When you think of the Big Island of Hawaii, chances are the first things that come to mind are volcanoes. Not surprising, as out of the five volcanoes which are considered active in Hawaii, four of them are on Hawai’i Island. The opportunity to walk among these incredible forces of nature is why millions flock to the island (pre-Covid-19!) every year.
You probably also remember the devastating eruption of the Kilauea volcano in 2018, which sadly destroyed over 700 homes in the Puna district of the island, permanently changing the landscape of the island. The eruptions ceased in September 2018, and the area is currently safe.
We were lucky enough to be able to visit Volcanoes National Park just before lockdown happened. At the time of writing, most areas, including visitor services remain closed.
You can check up to date information on the park and plan your visit Here.
In this post, I’ll be writing about my recommendations and experiences of the incredible hikes in this area. Hopefully you will soon be able to plan your own visit!
It’s hard to believe it’s been six weeks since I first wrote about sheltering in place on the Big Island of Hawaii (Hunkering down in Hawaii: social distancing on the Big Island). I thought I’d write a little update on the situation here, as we wait to see if and when we can begin to travel back to the U.K!
Hawaii is one of the states that has imposed the most restrictive rules and regulations around lockdown and behaviour in the Time of Coronavirus.
As I mentioned previously, Kauai was the first island to mandate an evening curfew to all residents and visitors, violation of which was punishable by a fine and/or prison time! The Big Island stopped short of a curfew, but insisted on self-isolating and sheltering in place. As the weeks went by, all the beaches, parks and golf courses closed, and shops, hotels and restaurants ceased trading. Some restaurants remained open for take out only.
The local hotels closed their doors around the end of March
We had already cancelled our onward travel to the neighbouring islands, deciding that it was safer to stay where we were and see how things progressed. We didn’t think that the lockdown could last as long as it has! The Big Island, where we were to spend three weeks, has inadvertently become our home and refuge during this crisis.
Luckily, we had an ongoing reservation on our rental home, which has given us some flexibility, with travel restrictions and mandates changing on a regular basis.
The information we have from the Government of Hawaii is confusing at best. Trying to keep up with both the Governor’s updates for the state, and the localised updates from the Mayor of the Big Island is a challenge.
Before all the state beaches were officially closed, “Beach Closed” signs started to appear around the area, and gates were closed to block access to cars. Apparently some were put there by locals to try and keep visitors away, which only added to the confusion (and isn’t really in the spirit of Aloha!).
It was unclear whether you could use hiking trails, and given that we were only supposed to be driving in order to buy groceries, we have mostly stayed in the local area.
Our grocery shopping is mainly limited to one trip a week – planning meals ahead of time. This is something we have never done as city dwellers in Europe, where a supermarket or any type of cuisine imaginable is always a 5 minute walk away!
Masks have now become mandatory in all stores – at least I was able to procure a Hawaiian themed one!
It has been very quiet here. We normally go walking a few times a week around the neighbourhood. Until recently, we have regularly been able to walk 4-5 miles without seeing more than one other person. The wild goats have happily taken over the golf courses, and wander along the roads nonchalantly, enjoying the lack of traffic.
It’s a surreal but relaxing experience to walk among the volcanic paths and not see a car or human for miles.
When we do eventually get back to the UK, it will be a shock to the system after months of idyllic island living. I’m so used to this house now, it will be like moving home all over again!
The pools in the complex have stayed open, so we have been able to sit and read in the sunshine. Until recently, the pool area has been very quiet, with people mostly observing social distancing.
In the last few days, we’ve noticed more “new” families in the area, who we assume have come in from the mainland. There are apparently flights still coming in, with a few visitors per plane – a tiny fraction of the numbers that the islands would normally see.
A new law requires anyone arriving to Hawaii to quarantine inside their residence or lodging for 2 weeks, only going out for medical emergencies. This even applies to inter-island flights. I’m not sure that this is being adhered to in our remote part of the island.. and there doesn’t seem to be anyone around to enforce it! We just keep our own social distance and make sure we’re exercising and keeping as healthy as possible.
The shops in the local mall remain closed, despite permission being given last week for some retail stores to re-open. Perhaps after weeks of lockdown, they don’t have the staff or finances to open their doors. There are so few tourists that there may be no point.
We saw today that one shop has closed its doors permanently and the space is now for lease. It’s a tiny indication of the impact that the lockdown has had – and will continue to have – on the economy, as we watch companies and businesses slowly fold. It seems like it’s only going to get worse, the longer the country and the world remains at this standstill.
In the last few days, the Governor of Hawaii has indicated that some restrictions will start to slowly be relaxed. We are now able to go hiking, within a family group, and we can go to some beaches, as long as we don’t sunbathe!
For the rest of our time here, we will be doing a few more hikes, and hopefully be able to spend some time at the beach. It’s been very strange to be in Hawaii for this length of time and not do our usual amount of hiking, shopping, beach time and dining out. It has, however, been very relaxing, and we have been lucky to be in this situation.
I don’t think these guys are going to be impressed when people want their golf course back!
As it stands at the moment, our flight home from the mainland has been cancelled and re-booked by the airline four times. They are not sure that the next one they have scheduled for us (in June) will fly. As my Visa Waiver entry to the U.S. expires before then, we are trying to contact various Government agencies for help with an extension. We still have no clear idea of when we will get back to the U.K.
So we continue our day to day life on the Big Island, caught somewhere between not wanting to leave, and the frustration and expense of not being able to get home. We are grateful that we have been able to shelter here, and although times are stressful, it has been the best place to wait things out.
As we take our evening walk in the shadow of the stunning Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world, I am reminded of the wild beauty of the island, and how fortunate I am to have been able to visit here.
Hopefully, as the world starts to re-open, we will be able to return home, and we will plan to re-visit the islands as soon as we can.
Stay tuned for more updates, as we continue to negotiate these strange times!
Before the islands shut down, we were able to spend some time hiking and visiting the National Parks And historical sites on the Big Island, which I have written about in previous posts (you can find them under the “Big Island” category).
Next up, I’ll be writing about the incredible Volcanoes National Park, and some of the hikes we did in the area.. including the eerie Kilauea Crater. Hopefully you will be able to plan your own visit soon!
In the meantime, stay safe!
Mahalo
Charlotte
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If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know that we’re still “sheltering in place” on the Big Island of Hawaii – monitoring the current situation until it’s safe and possible to head back to the UK.
Some of our travel plans had to be cancelled, but we were lucky enough to be able to visit the National Historical Parks of the Big Island before they closed.
While the Big Island is perhaps best known for Volcanoes National Park, there are other important sites to visit, with some beautiful beaches and hiking included! Read on to discover more..
When we first arrived on the Big Island, over a month ago, the world was still relatively normal. As normal as it ever has been. No-one was in “lock down” and the Global panic around the Coronavirus was only just starting to escalate (I talked about our trip so far in my previous post Hunkering down in Hawaii: social distancing on the Big Island)
Life in Hawaii was continuing as usual. We were lucky enough to be able to do some nice hikes and adventures on the Big Island before the Statewide “stay at home“ order, which has given me some time to update my blog! Hopefully my posts will provide some escapism and give you some inspiration on things to do in Hawaii once the world returns to it’s “New Normal”, whatever that may be.
As I write this from a very quiet lanai, overlooking beautiful gardens somewhere on the Big Island, it’s strange to think how much the world has changed in the past two weeks or so. It’s incredibly quiet here. The wind rustles the palms, a bright green gecko is stalking along the wall, colourful birds are hopping around the bushes, and a small herd of goats appears to have claimed the golf course in lieu of people.
My current writing desk
Apart from the eerie quiet of the complex, you wouldn’t realise something was going on until you head out and see that all the shops and restaurants are closed, and walking through the once bustling shopping centre is like something out of a sci fi movie.
At the moment, we’re staying around our rental house, only popping out to one of the grocery stores, which have remained open. We’ve been told the pools in the complex will probably be closed today or tomorrow, which given some of the behaviour we’ve witnessed is probably for the best! Some people just can’t seem to grasp that they need to keep their distance and keep their coughs to themselves!
Social Distancing!
If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know that we are lucky enough to visit Hawaii once or twice a year, usually travelling to Kauai, and then the Waikiki area of Oahu.
This time, we had planned to start our adventure on the Big Island of Hawaii, which was a first for me. Originally we would have stayed here for 3 weeks, then go onto Kauai, finishing in Oahu. We left the UK on the 1st March, deciding that as long as we took the precautions we always do when travelling, it would be safe to set off.
Looking back now, it’s crazy to think that I was fussing over which bottle of hand sanitiser to buy in the chemist in Heathrow Airport, “this one is just aloe scented, it’s not as nice as the one we have at home”. We each took a bottle in our carry-on. Within a week or two, this 99p item was selling on the internet for several times its value and had sold out everywhere!
Aside from some more enthusiastic disinfecting of surfaces, with people spraying or wiping their plane seats and tables, everything was pretty normal on our flights. The planes must be the cleanest they have been! The flight to LA from London was quiet, as we had expected, so we had a spare seat – the Holy Grail of air travel.
For the first 2 weeks of our trip, everything was open as normal. The only sign of things to come was the initial hoarding of toilet roll and disinfectant. When we wandered into Longs Drugs one day to ask if they had any hand sanitiser, we were met with a laugh and “no, we had some this morning but it’s all gone”.
We were able to explore the Kailua-Kona area, before heading to the Hilo side of the island to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, and doing some fantastic hikes around the Kilauea crater.
Our plans changed once the Mayor of Kauai declared an intended curfew and “stay at home” mandate. The restaurants then closed and there were also some bad floods happening on Kauai, so we decided to stay put on the Big Island. One of the most important things to do, especially when you find yourself in a foreign country, is to follow the Government instructions. There would have been no point in us trying to travel around and putting ourselves or other people in danger.
We’ve seen some negativity in the local media and social media against “visitors” to the island, and people wrongly believing that the majority of the cases in Hawaii were brought by either American or International arrivals. This article was published recently in Hawaii News Now to give some clarification:
HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Department of Health is worried Hawaii residents may be getting the wrong idea about visitors in the state during the coronavirus pandemic.
In an email received Friday night, Hawaii Department of Health Spokesperson Janice Okubo said, “I have been informed that there are residents of Hawai‘i who believe the COVID-19 positive cases here are all visitors to the state, and unfortunately, there is stigma developing against visitors in Hawaii.”
The email continued: “I am asking the media to help the public understand that of the 37 positive test results to date, 32 of them are the result of traveling residents. The majority of cases are residents who returned home after traveling.”
While I completely agree that travel to the islands should be limited or stopped at this time, there are people, like us, who have been here a month and have followed all guidelines for safety. Unfortunately, there are also individuals who act in a disrespectful or obnoxious manner, who give all visitors a bad name! The heritage and culture of the islands should always be respected, whether in a crisis or not.
However, at this point, the most important thing is that everyone who is currently on the islands, resident or not, does what they can to keep themselves and other people healthy!
As things are at the moment, our intention is to Shelter in Place on the Big Island until we can get our scheduled flight home (assuming flights start up again some time soon!).
In the meantime, this is obviously not the worst place to be “stranded”, and it gives me some time to write about the beautiful National Parks and other areas we have managed to explore on this incredible volcanic island. The parks are now closed until further notice.
In my next posts, I will be writing about our hikes in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and other areas of Hawaii Island, as well as information on accommodation (which we found more challenging on this island!). Hopefully this will give you something positive to read while you plan your next trip to paradise..
I’ll also do some shorter updates on the situation as we go along. Every few days we’re still trying get out for some smaller hikes in the Waikoloa area, while keeping a social distance – so I’ll document some of these.
We all hope that things improve and the World, and the Hawaiian islands “re-open” very soon for everyone to enjoy 😊
In the meantime, stay safe and healthy!
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On our last couple of trips, we’ve stayed in the sunny South of Kauai, in the Poipu area, and have discovered a few nice trails for all abilities, which give you the opportunity to explore the neighbourhood, and take in some stunning views of the coastline. So if you’re lucky enough to be planning a trip to Kauai, these are on my “must do” list!
If you can tear yourself away from the world class beaches, and delicious eateries, there are plenty of interesting things to see and do around this beautiful and historical area.
Whether you’re in the mood to immerse yourself in Hawaiian culture (and get a respite from the heat for a while!), wander beautiful gardens, or tick off the stops along a the Heritage Trail, here are a few of my “must dos” while you’re there…
With the far North of the island still inaccessible to tourists, due to the severe floods last year, we have enjoyed discovering and experiencing new and varied sides of the lush Garden Island.
On our last two visits, we have stayed on the sunny South of the island, in the Poipu area, which boasts an array of stunning beaches, some great shops and eateries, and, most importantly, the best weather on the island!
Read on for more of my experiences and recommendations for Poipu and beyond!
There are so many activities to choose from on the adventure island of Kauai, in the air, land or water, it can be difficult to decide which to do during your visit!
We have been lucky enough to visit Kauai a few times, and have had the privilege of viewing the island from a helicopter (you can read about that adventure here), from a catamaran at sea, and of course from the many incredible hiking trails around the island. But I had yet to see the island from the viewpoint of the beautiful Wailua River, the largest navigable river on Kauai. So on our most recent trip, after a bit of research, we booked our places, grabbed our paddles, and off we went!
We arrived back from our most recent visit to Hawaii almost two weeks ago. The adjustment from daily average temperatures of 28°C to around.. um.. -4°C has not been fun! But at least it gives me an excuse to stay inside and write about some of the fantastic hikes we did on the beautiful Garden Island of Kauai (which is one of our favourite places in the world). You can also read about other recommended hikes in my previous post Hiking Kauai; Top trails on the Garden Isle.
