Volcano Updates

We are here for two days, we explored Volcano Village and the park still isn’t open, so what do we do? I know I know, I only provided you with a days’ worth of alternatives for my last post.   So here is another day’s worth of adventures. Let’s get to the nitty gritty shall we?   Do you want to see the lava?   The helicopter tours and lava boat tours are operating again out of Hilo.   They have had to make a few adjustments in their tours, but they are up and running again. By Air. Now, I advise you call in advance and made a reservation with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters or Paradise Helicopter tours.   If you wait until the last minute, they might already be full.   They do sometimes get cancellations so CALL NOW if this is the route you think you want to go. Prices run from $225 to $277 a person (plus tax) (Sometimes they have internet specials online, check there too.)   If the weather is too rainy, too cloudy or conditions are ...

This is a question we have been getting a lot lately.     We know for most guests the draw to stay in Volcano for a night or two was to experience Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.   We get it!   The park was (is, will be again…someday) an amazing place to visit!   We have hiked many trails, seen many lava flows and enjoyed spending time learning about this amazing Volcano, Kilauea.    Having said that, Volcano and Hawaii are so much more than just a National Park.   Hawaii has always been known for the hospitality of its people.   The locals have always been very welcoming to visitors and willing to share what makes their island home special. One of your best resources to learn about Kilauea and the island are the people here in Volcano Village.   So many of the individuals who live, and work here have been here through one if not multiple eruptions in the last 35 years.   Their knowledge is astounding and the stories th...

Flowing lava, acid rain, vog, sulfur dioxide, and laze…add on an erupting volcano with explosions at the summit and it all seems scary right??   In all honesty, none of these things are new.   If you have visited The Big Island of Hawaii in the last 35 years then chances are these things were happening when you were here, so why is it now so prevalent?   Headlines sell papers, magazines and click throughs which in turn makes money for the advertisers and columnists.   The age of the internet is making this much bigger news that it ever has been before much to the detriment of tourism for our island home. I want to break these things down so people can get a clear picture of what is going on here in Hawaii, not one shrouded in “laze”.   (see what I did there?) Flowing lava is an inspiring, beautiful and powerful thing to see.   Randy and I have been very fortunate to have been able to hike to the 61g lava flow many times before it ended.   We...

“Media” is so much more than it used to be with the ability to find numerous newspaper/ magazine articles online (all stating something different causing confusion) posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. We even see videos of these self-proclaimed “lava hunters” going into the closed-off danger zones to show a glimpse of the devastation from the current active flow.    I have seen articles as far away as the UK indicating the entire island is going to implode on itself.   The news In Chicago said they were trying to evacuate the entire island and none of us would have homes to return to.    Of course, explosive headlines sell papers, magazines and get click-throughs, but it’s also inaccurate. Sensationalizing what is happening on the Big Island affects tourism which is one of the main sources of income for many residents.    (Including many of those that have just lost their homes or have been evacuated.) Big resorts and the airlines with mass can...