Tag Archives: South Pacific

January 27, 2017 · 5:35 am

Port 1 Hilo — Lua Manu Crater

Lua Manu Crater

We still weren’t done with Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Ricky had two more stops inside the park. By the way, Ricky’s Tours gave us a great tour in a comfortable van with time along the way to enjoy the sights. And Ricky did so at a reasonable price. You certainly can’t ask for more than that. Here’s our van, and a shot of Ricky:

Ricky’s Tour van

Ricky

Our next stop had appropriate signage:

Lua Manu Crater

The smallish Lua Manu Crater is along the Chain of Craters Road. The crater itself is located just west of the road:

Lua Manu Crater

While to the east is an eerie, alien landscape of lava flow that emanated from the crater:

Lua Manu Crater

Here is today’s photo gallery of the crater and the resulting lava field:

Lua Manu Crater

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Tagged as Crown Princess, cruise vacation, Lua Manu Crater, photography, R. Doug Wicker, South Pacific, travel, travel photography, vacation

January 25, 2017 · 5:35 am

Port 1 Hilo — Thurston Lava Tube

Nāhuku — Thurston Lava Tube

Kilauea is not the only attraction within the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Just a half mile from the Kikauea Caldera overlook is the Thurston Lava Tube, known to the locals as Nāhuku. I’m pretty sure that the lava tube did not get its name from famed millionaire castaway Thurston Howell, III, but you never know. Actually, it was named after the Thurston family, missionary Asa and Lucy Thurston and their descendants.

The hike to Nāhuku

It’s a short hike from the lava tube parking area on Crater Rim Drive to the lava tube entrance, and the vegetation along the way is quite spectacular.

The hike to Nāhuku

And you’ll know when you’ve arrived:

Nāhuku — Thurston Lava Tube

This natural cave is a result of a lava flow from the nearby Kilauea Volcano. A river of hot, molten lava crusts over along the outer edges, insulating the lava still flowing within. When this molten lava drains from the channel, you get a lava tube.

Now for today’s photo gallery of this worthwhile Ricky’s Tour stop:

Nāhuku — Thurston Lava Tube

Looking down from above

The hike to Nāhuku

Nāhuku — Thurston Lava Tube

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Tagged as Crown Princess, cruise vacation, photography, R. Doug Wicker, South Pacific, Thurston Lava Tube, travel, travel photography, vacation

January 23, 2017 · 5:35 am

Port 1 Hilo — A closer look at Kilauea Caldera

Kilauea Caldera

The Kilauea Caldera is a forbidding landscape. Hardly a speck of green intrudes into the area surrounding the smoking Halema’uma’u Crater in the distance. The crater itself is 2,530 feet/770 meters wide, 2,950 feet/900 meters long, and is 270 feet/83 meters.