Today is, unfortunately, our last day in Hawaii. I suppose it will be good to get back home and rest for a while, since we’ve been going nonstop since we got here.
We went to Lava Tree State Park this morning in Pahoa, a couple minutes south of Hilo, to see what it had to offer. Despite the rain, we walked the short trail through rainforest to see the “lava trees.” It was a small park, and didn’t take long to see everything, but the display was quite interesting. Lava had come through the forest, cooled and solidified around trees, and remained standing long after new trees had grown.
After the park, we went back to our hotel and walked around the bay in Hilo. We saw two nene (Hawaiian geese) that were enjoying the warm, overcast day. I took so many pictures of them! I liked them a lot! I took a lot of pictures of different birds today, but the nene were definitely my favorite. They were the first of two endangered species we saw today.
We also saw two sea turtles swimming under the bridge to Coconut Island. I managed to snap a picture of one when he came up for air.
I’m going to miss the warmth and the scenery here. I think there’s a lot more for me to explore. All that aside, I think Jesse and I really dug in and filled our time on the Big Island. We covered every corner of the island and saw a lot. I’m heading home satisfied.
