Kona, Island Of Hawaii

We left Hilo around 9:45 and headed to the north coast and then made our way towards Kona. North of Kona is mile after mile of dry lava flow countryside from the Hualalai volcano which erupted hundreds of years ago. In one area the annual rainfall is barely 10 inches. The area looks so desolate and uninviting yet, what is amazing is that there are resorts in the area. Where underground water has collected in springs, palm trees grow and developers make use of those areas.

Kailua-Kona or Kona as it is best known is a resort town, really made up of just shopping centres, restaurants and resorts. There is no real old town although the Hawaiian King Kamehameha had his palace in Kona and it was the capital of all the Hawaiian Islands in the 1800's. As a palace it is very understated but the furniture inside is solid wood with incredible carvings (unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos).

In the distance we see something called, Vog shrouding Kona. Vog is that combination of volcanic sulfur dioxide particles mixing with water vapour and sunlight. It can be a health hazard to some. The sulfur dioxide is belched out by Kilauea (a couple of thousand tons each day) and is blown by the trade winds over Kona.

The surprising thing where we are staying is that it is quite cool due to our altitude, some 8 degees cooler than Kona even though we are just a few miles away. We also get more rain here while in Kona it is quite dry. It is part of the varied climates on the Big Island.

We ventured to a beach resort area about 25 miles north of Kona. There were lots of fish though visibility was a little bit murky. In the same area we visited an old Hawaiian King's Trail which runs through lava as well as sitting adjacent to a golf course (modern development seems out of place here).

Our last day on the Island of Hawaii was the climax of our two week stay here; going up to Mauna Kea. At 13, 796 ft it is the highest point in all the islands and also the tallest mountain in the world. Wait a minute; what about Everest?

It turns out that scientists discovered that Mauna Kea starts over 17,000 ft below the island on the ocean floor making its total elevation over 30,000 ft. Its last eruption was some 4500 years ago so it is considered extinct (for now).

To stand on the summit of Mauna Kea watching the sun setting, is truly one of the great experiences; surreal, breathtaking, top of the world, spiritual; words can't describe it. No wonder the ancient Hawaiians were such a spiritual people. You cannot come up to the lifeless, moonlike surroundings at the summit without feeling something beyond words.

We were extremely fortunate on the day we chose because the previous three days the road was closed due to snow and ice storms. The temperatues on the summit range from -2C in daytime to -10C at night with wind chills up to -20C. Despite having shirts, vests, jackets and parkas, we were quite cold when the sun set.

Who would have thought in Hawaii they have snow plows. Indeed on the road to the summit they need them to keep the road open. What also seems hard to believe is that people ski and snowboard near the summit. So on the big island you can surf and 2 hours later you can ski.

Mauna Kea is renowned as the premier astronomical observation outpost in the world with 13 telescopes from 11 countries. The telescopes, Keck 1 and Keck 2 each have the largest telescopic mirrors in the world at 10 metres (33 feet) diameter.

There are 3 main reasons Mauna Kea is so ideal. At almost 14,000 feet it is freer of atmospheric interference with extremely dry air. The air above Mauna Kea is also one of the least turbulent airspaces in the world and it is only 19 degrees north of the equator, thus enabling astronomers to visualize both north and south hemispheres.

After sunset we went down to the Visitors Centre at the 9000 foot level to view the star filled sky. Smaller telescopes were set up and we got to view the moon, Venus, Jupiter (including 4 of its moons) and Mars. Because of the altitude and darkness, the number of stars visible in our Milky Way on that night was incredible.

We forget how amazing the night sky is as city and town light pollution obscures what our ancestors used to observe every night. Even if you cannot get to Mauna Kea, go out to a country area away from lights, lie on your back, and just observe the amazing night sky.