diverearl

I have not hiked this trail but here is a good sight to check out most of the Hawaiian Falls or many other waterfalls around the world.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=z-LbNW_-L-6M.kAbQAQOIkDxE

This link is to Manoa Falls.

http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/hawaii-manoa-falls.html

Depending on how adventurous you are and your level of fitness do yourself a favor and disembark at Kona, overnighting on the Big Island then return to the ship in Hilo. This would be the perfect opportunity to enjoy one of two great bucket list activities that usually demand a land based holiday to check off, unless of course you live on one of the islands. The toughest thing I would have to do is pick which one I wanted to see the most.

The first and easiest outing of the two is Diving or snorkeling with the Manta Rays and as of late a mature female Hawaiian Monk Seal that randomly makes an appearance in the lights. Weather or water conditions can affect the dive but seldom ever does which makes this choice achievable almost every night. Given your one night only this fact becomes a great concern in my book, if you had more nights on the island you could be far more flexible of course. This adventure will rank in the top few adventures I've enjoyed on the Hawaiian Islands a definite DO NOT MISS unless it is to hike out to see the Red Hot Lava.

Hiking out to see the Lava especially at night is by far my choice of the two however weather could easily make this hike far more difficult or impossible. Most people on this board will tell you that you can't do it and every time I've been to The Big Island I've been told you can't see an active lava flow yet every trip I've hiked out to and poked a stick into Red Hot Flowing Lava. I hesitate to write about this hike because just like many other things (like being able to rejoin the cruise in a different port) people who live on the island or other tourist will tell you what can't be done and if you don't look into it farther you might be convinced by their opinions, but like anything worth doing do your own research before deciding what can and can't be done. Here is a link to recent trip advisor reviews about hiking to the active lava.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60583-d1924726-Reviews-Ahiu_Hawaii_Guided_Lava_Tours-Hilo_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html#REVIEWS

There are many places in the world to either dive with Manta Rays or see hot lava but the slow moving pāhoehoe lava currently flowing out of Puʻu ʻŌʻō is one of the safest to access.

If someone had not taken the time and effort to tell me the real facts about accessing the lava I would have been miss informed by people on this board and others and would never have seen this incredible phenomena of nature. One thing that would definitely affect the hike right now is the current deflation at the crater but that can change in a second either way.

County Road 340 (Kahekili Hwy) to 30 is better than the road to Hana as far as beautiful unobstructed scenery is concerned. It is a narrower road than the RTH but the views are far better. It is not for nervous / non confident drivers however. Meeting oncoming traffic can be a little difficult and the locals get short tempered with incompetent drivers on this road. Like anywhere else in the world people going to or from work don't like to share the road with out of town sightseers but if you are respectful (pulling off at the pull offs for a pic or two) and don't stop in the middle of the road for a photo you will really enjoy this stretch of road.

Be sure to stop by the Turnbull Studios and Sculpture Garden to see some excellent Maui workmanship.

Whether you are on a cruise or land holiday if you are on the Big Island of Hawaii and the Lava is flowing into the Pacific ocean try to hike out to the flow. The best time to witness the beauty of the event is at night but it also makes for some nice sunsets. This was in December 2012 as lava benches were forming at the waters edge and other flows were finding their way over the cliffs falling 50 to 100 feet into the surf below.

Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii June 1 2011

Thanks, here are a couple of the other pics. The purple one is the actual picture, just not cropped so that I could see it better.

To give you a reference for the size of the flash here are two shots fairly close to the same zoom level as the purple flash picture.

On a two week trip to Kauai, Hawaii a couple of years ago we had an ocean front condo on the third floor at The Cliffs in Princeville and I would set up the cameras on our lanai almost every evening trying to capture a photo of the "Green Flash". I really didn't understand much about the event as another guest at the condos had told us about the phenomenon the day after we had arrived. On the eighth day of the trip luck smiled on us, finally a sunset with no clouds on the horizon.

First and most important there can be no clouds on the horizon where the sky meets the ocean and for me at least it was best to use a tripod with the camera set on burst. Just as the sun descends behind the curve of the earth is when the green flash occurs and it only last a split second - luck and perfect timing are everything. Also for us we didn't actually see the flash and both of us were focused on it, but when I checked the camera I had captured 5 pics of the Flash. Four were green with the fifth having a purple tint. I guess some people see the green flash with the naked eye but so far not me.

We (correction, I) :rolleyes: ;) had to get up early to see the Sunrise while coming into Skagway Alaska on a north bound Diamond Princess cruise. I'll get up to see the sunrise then it's back to bed for a couple of hours. To get the idea of what I mean here are the times for today July 12, 2014 - Sunrise: 4:04am - Sunset: 10:10pm. I don't remember what ship it was that followed us into port that morning.

Wow - great shots of the flash. I've been out on deck at sunset many times but so far, no luck.

I had two cameras set up and pushed burst at the exact instant of Sunset on both to get the pics. My DW and I both watched intently to see the flash but neither of us saw it with the naked eye, you know how happy we were when we checked the cameras. I had 5 good shots on the cards but like I said neither of us actually saw it happen. It took 9 sunsets before the clouds lifted off the horizon enough to even have a chance at the phenomenon.

Just Luck and good preparation.

Teri's shadow in a round Rainbow as I laid down on the ground to get my shadow out of the picture. Looking down into the crater of Haleakala Volcano on Maui with a mist and cloud coming up the side of the crater and the sun setting behind us.

The Green Flash taken on the first of June at sunset the instant the Sun completely vanishes into the Pacific Ocean - Kauai Hawaii

Diverearl ... I think you've made it more complicated than it needs to be.:)

 

Did you mean to type 'north' instead of 'south' in the following?

I stand corrected Two Steps is North of Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park or "Place of Refuge"

Since the topic was snorkelling, in my post above I mentioned that it was the snorkelling area that is referred to as 'two steps', and 'Honaunau Bay' and 'Place of Refuge'. Those names are often used interchangeably for the same snorkelling area (north of the park) ... e.g. this site and this one.

Two Steps and the "Place of Refuge" are two different spots that share a reef in a small well protected cove. You have to pay to get to the "Place of Refuge" which is a very defined sight. If a defeated warrior or law breaker had stopped at Two Steps he would have still been fair game to be killed by the other warriors or pursuers yet if he made it inside the wall of the sacred structure at Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau he could not be sought after any longer - a huge difference.

Kartgv was right they are two different spots one is free the other has a small fee - another big difference to some.

Mike - Honaunau Bay and 'Two Steps' are one and the same ... just thought I'd mention this as I had talked about Honaunau above and in another post ... and it can be confusing when places are referred to by different names ... but that's typical with Hawaiian places. Another name that you'll see it called is "City of Refuge" which refers to the park ... but also used when referring to the bay.

Even though you can and often do snorkel or dive the same reefs and waters at both places Two Steps and Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park which is also known as Place of Refuge they are two different places located on either side of Keoneele Cove.

Google map of the area - https://www.google.com/maps/@19.4221654,-155.9111308,337m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

Here is the link to Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park which has tons of good information about the park like directions, fees and the park itself. http://www.nps.gov/puho/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

Two Steps is just south of the National Park and is free to park and enjoy (very limited parking and just a few picnic tables but a very safe area). For either place you go south on Hwy 160 to Honaunau Beach Rd but for Two Steps you take a right on Ke Ala O Keawe and look for a parking place near the small boat ramp. The most often used ocean entry (that the place is named after) is just northwest of the boat ramp and there are almost always turtles feeding very near the entry. Two Steps is a small quaint little spot not overly developed on the North side of Keoneele Cove.

Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park or "Place of Refuge" is on the South side of Keoneele Cove on Honaunau Beach Rd where you pay a minimal charge to enter the Park and enjoy easier and better parking plus very clean facilities. With a short swim from either side of Keoneele Cove you can dive or snorkel the same spot.

I've been to both places many times and like different things about them. There are almost always green sea turtles near either location and sometimes Spinner Dolphins.

Since diving is a key part of my holiday I bring all my own gear but you can check with the many thrift shops on The Island for snorkel gear including used fins then donate them back when you are done.

For other dive / snorkel spots you can check out the reviews on Shore Diving dot com http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/index.htm and for all the islands try http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/index.htm

Sunset on Dec 11, 2012 at the ocean entry sight of the Lava flow from Pu'u O'o' on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Here are links to several of our videos of the lava entering the Pacific Ocean on the Big Island, Hawaii. Hiking out from Hwy 137 to view the lava flow from Kilauea Volcano was the highlight of our almost 3 weeks on the Big Island, Kauai (our overall favorite island) and Maui from Oct 12 - 29 2010. I had better luck with the videos (Canon S3) than with a lot of my pics (Nikon D60 because of the lighting at night) which will be downloaded and some posted to our webshots page soon. (I'm still learning how to use the Nikon D60 and don't mind saying I'm not to dang good with it yet)

We are renting a car from Enterprise for the day. Those of you who have been to Kona, how would you plan about 6-7 hours???? Any feedback would be appreciated.

I too like the OP's question and hope others will considering chiming in with their answers. I have the Revealed book, but always like to hear what others liked (or didn't like). I don't want to do an excursion. I just want to rent a car and drive to swimming, snorkeling and any other suggestions.

Next we went snorkeling at Two Steps located immediately adjacent to the park. (you can park at one place and see both without moving your car) There is a lava shelf that is one of the most popular places to step off to snorkel and scuba dive.

 

To get to Two Step, drive south of Kona past Captain Cook and take the well-marked turnoff to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Place of Refuge). Turn at the sign to the Place of Refuge, and then take the first narrow road on the right. It's one-way, so you'll come out back on the main road when you leave. You can park along the road if there's a space, or pay $3 to park in the lot.

The Place of Refuge has a lot of history so you might want to google or read a little about the area to enhance your visit.

Two Steps is a great shore dive / snorkel spot and the directions are well stated. Here is a link to this and a lot of other shore diving / snorkeling spots on the islands http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/index.htm

Sea Princess anchored in Ketchikan July 6, 2009

The cruise ship The World making the transit through the Panama Canal.

The World going through the Miraflores Locks.

Here are two Carnival sister ships The Fantasy and The Ecstacy docked at Progresso Mexico 2/4/09

Here is a pic of the Queen Mary 2 docked at Cozumel with the Grand Princess in the background off the bow and Coral Princess aft

..........................................Port ...................................................................................................... Starboard

The ships are all closer in size than they appear in the 1st photo as seen in this shot of the Queen Mary 2 and the Coral Princess

These shots were taken from the Lido deck at the end of the Full Throttle (20+ knot) U-turn on the Grand Princess 2/4/06.

Diamond Princess docked at Skagway

I didn't read them all but there are a lot of great suggestions, mine would be Left Behind By Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahey.