Starry Skies and an Erupting Volcano

Of course we had pool time today, but the highlight was heading up to Mauna Kea for some night sky photography. From the Kohala Coast it is a little over an hour’s drive, and you quickly learn to keep your eyes peeled for free-range goats on the highway. They wander across as if they own the place, and after dark it can be hair-raising.

We stopped in Waikoloa Village for dinner at Smash Daddy before tackling the climb up the volcano.

As with our past visits, the skies looked hopeless at first, thick with cloud, but by the time we reached the visitor centre everything had cleared.

The road to the visitor centre is steep and winding, and at 2,800 metres (9,200 feet) the temperature drops fast. We set up the camera for a time-lapse and waited it out in the warmth of the car. Even without the wind, it can hover between 5–10°C (40–50°F), so you really do want a jacket, hat and gloves to be comfortable.

A note if you’re planning a visit: you can’t drive to the summit unless you have a proper 4WD or book a tour, and even then you must leave as soon as it gets dark. The visitor centre is as far as most people go.

After our late night at Mauna Kea, we had a slow start and headed to Hawaiian Style Café in Waimea for breakfast. This is a cute little local spot we found on our last visit, Halfway through our french toast, my phone went off with a volcano alert. That was definitely something I hadn’t seen before.

A quick search confirmed that Kīlauea was erupting. The volcano is part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, on the opposite side of the Big Island from where we were staying. Since eruptions can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, we decided not to risk missing it. We jumped in the car for the hour-and-a-half drive.

Traffic came to a grinding halt about two miles from the park. Roadworks near the entrance made things worse, and a few people abandoned their cars and walked the rest of the way. Tempting, but Andy had almost broken his foot the day before we left home and could barely tolerate a sandal, let alone a long walk. So we stayed put and inched forward. It took nearly an hour to cover those last two miles, but once inside the park we were waved through quickly and found a parking spot within a five-minute walk of the viewing area. I had never seen a volcano erupt before, and it was nothing short of spectacular.

While it looks like smoothe lava from fare away, when you look closely there are HUGE chunks of rocks flying around.

We followed the crater rim trail, stopping at different vantage points. The mood was unexpectedly joyful, like a festival. People were laughing, clapping, and swapping stories with complete strangers. Later, we moved the car closer to the steam vent and walked to the Kīlauea Overlook, which offered the best view of the eruption.

By 7.30 we reluctantly decided to head back. Episode 27 of the eruption officially ended at 7.54 p.m. This was a once-in-a-lifetime travel moment, delivered by sheer luck and a push alert on my phone.

After the long day chasing the eruption, we slept in, wandered down to the hotel breakfast buffet, and spent the afternoon by the pool. The only question was whether to give Mauna Kea’s night sky one more chance on our final night on the Big Island. The forecast looked promising, so we packed the camera gear and headed out in the early evening.

We scouted a spot on Mauna Loa first. It is surprisingly easy to get turned around up there, so we used PhotoPills to check our bearings. Based on the timing of the Milky Way and the moon rising, we decided to head up to Mauna Kea first, capture a few shots, and then return.

About halfway up the road to Mauna Kea, the car simply gave up. No warning, no explanation. This is a narrow, twisting two-lane road with very few pullouts. I still do not know how Andy managed to turn the car around, but somehow he did, and we coasted back down with every warning light on the dashboard blinking like a Christmas tree.

Thankfully we had phone signal, so I rang Avis roadside assistance. This was strike number two for Avis. Thirty minutes on hold before reaching an agent, who insisted on sending me a text for our location (but could only text U.S. numbers). Then he asked me to read the address off the nearest building. Mate, I am on the side of a volcano. His next gem was to say I would have to pay for the towing. He cheerfully added that the tow truck driver could take us to the airport, or perhaps I could just order an Uber.

It was still light out, and we knew that once sunset hit, the road would be flooded with cars heading down from the visitor centre. Worst case, we would flag someone down. But to our surprise, a car pulled up. It was the tow truck driver’s wife. She told us there would not be space for both of us in the truck, but she could drive us to the airport. The catch? It was Hilo airport, on the opposite side of the island. We were so grateful for her help, and enjoyed the conversation during the hour-long detour to Hilo. From there, we picked up a replacement rental car and drove two hours back across the island to the hotel. Absolute nightmare, but it could have been so much worse. And no, in the end, we were not charged for the tow.

Between the night skies of Mauna Kea, the eruption of Kīlauea, and a rental car breakdown that could have ended far worse, our short Hawaii stopover felt like its own holiday. But Hawaii was only the prologue. Next up was the real start of the journey: getting ourselves from Kona to Vancouver Island, where the Canadian wild was waiting.