{"id":4306,"date":"2021-07-21T01:58:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T01:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jayceesfootprints.blog\/?p=4306"},"modified":"2022-03-31T12:13:32","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T16:13:32","slug":"aloha-from-the-big-island-and-maui-and-a-lil-more-oahu-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/aloha-from-the-big-island-and-maui-and-a-lil-more-oahu-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Aloha from the Big Island and Maui…and a lil more Oahu – Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you didn\u2019t get to check out any of my previous Hawaii posts, please do so! It began with a full account of activities in Oahu and then continued on to include a (SURPRISE!!) trilogy of posts from my time in Maui and on the Big Island! \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 2 of the trilogy was yesterday (then ended rather suddenly due to technical issues that I have since corrected!!) and now here we are, ready (and able!) to conclude the \u201cHawaii Chronicles\u201d with Part 3!! We shall pick up where we left off yesterday, right after \u2705 #5: Visiting the Royal Kona Museum & Coffee Mill!! \ud83e\udd73 \u2615\ufe0f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without further ado, let\u2019s keep our Big Island Circle Tour adventures going and dive right back in!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Something like that! \u2b06\ufe0f\ud83d\ude06<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2705#6A: Visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which I was told is a must-see when going to the Big Island! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This park serves to protect some of the most unique geological landscapes in the world, which includes two of the world\u2019s most active volcanoes – – K\u012blauea and Mauna Loa. And I had the opportunity to visit K\u012blauea!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SO, at the summit of K\u012blauea there is a crater within the crater, called Halema\u2019uma\u2019u! Before 1924, it contained an active lava lake that caused several eruptions throughout the 20th century. It apparently calmed down for a bit but then the lava lake restarted it\u2019s activity again between 2008 and 2018 – – and aren\u2019t I so lucky??? I was there in 2009, so I got to experience the smoking crater that is the workings of the active lava lake at Halema\u2019uma\u2019u!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here, Mark Twain wrote a passage about visiting K\u012blauea, which was mounted on a plaque and it overlooks Halema\u2019uma\u2019u!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Janel and I, of course, needed a photo with this crater-within-a-crater active lava lake on top of K\u012blauea!! \ud83c\udf0b <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2705#6B: Also, when visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you have an opportunity to explore a lava tube…..which we did!! We had the chance to go for a walk through the Thurston Lava Tube, also known as N\u0101huku!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This huge 500+-year-old cave was left behind after a lava flow! And you get to it by walking on a path through the rainforest, following this sign:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2199\ufe0f N\u0101huku is this way!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

…..and then walking through this entrance and right into the lava tube!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The entrance to N\u0101huku!!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Exploring this cave made of lava!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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An action shot of part of our group exiting the lava tube!! Along with an apparition?? \ud83d\udc7b\ud83d\ude01<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2705#7: We made a stop at the Akatsuka Orchid Gardens and saw the most gorgeous and unique flowers!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Welcome to the Akatsuka Orchid Gardens!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I loved this star-patterned orchid, that also has a bit of a leopard print going on, as well as the pink-and-magenta orchids to the right!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

AND THEN I saw this and I was blown away because it is REAL!!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A $20,000 orchid!!! Definitely don\u2019t touch this one – – if you break it, oh boy, that is gonna cost you BIG!!! \ud83d\ude33<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the story behind this particular and super valuable orchid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It also said that this orchid, called \u2018Volcano Queen,\u2019 is the only one of its kind with perfect symmetry and registered with the American Orchid Society!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sooooooo, it just isn\u2019t for sale!! I was pretty bummed about that. I was hoping to purchase it and take it home with me!! \u2639\ufe0f \ud83d\udcb5 \ud83d\udcb5 \ud83d\udcb5 \ud83d\udcb5 \ud83d\ude06<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705#8: On Hilo Big Island, there are these incredible and immense trees found on Banyan Tree Drive! We got to spend a little time scoping out this amazing forest of very tall trees!!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Just posing with the banyan trees and looking like a shrimp, no big deal!! \ud83c\udf64 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pretending to hang from the limbs under the banyan tree canopy!! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2705#9: Two miscellaneous photos that let you know that you\u2019re in the fantastic world of the Big Island!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Only on the Big Island would you see a road named Macadamia Drive!!! And I believe we did drive down this road, to the Mauna Loa macadamia nut farm. We got a tour and I DEFINITELY bought macadamia nuts while I was there!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The greatest stop sign that you will ever see!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2705#10: And one of my favorite stops on this Circle Island Tour, we stopped to visit the most famous black sand beach of Hawaii called Punalu\u2019u Beach. Between the gorgeous black sand stretch of beach AND the sea turtles lounging around, it was spectacular!!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The most famous black sand beach of Hawaii, Punalu\u2019u Black Sand Beach Park!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Look at that black sand!!!! It was so mesmerizing because I had never seen anything like it before. And I love the beach!!! \ud83d\ude0d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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AND it made my day to see these sea turtles, relaxing on the beach!! I may not have seen any back in Maui at Turtle Cove…..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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…but I definitely got to see quite a few sea turtles HERE, on the Punalu\u2019u Black Sand Beach on the Big Island!! \ud83d\udc96<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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My arabesque was a must-do before leaving this lovely black sand beach!! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

AND we did EVEN MORE on the Big Island besides these 10 checkmarks so I highly recommend going on the Big Island Circle Tour, if you ever get the chance! It was a very full and fun-filled 12 hours!!! And then once we got back to the start of the \u201ccircle,\u201d we hopped back on the plane and flew back to Maui!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Janel and I saying goodbye to our fabulous tour guide!! He had such a great personality!! \ud83d\ude0a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Well, we made it!!!!!! Those were all of the major checkpoints from my one month in Hawaii and all the fun things that I got to see and do in Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island!!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And before I wrap things up, I just have a few more photos that I would love to show you from my time there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A flower found on Oahu!! \ud83d\ude0d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Bird of Paradise found in Maui!! \u2764\ufe0f<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And these flowers found on the Big Island, at the Akatsuka Orchid Gardens!! \ud83d\ude03<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I LOVE this photo that I took of Hal\u0113akala in Maui!!! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019ve been \u201changing around\u201d since Maui 2009, waiting for my chance to return to phenomenal Hawaii!! \ud83d\ude04<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And WHOA, I do not remember which island I found these guys…but do you SEE this gigantic spider and it\u2019s mini me????? It\u2019s still such a cool photo, though, isn\u2019t it??? I couldn\u2019t have posed them any better!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And finally, the two venues where I performed while in Oahu and in Maui:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cElmo Makes Music\u201d – Blaisdell Concert Hall in Oahu, June 12-21, 2009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And this is the Blaisdell Concert Hall!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cElmo Makes Music\u201d – Castle Theater in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, June 26-28, 2009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The view from the Castle Theater stage in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center!!! \ud83e\udd29<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not only was the Maui Arts & Cultural Center a beautiful venue for performing, but it was also my last time performing as full-body costume character!! After three years, I concluded my time with VEE Corporation and finished my final performances with Sesame Street on the Castle Theater stage in Maui!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the last photos I have of me as Prairie Dawn! And I love that it has Janel behind me as my photo bomb!! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And that (seriously) concludes my Hawaii Chronicles of June 2009!!!!! Thank you so much for sticking around and joining me as I recounted all the many tales and activities from my \u201call bets are off, what else can I do???\u201d experiences in the majestic and magical Hawaiian islands!!! It was such a dream come true, in more \u201ccheckmarks\u201d than I can count!!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With extreme appreciation, I send you love and rainbows, straight from the skies of Oahu 2009:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A perfect rainbow across the sky in Oahu!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

– – though Hawaii IS the rainbow capital of the world so rainbows are not strangers to the skies, anywhere, in this beautiful place!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And may I present you with these highly-recommended Hawaiian rules that support a peaceful and happy life!!! These may serve us very well moving forward. \ud83e\udd17 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Until next time, everyone!!! MAHALO!!!!! \ud83d\udc96<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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