Saying goodbye to Canada we boarded our Air Canada flight and headed to the tropical islands of Hawaii. As the last destination of our great adventure Hawaii was originally planned to be 'the holiday, after the holiday', however, with an action packed itinerary, our 'rest' was going to have to wait until we got home.

On arrival in Hawaii we were greeted with cryptic messages from home, 'have you heard about the volcano' and 'do you know about the hurricane'. My question was of course what volcano, what hurricane, was Ruapehu at home in New Zealand blowing her top again or was it one in Hawaii and where exactly was the hurricane. It turned out a new side vent had opened up on Kilauea, an active volcano on Hawaii's Big Island, the newly formed vent had lava flowing from it but it was not a threat to people or property, unlike hurricane Ignacio that was on a direct collision with Hawaii.

After a good nights sleep we purchased 'Waikiki trolley' passes online and headed to the bus depot. The Waikiki trolley is a 'hop on, hop off bus', however as well as having modern buses, it has some older style traditional wooden trolley buses. There were four different 'lines' so we decided to firstly take the blue panoramic line which took us to some of Oahu's southern coastline. The scenery was stunning with magnificent views of white sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs. We made photo stops at Hanauma Bay, Halona Blow Hole and Hawaii Kai Lookout before heading back to Waikiki.


With hurricane Ignacio having strengthened to category four and still looming off the coast of Hawaii, it's predicted collision course was now Hawaii's Big Island putting our upcoming travel plans in a state of limbo. We had flights booked to the Big Island and an action packed itinerary of snorkelling and sightseeing so we had to make a decision whether to either abandon our plans and stay in Honolulu or take the risk and hope the storm would change direction and head away from this island paradise. After talking to some of the locals and checking out the storm path predictions with our hotel concierge we decided to stick with 'plan A', take the risk and head to Kona.

Arriving on the Big Island at 9am it was very hot and humid, the sun was shining and the air eerily calm. Kona airport is built on an old lava flow, so on one side of the runway is an expanse of volcanic rock, a short distance across more volcanic rock on the other side, the sea. We took a walking path through the lava field to pick up our pre-booked rental car, a convertible Chevrolet Camaro and headed off, with the soft top down, on a morning of self guided sightseeing. Heading north from the airport we drove through more lava field's before stopping at picturesque Kahoiawa Bay. The black rock and lava tubes visible from the main highway are a reminder of the volcanic nature of the Big Island. The lava that had previously 'flowed down the mountain', (at the bottom forming the area that Kona airport is now built on) was from Hualalai Volcano, it last erupted in the early 1800's but is still today considered to be active. At Kahoiawa Bay the sea was almost calm with gentle waves washing up onto the shore, it was hard to believe a hurricane was looming out at sea.

Checking into our Kona hotel I was relieved to see it was a very new, sturdy looking building set a couple of blocks back from the sea front with our room facing the hills, should the hurricane hit we would be on the more sheltered side of the building. After looking around Kona township it was time to head for 'Jacks Diving Locker' where our afternoon and evening snorkelling adventures were to begin. We were assured that the conditions at sea were good and relieved to hear the Hurricane Ignacio was changing course, heading away from the Hawaiian islands and further out to sea.

During our afternoon snorkelling we saw lots of fish and coral however despite the water being crystal clear and the visibility fantastic it was quite deep so we weren't able to get as 'up close and personal' with the underwater wildlife as we had on our many pacific island snorkelling adventures. We were however lucky enough to see a rare and endangered Hawaiian monk seal that swam right up to the boat, pop his head out of the water to check us all out before gracefully swimming away. Back onboard the boat we were provided with a picnic dinner and enjoyed gourmet sandwiches and cake as we watched the sun set and the day turn slowly into night.

Re-entering the water our snorkel group clung to handles on a large specially designed surfboard as we paddled away from the boat in the dark. The board was fitted underneath with spotlights (facing downwards) which once away from the boat were switched on. A group of divers from our boat had also entered the water, unlike us floating on the surface however the divers had swum to the bottom and with handheld spotlights shone those upward. Krill, which the Manta Rays feed on, are attracted to light and therefore the Manta Rays come to the area most nights to feed. We had only been in the water a few minutes when we saw the first manta ray, it was near the bottom directly above the dive group but with an immense wingspan (anything up to 6 metres) it was clearly visible. Moments later we had not one but three huge manta rays directly under our board, as they somersaulted below us, mouths wide open, filter feeding on the almost invisible krill in the water I felt in awe of these magnificent creatures that were so close they were practically touching us. As the first trio moved away more manta rays appeared and at its peak there would have been at least twelve of these giant acrobatic rays swimming between us and the divers. Climbing out of the water back onto the boat we were buzzing and everyone on the boat was chatting about the incredible experience we had all just shared. Following cocktails and dessert at the 'Bubba Gump Shrimp Company' we headed back to our hotel thankful we had stuck with 'plan A' and that Hurricane Ignacio was no longer a threat.

Dropping our rental car back at Kona airport at 9am we were collected by 'The Volcano Van' for a full day tour of The Big Island. Being the only booking that day we had the seven seater Dodge Journey to ourselves with our guides Scott and Becky. Heading north we firstly stopped at a lava tube at Kalaoa. Lava tubes are formed when an active lava flow develops a hard crust that thickens and forms a roof above a flowing lava stream. When the lava flow stops the tube drains leaving a tube like cave. After a brief stop for coffee and malasadas, (a Hawaiian doughnut with its origins in Portugal) we headed to the coast. Stopping at Laupahoehoe point the sea could only be described was wild and the surf enormous, hurricane Ignacio was heading away from Hawaii but had still managed to show her strength by stirring up the sea. We continued our island journey making photo stops at Akaka Waterfalls and the very picturesque Papaikou before having lunch in Hilo. Hilo is at the opposite side of the Big Island to Kona and where we would head inland to 'Volcanoes National Park'. Viewing Kilauea during daylight we could clearly see the crater rim, there was a constant plume of smoke rising from the still very active volcano but no visible lava from the lookout. Hiking through a lava field left behind following an eruption in 1974 it was fascinating to see small plants & ferns growing amongst the volcanic rock, and feel warmth coming from deep cracks in the lava. There wasn't much that Scott didn't know about volcanoes and he was more than willing to share his knowledge with us, he gave us plenty of opportunities to take photos and when he grabbed my phone and offered to take a photo of us both, his very cheeky grin had 'selfie' written all over it. Heading back to Kilauea lookout after dark we were left almost speechless as what had earlier appeared to be just a smoking volcano had by night transformed into a glowing pit of red hot lava. The glow lit the sky and as lava bubbled within the crater occasional 'booms' could be heard in the distance as gas inside the volcano created small explosions. Heading back to our hotel in Kona we were once again thankful we'd stuck with our original plans and had a couple of fantastic days on the 'Big Island'.

Arriving back in Honolulu the following morning we headed to the Waikiki aquarium, despite being a relatively small university run aquarium the displays were fantastic and a clear conservative message was being portrayed. Following an afternoon visiting the botanical gardens and some inner city sightseeing on the Waikiki trolley, we headed to Waikiki beach for a swim before dinner. The evening was balmy, the sea like a warm bath and splashing in the surf as the sun went down was a fantastic way to spend the last evening of our great adventure. We had decided on seafood for our last dinner out in Hawaii and found a restaurant called the 'Crackin Kitchen'. It had great reviews (that were very descriptive) so it was no surprise when our crab and shellfish meal was served directly on the paper tablecloth and we were given bibs to wear. Dessert was a work of art and as the waiter served it to us, (also directly onto the table cloth, which had been changed between courses) he described the different elements as he created a beach and a rainbow with fresh fruits, fruit purées and mini Hawaiian doughnuts.

Our flight back to New Zealand the following day was not scheduled to leave Honolulu until 11pm so leaving our bags at the hotel we spent the day indulging in a little retail therapy. Boarding our Air New Zealand flight it was time to sit back and relax, we were now homeward bound after nine amazing weeks of travelling around the globe.