Archive for the ‘Big Island’ Category

Hawaii: Home Again

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Travels, tagged , , on Sunday, 6 September, 2009| 3 Comments »

We’re back in New York. As much as I love to travel, it always feels so good to be back in my own home. And one day, that home will be on the beach!

Even though we had a great flight without delays, I don’t do well on “red-eye” flights and this one was no exception. Thankfully, we’ve got tomorrow off and can recover.

Don’t know if I mentioned that my mom made the trip to Hawaii with us. John has always been her favorite but even more so now ~ not only was he OK with his mother in-law traveling with us but he gave her his upgrade miles so she could sit in First Class and have the extra leg room. That’s why I married the man ~ he’s a great guy!!

We like to list our top favorite things about our vacation and here’s a compilation of our combined top five things we enjoyed during our visit:
1) Horseback Riding in the South Kohala Mountains
2) Snorkeling at the following beaches: Puako, Hapuna, Lapakahi
3) Helicopter Ride over Hilo and the lava flow
4) The Eisenhower House at Kilauea Military Camp
5) THE FOOD ~ we ate a lot!

There’s so much to do on the Big Island so we’ve made a list of what we want to do the NEXT time we visit. Yes, we’re already planning a return visit:
1) Green Sand Beach
2) Black Sand Beach
3) Waipio Valley
4) We’ll stay at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel or in a rental villa. It’s nice to have access to a kitchen
5) Play a round of golf at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

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Big Island: Horseback Riding in Hawaii

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Travels, tagged , , , , , , on Thursday, 3 September, 2009| Leave a Comment »

The sun was shining so we decided to go on a Paniolo Ride yesterday. And am I ever sore today. It’s been many, many years since I trotted on a horse but it was the canter that did me in. Ouch. Other than the pain involved, it was WONDERFUL. We went on the Sunset Ride and got an added bonus of a full moon and a rainbow. Breathtaking.

That’s the joy of the Big Island of Hawaii ~ there’s such a variety of things to do.

Logan is ready to go riding again but I’m headed to the beach to swim with the sea turtles.

Life is good!

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Big Island, Hawaii: Kilauea Volcano

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Islands, Travels on Tuesday, 1 September, 2009| 1 Comment »

It’s very exciting (and a little scary) flying directly over the Kilauea Volcano and watching the lava flow to the ocean.  In spite of the woman with motion sickness on our flight, it was wonderful! My daughter and I got to sit in the front seat with the pilot.


Lift off


The Caldera


Steam as the lava enters the ocean


Try to get insurance on this property 🙂


Back on land…

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Hawaii: Kilauea and the Volcanoes National Park

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Travels, tagged , , , , , on Tuesday, 1 September, 2009| 4 Comments »

The Big Island of Hawaii is, well… BIG!

That’s what I love about it ~ it’s so diverse.  We began our visit in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It’s located on the Southeast side of the island which is usually damp and chilly.  We’re stayed at the Kilauea Military Camp (KMC) which rents out cottages to military members and their Families.  We splurged and rented the “Eisenhower House.”  President Eisenhower stayed in this cottage in 1946 when he was General Eisenhower. It’s a beautiful house with two bedrooms, dining room, living room, full kitchen and two bathrooms. I could easily live here!

As lovely as the cottage is, the best part is the proximity to Kilauea Volcano and all the sights to see in the Park. There is a lot to see in the Park and I highly recommend the hikes. Makes you feel like you’re on another planet sometimes ~ the vast, empty spaces that have been covered by lava.  Well worth the trip to see it.

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Feels Like Coming Home

Posted in Big Island, Hawaii, Oahu, Travels on Tuesday, 3 July, 2007| Leave a Comment »

Diamond Head

Having spent the first 10 years of my life in Hawaii, and having visited family & friends there over all these many years, I always feel like I’m coming “home” when the plane lands in Hawaii.

I love the sights, sounds and,of course, the ocean. Maybe feeling so comfortable is the reason I feel so at home.

We got to spend four wonderful days in Oahu. If we’d had a few more days, I would have taken FM and FG to the Big Island (Hawaii) to see my mom’s side of the family and all my old haunts. We’ll have to save it for next time though…

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