pleasant stay

The pool...our room faced this.

Traditional hawaiian quilting on the corridor walls.

Hawaiian quilt is a distinctive quilting style of the Hawaiian Islands that uses large radially symmetricapplique patterns. Motifs often work stylized botanical designs in bold colors on a white background.

Hawaiian quilt applique is made from a single cut on folded fabric. Quilting stitches normally follow the contours of the applique design.

10 minutes to 8, checked out.

Christmas tree in the hotel lobby.

Early start to our drive to Volcano national park.

Drove 45 miles from Hilo. We would have liked to stay in the govt hotel inside the Volcano national park but it was closed for renovations. So we had to book a room at the village.

Aloha crater lodge, volcano national park:

We reached Aloha Crater Lodge (in the volcano village 2 miles from the park) by 9am. We rang them up earlier to request we’ll need to keep our bags with them at 9am and then continue on to the VNP for the day. Shannon asked us to email her, We did so from the Hilo seaside hotel lobby asking her to call back with confirmation… she had emailed us back but of course we did not have net access.

When we reached the vicinity, we rang them up again, Danny picked up and guided us to their place… we would never have seen the tiny gap in the highway if we he did not guide us…

We reached the place and they told us to leave the bags right in our room and gave us the key as well. There were leftovers from the previous guest in the fridge…she said she had a little more cleaning up to do, that was fine with us.

the room was spacious with a Californian king bed on a side with a wooden panel separator, another queen bed…. Huge glass windows (not openable), a kitchenette with microwave, toaster.

double bed, screen, chest with old TV.

dining table and chairs... 2 large windows.

day bed.

Volcano national park:

Drove back to the park after keeping our stuff in the room.

Here we are at the steam vents...rainwater percolates to the hot volcanic rocks below, and the steam escapes through fissures.

Very cold with a steady drizzle.

We get the best view of the active volcano kilaueau from the jaggar museum.

Inside Jaggar museum, VNP. Had good view of the smouldering crater from inside through the glass walls.

Goddess Pele who lives in the crater.

Awesome sight. Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes...

Kīlauea and its Halemaʻumaʻu calder are the sacred home of the volcano goddess Pele,

Mauna Loa is the world's most massive volcano.

We started on the scenic drive of 23-mile chain of craters road...

There are 7 extinct craters on this road.

It's voggy—volcanic gas plus fog.

Conditions keep changing... alternating with drizzle and vog... because of the volcanic gases.

Volcanic gas is very bad for health; it can solidify in the lungs and cause havoc.

Terrain is bleak landscape.

There are letters in the visitor center with tales of bad luck for people who took home a piece of these rocks. just want to hold them for a second.

Hardy plants start sprouting.

Solidified molten lava.

There are several trekking options.

Winding road. Roads are also made of cinder— many cavities and is such low-density... slippery when wet.

At last reached the sea... totally scenic. Rocky cliffs—sign warning it's dangerous to go to the edge.

Rainbow

Cliff walls... they break off and fall into the ocean any odd time.

Aloha crater lodge again:

After a full day at VNP, we came back by 6. There was a fridge with butter, preserve, juice… even my groceries… cheese, pineapple, avocados, milk, yogurt etc had been neatly put into the fridge when we came back… and there was a bowl of fruits and 4 muffins on a plate on the dining table and some music playing on an old TV … ,

kitchenette—microwave, fridge, coffee maker.

When we tried to settle in, I found the pillows itchy and the bed linen smelly. The room had no ventilation… only the bathroom had an exhaust fan that switched on with the light.

There was a small heater … though it was very cold, we did not want to switch it on as it’ll take up the limited oxygen supply in the room…

also the only chest of drawers had a lot of old stuff… had no place to keep any of our staff… anyway as we planned to leave early next morning, we did not open our bags…

Got up at 11 in the night and drove to the Jaggar museum .... the plume was awesome to look at. Literally had to crawl at a snail's pace as roads are not lit!

Lit up with the cell phone to catch a pic with madame Pele.

after a trip to the VNP at 11 in the night to see the plume, we returned at midnight… it was so difficult to sleep in the cold, congested room, we tossed and turned and then decided to soak a little in the bath tub…. That warmed us enough to sleep but another horror was that except for 2 towels, the rest were smelly… they had just been folded after another guest had used it!!

we slept off.

DAY 12, DEC 21, 2012:

8.30am :

one of our party took the free lava tube trip with Danny… I kept the door open and was finishing packing when I saw 3 big dogs bounding toward our place…. Hurriedly closed the door on them as they peered in…. in the end they turned out to be the sweetest darlings and were all over us as we tried to load our car with our bags after check out…I had read a review that these dogs were aggressive when they tried to check in at night and i am wary of strange dogs… we also heard then growling a little later but fortunately they were very sweet to us and we were thankful we had got the keys early in the morning and did not have to face hostile dogs.

we checked out early before 9 and were off… it’s a nice looking place, just 2 miles from VNP and the owners are friendly but the smelly towels, itchy pillows, stinky bedcover and the lack of ventilation really freaked us out and we would not like to return .

Punaluu beach:

On our way along the coast, stopped at the Punaluu beach. Nice park... there were several cars/ buses parked, so we parked as well.

The sea turtles have a special status as they are endangered.

The black sand is gritty. The Mild sun is welcome after the blustery weather at VNP. In summer this place must be baking hot.

The volcanic rocks we saw in plenty at the VNP here as well.

Sheraton hotel, Keauhou bay:

We drove on and reached Keauhou bay and went straight to our hotel Sheraton.

At our Sheraton hotel balcony after the long drive.

Had to wait for our room to be ready, so had our food right here in a corner of the lobby with great views.

Got the keys and a couple of welcome leis; marched off to our room.

Our room 4615 with the bags wheeled in.

Our Balcony and the view yonder.

Needed this lettering S on the glass ; otherwise people can walk through the glass and get hurt.

used this a lot.

Hulihee palace:

We drove to Hulihee palace... had a great docent explain all the rooms.

This palace was built in 1838 out of lava rock. In 1927, it has been converted into a museum exhibiting furniture and artefacts of Hawaii.

The Kawānanakoa Room is dedicated to Prince David and Princess Abigail Kawānanakoa. He was brother to Prince Kuhio and a businessman in Honolulu.

Direct descendants of Prince David still make their home in Hawai`i and much of the furniture in the room is on loan from the Kawānanakoa family.

Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani's Bedroom:

Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani's Bedroom contains many of her personal items, but it is unlikely the Princess spent much time sleeping in the Palace.

Princess Ruth loved the Palace and used it extensively during the four decades that she owned it. However, the Princess slept in a large pili grass house that she had constructed on the Palace grounds.

While the Princess enjoyed her traditional hale pili, the Palace was used for entertaining and housing visitors.

Among her favorite guests were her royal kin who vacationed at Hulihe'e. Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma particularly enjoyed Hulihe'e.

A cradle given to their son, Prince Albert, is in this Room.

Koa wood 4 poster bed.

Chandelier ...the Hawaiian Royalty had electricity before the White house in the US.

Hawaiian quilt on the bed; Crib, cabinet and a bed.

The upstairs sitting room is an airy room filled with traditional Victorian-style furniture, oriental rugs, and marble statues.

A pair of kahili, royal feather standards, tell us that this is no ordinary drawing room.

King kamehameha...he was 6 feet 6 inches tall.

Kuakini Room:

The Kuakini Room contains artifacts from before Western contact through the Monarchy period. And honors the original owner of Hulihe`e Palace, John Adams Kuakini.

The Kuakini Room is where we find tiny fish hooks, impressive octopus lures, delicate feather leis, a young prince’s report card. And many more treasures – large and small..

Koa wood bowls.

On display in this room is an outstanding wardrobe commissioned by King Kalākaua. This fine example of the skill of Hawaiian furniture makers is constructed of koa and trimmed with darker kou.

It served as the Kingdom's entry in the Paris International Exhibition of 1889. The Exhibition catalog described the entry as “1 Koa Wardrobe, made for His Majesty the King from Koa trees grown in Iolani Palace Grounds.” Adorned with classic Greek muses, the King's crest, and traditional Chinese cranes, the armoire won a silver medal.

The armoire is signed by Chun Moke, a Chinese craftsman working in Honolulu. It is 108 inches tall, 90 inches wide and 24 inches deep.

The Kūhiō Room:

Much of the original furniture was returned to the Hulihe`e as a result of Princess Kahanu’s efforts. Her husband, Prince Kūhiō was Hawaii’s Delegate to Congress and served Hawai`i in Washington DC for twenty years.

The Kūhiō Room is dominated by a splendid koa dining table that belonged to the Kalākaua family. It is 80 inches in diameter and was cut vertically from a single log.

Twenty first century Palace visitors are fascinated by a huge lead lined koa traveling trunk. It is one of several Queen Kapi`olani took to England in 1887 for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. It bears her motto: Kūlia i ka nu‘u – Strive for the highest.dining table.

Feather cape mounted on wall.

There are several silver ware but could not catch them in pic because of the glare from the glass.

Here is a hand painted ceramic tray.

Princess Ruth:

Ruth weighed 440 pounds (200 kg) and was over 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. Her broad features were accentuated by a nose flattened by surgery for an infection. To add on to her stature, listeners described Princess Ruth's voice as a "distant rumble of thunder." In addition to her giant size, she rejected English and the Christian faith. Her clear defense of the old ways caused Westerners to think she was backward and stupid. The U.S. minister to Hawaiʻi dismissed the princess as a "woman of no intelligence or ability." However, she was an able administrator in reality.

She lost her 1st husband soon after marriage. Her 2nd marriage ended in divorce. Both her sons died young.

Ruth was a staunch defender of ancient Hawaiian traditions and customs while the kingdom became Christianized, Anglicized, and urbanized. While she understood English and spoke it well, she used the Hawaiian language exclusively, requiring English-speakers to use a translator.

She continued to worship the traditional gods and various aumakua, or ancestral spirits. When Mauna Loa erupted in 1880, threatening the city of Hilo with a lava flow, her intercession with the goddess Pele was credited by Hawaiians with saving the city.

The ocean bordering the grounds.

Princess Ruth made Huliheʻe her chief residence for most of her life, but she preferred to sleep in a grass hut on the palace grounds rather than in the palace.

She invited all of the reigning monarchs to vacation at Huliheʻe, from Kamehameha III to Liliuokalani.

Ruth died and left the palace to her cousin and sole heir Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

It was later sold to King Kalākaua and Queen Kapiolani. In 1885, King Kalākaua had the lava rocks plastered over the outside to give the building a more refined appearance.