Hawaii Trip Report, Twenty-Four Hours 11: Volcano National Park; Twenty-Four Hours 12: Punaluu Beach, Hulihee Palace:

DAY 11, DEC 20, 2012:

Hilo Seaside Hotel:

Pic shows Our hotel rooms together with the pocket-sized koi pond alongside the lovely banyan tree merely exterior the entrance.

There were plenty of birds together with 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 oftentimes go stylized botanical designs inwards bold colors on a white background.

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

10 minutes to 8, checked out.

Christmas tree inwards the hotel lobby.

Early start to our drive to Volcano national park.

Drove 45 miles from Hilo. We would receive got liked to remain inwards the govt hotel within the Volcano national commons but it was unopen for renovations. So nosotros had to volume a room at the village.

Aloha crater lodge, volcano national park:

We reached Aloha Crater Lodge (in the volcano hamlet 2 miles from the park) by 9am. We rang them upwards before to asking we’ll demand to maintain our bags alongside them at 9am together with and thus go along on to the VNP for the day. Shannon asked us to e-mail her, We did thus from the Hilo seaside hotel antechamber asking her to telephone phone dorsum alongside confirmation… she had emailed us dorsum but of class nosotros did non receive got cyberspace access.

When nosotros reached the vicinity, nosotros rang them upwards again, Danny picked upwards together with guided us to their place… nosotros would never receive got seen the tiny gap inwards the highway if nosotros he did non guide us…

We reached the house together with they told us to exit the bags correct inwards our room together with gave us the substitution every bit well. There were leftovers from the previous invitee inwards the fridge…she said she had a lilliputian to a greater extent than cleaning upwards to do, that was fine alongside us.

the room was spacious alongside a Californian Rex bed on a side alongside a wooden panel separator, roughly other queen bed…. Huge drinking glass windows (not openable), a kitchenette alongside microwave, toaster.

double bed, screen, breast alongside one-time TV.

dining tabular array together with chairs... 2 large windows.

day bed.

Volcano national park:

Drove dorsum to the commons after keeping our materials inwards the room.

Here nosotros are at the steam vents...rainwater percolates to the hot volcanic rocks below, together with the steam escapes through fissures.

Very mutual frigidness alongside a steady drizzle.

We instruct the best stance of the active volcano kilaueau from the jaggar museum.

Inside Jaggar museum, VNP. Had skilful stance of the smouldering crater from within through the drinking glass walls.

Goddess Pele who lives inwards the crater.

Awesome sight. Kīlauea, 1 of the world's nigh active volcanoes...

Kīlauea together with its Halemaʻumaʻu calder are the sacred domicile of the volcano goddess Pele,

Mauna Loa is the world's nigh massive volcano.

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

There are vii extinct craters on this road.

It's voggy—volcanic gas addition fog.

Conditions maintain changing... alternating alongside drizzle together with vog... because of the volcanic gases.

Volcanic gas is really bad for health; it tin solidify inwards the lungs together with crusade havoc.

Terrain is bleak landscape.

There are letters inwards the visitor middle alongside tales of bad luck for people who took domicile a slice of these rocks. merely desire to concur 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 together with is such low-density... slippery when wet.

At concluding reached the sea... totally scenic. Rocky cliffs—sign alert it's unsafe to instruct to the edge.

Rainbow

Cliff walls... they suspension off together with autumn into the bounding main whatever strange time.

Aloha crater monastic enjoin again:

After a total twenty-four hours at VNP, nosotros came dorsum past times 6. There was a fridge alongside butter, preserve, juice… fifty-fifty my groceries… cheese, pineapple, avocados, milk, yogurt etc had been neatly seat into the refrigerator when nosotros came back… together with at that topographic point was a bowl of fruits together with 4 muffins on a plate on the dining tabular array together with roughly music playing on an one-time TV … ,

kitchenette—microwave, fridge, java maker.

When nosotros tried to settle in, I flora the pillows itchy together with the bed linen smelly. The room had no ventilation… only the bath had an exhaust fan that switched on alongside the light.

There was a pocket-sized heater … though it was really cold, nosotros did non desire to switch it on every bit it’ll receive got upwards the express oxygen provide inwards the room…

also the only breast of drawers had a lot of one-time stuff… had no house to maintain whatever of our staff… anyway every bit nosotros planned to exit early on adjacent morning, nosotros did non opened upwards our bags…

Got upwards at eleven inwards the nighttime together with drove to the Jaggar museum .... the plume was awesome to expect at. Literally had to crawl at a snail's stride every bit roads are non lit!

Lit upwards alongside the jail cellphone telephone to choose grip of a film alongside madame Pele.

after a trip to the VNP at eleven inwards the nighttime to come across the plume, nosotros returned at midnight… it was so hard to slumber inwards the cold, congested room, nosotros tossed together with turned together with and thus decided to soak a lilliputian inwards the bath tub…. That warmed us plenty to slumber but roughly other horror was that except for 2 towels, the residual were smelly… they had merely been folded after roughly other invitee had used it!!

we slept off.

DAY 12, DEC 21, 2012:

8.30am :

one of our political party took the costless lava tube trip alongside Danny… I kept the door opened upwards together with was finishing packing when I saw three large dogs bounding toward our place…. Hurriedly unopen the door on them every bit they peered in…. inwards the terminate they turned out to live the sweetest darlings together with were all over us every bit nosotros tried to charge our machine alongside our bags after banking concern fit out…I had read a review that these dogs were aggressive when they tried to banking concern fit inwards at nighttime together with i am wary of foreign dogs… nosotros also heard together with thus growling a lilliputian afterward but fortunately they were really sweetness to us together with nosotros were thankful nosotros had got the keys early on inwards the morning time together with did non receive got to confront hostile dogs.

we checked out early on before ix together with were off… it’s a overnice looking place, merely 2 miles from VNP together with the owners are friendly but the smelly towels, itchy pillows, stinky bedcover together with the lack of ventilation actually freaked us out together with nosotros would non similar to return .

Punaluu beach:

On our agency along the coast, stopped at the Punaluu beach. Nice park... at that topographic point were several cars/ buses parked, thus nosotros parked every bit well.

The sea turtles receive got a special condition every bit they are endangered.

The dark sand is gritty. The Mild Sun is welcome after the blustery conditions at VNP. In summertime this house must live baking hot.

The volcanic rocks nosotros saw inwards plenty at the VNP hither every bit well.

Sheraton hotel, Keauhou bay:

We drove on together with reached Keauhou bay together with went withdraw to our hotel Sheraton.

At our Sheraton hotel balcony after the long drive.

Had to hold back for our room to live ready, thus had our nutrient correct hither inwards a corner of the antechamber alongside swell views.

Got the keys together with a pair of welcome leis; marched off to our room.

Our room 4615 alongside the bags wheeled in.

Our Balcony together with the stance yonder.

Needed this lettering due south on the drinking glass ; otherwise people tin walk through the drinking glass together with instruct hurt.

used this a lot.

Hulihee palace:

We drove to Hulihee palace... had a swell docent explicate all the rooms.

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

The Kawānanakoa Room is dedicated to Prince David together with Princess Abigail Kawānanakoa. He was blood brother to Prince Kuhio together with a human being of affairs inwards Honolulu.

Direct descendants of Prince David nonetheless brand their domicile inwards Hawai`i together with much of the article of furniture inwards 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 fourth dimension sleeping inwards the Palace.

Princess Ruth loved the Palace together with used it extensively during the 4 decades that she owned it. However, the Princess slept inwards a large pili grass theatre that she had constructed on the Palace grounds.

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

Among her favorite guests were her majestic kin who vacationed at Hulihe'e. Kamehameha IV together with Queen Emma specially enjoyed Hulihe'e.

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

Koa forest 4 poster bed.

Chandelier ...the Hawaiian Royalty had electricity before the White theatre inwards the US.

Hawaiian quilt on the bed; Crib, cabinet together with a bed.

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

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

King kamehameha...he was half-dozen feet half-dozen inches tall.

Kuakini Room:

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

The Kuakini Room is where nosotros observe tiny fish hooks, impressive octopus lures, fragile plume leis, a immature prince’s study card. And many to a greater extent than treasures – large together with small..

Koa forest bowls.

On display inwards this room is an outstanding wardrobe commissioned past times King Kalākaua. This fine representative of the science of Hawaiian article of furniture makers is constructed of koa together with trimmed alongside darker kou.

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

The armoire is signed past times Chun Moke, a Chinese craftsman working inwards Honolulu. It is 108 inches tall, xc inches broad together with 24 inches deep.

The Kūhiō Room:

Much of the master copy article of furniture was returned to the Hulihe`e every bit a consequence of Princess Kahanu’s efforts. Her husband, Prince Kūhiō was Hawaii’s Delegate to Congress together with served Hawai`i inwards Washington DC for 20 years.

The Kūhiō Room is dominated past times a first-class koa dining tabular array that belonged to the Kalākaua family. It is lxxx inches inwards diameter together with was cutting vertically from a unmarried log.

Twenty offset century Palace visitors are fascinated past times a huge atomic number 82 lined koa traveling trunk. It is 1 of several Queen Kapi`olani took to England inwards 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 silvery ware but could non choose grip of them inwards film because of the glare from the glass.

Here is a manus painted ceramic tray.

Princess Ruth:

Ruth weighed 440 pounds (200 kg) together with was over half-dozen feet (1.8 m) tall. Her broad features were accentuated past times a olfactory organ flattened past times surgical physical care for for an infection. To add together on to her stature, listeners described Princess Ruth's phonation every bit a "distant rumble of thunder." In add-on to her giant size, she rejected English linguistic communication together with the Christian faith. Her clear defence of the one-time ways caused Westerners to mean value she was backward together with stupid. The U.S. government minister to Hawaiʻi dismissed the princess every bit a "woman of no tidings or ability." However, she was an able administrator inwards reality.

She lost her 1st married adult man presently after marriage. Her 2nd spousal human relationship ended inwards divorce. Both her sons died young.

Ruth was a staunch defender of ancient Hawaiian traditions together with customs spell the kingdom became Christianized, Anglicized, together with urbanized. While she understood English linguistic communication together with spoke it well, she used the Hawaiian linguistic communication exclusively, requiring English-speakers to role a translator.

She continued to worship the traditional gods together with diverse aumakua, or ancestral spirits. When Mauna Loa erupted inwards 1880, threatening the metropolis of Hilo alongside a lava flow, her intercession alongside the goddess Pele was credited past times Hawaiians alongside saving the city.

The bounding main bordering the grounds.

Princess Ruth made Huliheʻe her primary residence for nigh of her life, but she preferred to slumber inwards a grass hut on the palace grounds rather than inwards the palace.

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

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

It was afterward sold to King Kalākaua together with Queen Kapiolani. In 1885, King Kalākaua had the lava rocks plastered over the exterior to give the edifice a to a greater extent than refined appearance.