Our Travel Journal: Volcano, Big Island (Hawai'i Island), February 15, 2022

Hawai'i is the southernmost state in The Union. The Big Island is the southernmost island in Hawai'i. And, South Point at Ka Lae is the southernmost point of the Big Island. Today we went to South Point, in the United States, you can't get anymore south than that. (Yes, American Samoa is further south, this is the furthest south in the incorporated United States.) Going south from this sliver of lava one would not see land again until Antarctica. If you were to sail east from South Point you would encounter the Mexican coast at the same latitude as Mexico city and sailing west you would next enter Hong Kong Harbor. At this southern cape the seas are ferocious and the lava shoreline stunning. We spent several hours just taking in the views before us.

Me, pointing the way to Antartica.

Me, being southmost.

There are only four green sand beaches in the world. Hawai'i has one of them but this isn't it. Yet, Sandy found a small patch of green sand on the beach at South Point. Green because the Volcano ejected olivine rich lava into the air. When it hit the water it shattered into tiny pieces of sand. The olivine, heavier than the other parts of the shattered lava tended to stay where it was, while the rest was washed away by rain and waves, the result green sand.

A little further east on the Big Island is Punalu'u Beach which is black sand made of basalt. This is also a good beach to see the green turtles come ashore, but we did not see any.

Lava tree molds are cavities or holes in the ground that mark where forests once stood in the path of an approaching lava flow. When lava flows through that forest, it swirls around tree trunks and quickly solidifies. Moisture in the wad and gas bubbles in the rocks form excellent insulation against instant incineration. As the level of the surrounding flows rises, the trees eventually burn off while a thick crust forms on the surface of the lava flow. Though the trees disappear, their footprints in the lava remain

While these look like pits in the ground, in actuality we are standing on top of the lava flow that incased a tree. The pits are at least 10-15 feet deep.

Lastly, on the way home we stopped at the Volcano Winery which sits high up on the slope of Kīlauea. Their mission is to try to bring the flavors of Hawai'i to the wine bottle. They attempt this by fermenting grape juice, and the juices of some hawai'in fruits separately and then combining them. We did a tasting; interesting.