We got back from our Hawaiʻi trip a week ago Sunday. We spent the first half of the trip on the Kona side and second half on the Hilo side of The Big Island.
Some general thoughts:
- My favorite thing was “swimming” with manta rays.
- My second favorite thing was hiking Kīlauea Iki Crater.
- I can’t stop thinking about this Hawaiian shave ice.
- The ecosystems are ridiculously varied. Driving through the middle of the island goes from lush rainforest, to yellow grassy scrubby-type environment, to the alpine ecosystem of Mauna Kea, and then you’re back to lush green in Hilo. The juxtaposition of giant green plants and lava rock is striking.
The tag for the trip is 2025 Hawaiʻi Trip. You can scroll through pictures and links to each daily recap in reverse chronological order there.
These were the daily recaps in chronological order. I think all of the pictures I took are in the daily recaps in addition to the tag pages:
- Hawaiʻi Days One and Two
- Hawaiʻi Day Three: Snorkeling and Manta Rays
- Hawaiʻi Day Four: South Kona and Lūʻau
- Hawaiʻi Day Five: Drive to Hilo via the Saddle Road
- Hawaiʻi Day Six: Kīlauea
- Hawaiʻi Day Seven: Tropical Botanical Gardens, Afternoon Piddlin’, and Fireworks
- Hawaiʻi Day Eight: Driving from Hilo to Kona via Waterfalls and Waipiʻo Valley Overlook