Hawaii Island, Hawaii. 14th May 2023

We sailed from Maui to Hawaii Island, also called Big Island, where we moored off the east coast for one day close to the town of Kailua Kona, before sailing overnight to the west coast where we docked at the town of Hilo.

In Kailua Kona we booked a trip on a catamaran which took us round the coast to a snorkelling spot where we spent two hours in the water.  Needless to say Paul was the last person back on the boat.  There wasn't masses of fish like we'd seen in other places but a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

In Hilo, which is on the greener side of the island, we didn't prebook anything but found a small tour operator by the dock and went on a trip in a minibus along with eight other passengers.  We visited the Japanese gardens, a fruit farm where we tasted papaya and bananas, the painted church, Rainbow Waterfall and a macadamia farm.  All very pleasant but the highlight of the day was the lava fields and in particular visiting a chap who had his house burned down by molten lava in 2010 and rebuilt it on the lava field in 2014.  He had some incredible photos of the molten lava as he watched it approach over the course of seven days before reaching and burning his house.  He now lives totally off grid with the help of solar panels which generate enough electricity to power a fridge and washing machine.  He grows all his fruit and vegetables, creating soil by grinding by hand the lava and mixing with his compost.  It was inspirational to listen to him.

So now we've completed the Hawaii leg of the journey, we have five days at sea before we reach Canada.