This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Meaningful Memories.’ See more responses here.
This seemed like an opportune time to revisit my first visit to Hawaii, back in 2010. My wife and I stayed in a vacation rental near Captain Cook, overlooking Kealakekua Bay. The sky was hazy with vog from Kilauea Volcano, but the place was awash with colorful flowers. Just down the road was the Painted Church and at the foot of the hill, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park celebrates Hawaiian culture and history with its wooden ki’i and towering palms.
We traveled the whole island from the black sand beach at Pololu (even if we had to pass the carcass of a dead whale twice) to the black sand beach at Punalu’u, dotted with resting green turtles, and rocky surrounds. There were waterfalls big and small, and roads lined with tropical foliage leading to the active lava flow at that time.
There, signs warned that flowing lava is dangerous (who knew?), but we were still able to get within 10 feet of oozing tongues of red, and saw small fires still burning in nearby brush.
There was even a house for sale: ‘Buy now before it burns!’ We didn’t, though that house still stands while others, much farther from that scene, have since been consumed by subsequent flows.
It was this visit that prompted us to return permanently two years later. Hawaii isn’t paradise – it has its pros and cons like any place – but we haven’t regretted the move and are looking forward to the next 10 years.
Those are amazing. I have never been to Hawaii, but would love to visit and explore. My daughter was there in December (on oahu) with her friend (who’s family is is Hawaiian). She loved it and wants to go back. She was even talking about living there for 6 months or so.
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Thanks. I love living here. The big Island is a good deal more rural and laid back than Oahu though.
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Lots of tropical splendour and volcanic drama! Plenty to draw you back and entice you to stay.
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It was a great visit and we enjoyed so many different aspects of the island. As you say, it was very enticing to us.
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Great photos Graham. No wonder you wanted to return to live there 🙂
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Yes, though that wasn’t in our thoughts when we first visited. That came later.
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Wonderful! I love the Big Island and understand completely how you were drawn to live there!
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It has it’s pros and cons like any place, but we love it here.
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If I had lots of money, I’d have a home in the Pacific NW and Hawaii! ~ sigh ~ 🙂
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‘If’ is such a naughty little word isn’t it?
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I can certainly see the attraction, Graham. Your shots are beautiful.
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Thanks, Jo. For such a laid back place, there’s a lot going on here.
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So beautiful Graham!
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Thanks, Aletta. We love it.
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Fantastic!
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Thanks, Aletta.
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Absolutely stunning shots, Graham!
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Thanks, Jacquie. We loved every moment of our visit.
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Did you go there thinking it’d be a future home, or did that occur after you’d visited?
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That came after the visit and, to be honest, I can’t remember how or why the move idea came up. The things we forget!
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Thank you for sharing your story! That would have been fascinating to get so close to the lava. We were there in 2005 and saw some of it from a distance, and from the air.
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Glad you liked it, Lisa. Back in 2016, I not only got close to the lava, but walked on it! I posted about that at https://grahamsisland.com/2016/08/05/hike-to-kilaueas-lava-flow/
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What an auspicious set of memories that ended up changing your lives forever, Graham. The lava flow shots are amazing to see. I haven’t spent much time (yet) on the Kona side. Sure looks inviting.
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It’s a lot different to the Hilo side, but it also has it’s attractions.
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