a little help planning for our HI trip

[halfmonkey]

I'm hoping to get some help and suggestions on our first leg of our HI trip. We're planning for a 2018 trip and we'll fly out of CA on a Saturday. We plan to fly direct to the Big Island and then fly to Oahu on the coming Tuesday. Our main reason fro making the side trip to the Big Island is to take the family to see the volcanoes. None of us have ever been before and I know that many people say that we should spend more time here but again, it's just a side trip. The rest of our vacation will be split up in a vrbo/airbnb rental in waikiki and then the remainder will be at Aulani.

As far as our Big Island leg, we're looking at getting a rental in Hilo. I found some rentals on Kaiulani St where the house has a back yard view of the streams and/or waterfalls. Another location I found is by Richardson Park. I like this park because it said it has some good snorkeling for beginners and it also has a lifeguard which will be good for our kids.

We will definitely drive in the volcano national park. Originally, I was thinking of going on a boat tour to view the lava flow but after reading about how the fumes is actually very dangerous to breathe in and the fact that they don't get close at all plus I have read that the waters in the area are very choppy, I thought it might not be a good idea. We have some people that are more easily prone to sea sickness. With that, I think we might try and do the helo ride to view the lava flow. Has anybody done it? Any recommendations?

 

[bcla]

Just a trip around Kilaeau Caldera from the visitor center to the Jagger Museum is pretty good. It might be closed depending on the conditions. If the conditions are really bad, people start choking or even passing out from the fumes. You should get a pretty good look just driving down Chain of Craters Road. Maybe you don't get an up close view, but if there's flow to the water you'll definitely see the steam rising. There are all sorts of craters and steam vents in several locations. I think we went through one of the lava tubes with a flashlight.

 

[DieHardJoe]

I hadn't read anything regarding the level of fumes to make you sick (or worse), but did just look it up and yes, if you were directly inhaling the fumes for a length of time there most likely would be a negative reaction. That said - We stayed at Aulani for a week and on one of those days we took the 5:00 Hawaiian Air flight to the Big Island. We did a somehat short tour to drive around the crater rim, then did the lava boat tour. Yes, the seas were choppy, but we had taken a boat tour of the Napali Coast a few days before, and the lava boat was bigger and handled the waves much better. As for getting close, we felt the boat did get close, but not too close as to be dangerous. At one point the guide dipped a bucket into the water and let us put our hand in to see how warm the water was (not dangerous at all. Think hot tub). We were very glad that we took the time to do the boat. But before we left to go back to Aulani, we also did the Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour. We also enjoyed this trip, though wished it were longer. The difference is that the helicopter does fly directly over the opening, so you get a better view of the inside and the lava. The thing with the boat is that, unless you go when it is dark, it is very difficult to see any lava through all the steam. Earlier this year the lava was incredible, shooting (as they say) like a fire hose. But shortly before our trip, not only had that effect stopped but a large chunk of the cliff had crumbled lessening the lava flow considerably. So it depends on the timing of your trip as to the extent of lava you will see. The reviews on Trip Advisor for Lava Ocean Tours are mostly excellent, as are the reviews for Blue Hawaiian. The cost for the lava boat ranges from $180-$250 depending on time of day, while the cost of the helicopter tour is either $259 or $309 depending on size of copter. GO WITH THE BIGGER COPTER. We were very comfortable inside, while the other size looked cramped. One big negative of the boat tour is the amount of time you have to allow for the tour. It is somewhat off the beaten path and you have to arrive early to get instructions and the trip to and from takes time. If we are lucky enough to make it back to the Big Island we would skip the boat tour mostly for that reason and spend more time seeing other island attractions.

 

[oakleycat]

I haven't done the boat or helicopter tours but we hiked the park and it was amazing. It's a pretty easy hike on trails and then across the lava field, which is an amazing landscape. Feels like you're on the moon and there is steam rising in places. If you're up for a hike it was a great experience. You can also view the lava at night from up by the Jagger Center, though conditions vary and it may not be visible. We also drove down south along the coast and checked out the different beaches. The kids would probably like seeing the black sand beach and the sea turtles (we saw a lot more there than on Oahu).

 

[bcla]

I hadn't read anything regarding the level of fumes to make you sick (or worse), but did just look it up and yes, if you were directly inhaling the fumes for a length of time there most likely would be a negative reaction.

They periodically close off the road due to sulfur dioxide levels. When I was visiting it still smelled pretty bad at the Jagger Museum, but that was what was coming out of the vents in Halemaumau Crater. I've heard sometimes the glow of lava is visible at night.

Sometimes they close off the road or place restrictions like this:

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/02/14/news/story02.html

Dangerously high levels of sulfur dioxide gas in a small but popular area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park have officials warning visitors to stay in their cars with their air conditioner on re-circulation and to just drive through that area.

The main area affected is a 5-mile stretch of Crater Rim Drive on the downwind, south side of Kilauea caldera. That means no stopping at a popular parking area at the beginning of a short path to Halemaumau Crater overlook.

"Area closed due to dangerous volcanic gas. Stay in your car!" yellow-and-black warning signs say.

The greatest danger is to babies and children, pregnant women and people with asthma or heart conditions, said spokeswoman Mardie Lane.​

 

[bcla]

I haven't done the boat or helicopter tours but we hiked the park and it was amazing. It's a pretty easy hike on trails and then across the lava field, which is an amazing landscape. Feels like you're on the moon and there is steam rising in places. If you're up for a hike it was a great experience. You can also view the lava at night from up by the Jagger Center, though conditions vary and it may not be visible. We also drove down south along the coast and checked out the different beaches. The kids would probably like seeing the black sand beach and the sea turtles (we saw a lot more there than on Oahu).

I thought the biggest issue with hiking there is that falling can be dangerous especially on lava fields that are fairly recent. I saw recommendations to wear full finger gloves and long pants because the lava breaks into shards. Found this article on someone who got lost hiking until tourists in a helicopter saw him flashing a mirror. His hands were pretty messed up falls.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stranded-hiker-survives-lava-field/

 

[oakleycat]

That's crazy! It's been two years since we went (last year just did Aulani) so I haven't read up on the recent issues. Thanks for the update!

 

[bcla]

That's crazy! It's been two years since we went (last year just did Aulani) so I haven't read up on the recent issues. Thanks for the update!

I don't think there are really that many recent closures due to the sulfur dioxide. When we went in 2008 there was smoke and the smell was something else. I've heard it described as "the farts of a thousand people". And of course the lava rock can be pretty nasty. I've heard that it's just not big pieces, but that some types of lava rock break with edges that have lots of little glass splinters.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I do agree that long pants are helpful. We just did normal walking and didn't do anything unusual, but the walking across the hard lava would actually kick up some of the little splinters onto the back of our legs - we were wearing shorts. While we weren't cut up like the picture above, we could feel it hitting us as we walked.

It does stink there. I would describe it as rotten eggs. It's a great place to visit, though.