“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
They say the pages of a book are a great place to begin an amazing journey, well what an adventure we have just had! We’ve just arrived back home from a wonderful week exploring Hawaii!!
You can all look forward to quite a few upcoming posts exploring different elements of our Hawaiian vacation, but I knew that I absolutely had to start with our day at Volcano National Park first! Hawaii and volcanoes are almost synonymous with one another…how could you possible visit the state without at least a one day stop over on “The Big Island” and a chance to explore Volcano National Park in all its glory?
Before leaving for Hawaii, I looked through dozens of picture books about volcanos. There were far too many to choose from. Many focusing on Mauna Loa and Kilaue, but did you know that the Big Island is actually made up of 5 volcanoes? Yes…FIVE!! We learned all about each of them on the most amazing tour EVER, more about that in a second. First, what book did I finally settle on?? Well, after looking through all of the picture books, I really wasn’t feeling them. Sure, they had amazing pictures and many were full of facts, but there wasn’t really a “story.”
Then I happened upon this book on an internet search; Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Fergusun’s Rage of Fire (Mysteries in Our National Parks Series). The book is part of a larger series published by the National Geographic Series following children on their adventures through our National Parks…and, since it happens to be the 100th Anniversary of the National Park’s Service, this was the perfect book to go with!
The story follows Jack, his sister Ashley, and their new-found friend Danny on a journey through Volcanoes National Park as they try to elude the mysterious stranger who keeps seeming to be following them…is it the volcano god Pele? Why would she be chasing them and, most importantly, how can they get away?? For the answers, grab your family, especially third through fifth grade children, and dive in. For a mysterious and magnificent journey all your own, pack your bags, hop the next flight over to The Big Island and make sure to get in touch with Scott and Becky Bier of The Volcano Van.
In the story, the children are staying on the Big Island and exploring Volcano National Park with their family. the majority of the action takes place along the Devastation Trail on the Kilauea Iki crater and around the Thurston Lava Tube. You can use the links provided by the National Park Service to plan your own walk through the area…but watch out for Pele and remember to bring your hiking shoes, sunscreen, a hat, and a sweater….although it’s very hot on much of the Big Island, its quite chilly up at the National Park – especially at the craters!!
On our vacation, we didn’t plan for more than one day at the Big Island. We were staying on Oahu and only had one day to explore the awesomeness that is the Hawaiian volcanoes. They don’t just call it the Big Island. The Island is MASSIVE…I had no idea it was going to be soooo big! There were many different “big bus tours” available for people like us who were flying in just for the day and wanted to see as much of the island as they could. We found a bunch on our favorite travel tour booking site…viator.com.
But what we were looking for was something a little more private, more personal. and we found it with Scott and Becky and The Volcano Van. Instead of being rushed from site to site with little time to really explore on our own, this tour was at our own pace, allowing us to see what we really wanted to see, to stop at a moments notice for pictures (or coconuts and pineapple) and to get a real feel for the Big Island and its volcanoes from someone who truly LOVES volcanoes- Scott Bier! We looked through all of the tour options and decided to try The Big Island Big Volcano Adventure. It looked like the best way to see both the traditional sites of Volcano National Park and some more unique sites…like the other volcanoes and boy was it the perfect tour! We arrived in Kona nice and early at 8:00AM and Scott was there to meet us for our days adventure. Scott was an amazing fountain of knowledge about the Big Island and about everything volcano. I learned more about how volcanoes work, the different types of volcanoes, the different types of lava and more in our day together than probably ever in school! We got to experience the Big Islands diverse climates (aired, subtropical, tropical, jungle, junglier and “Mount Doom”) and ben stopped off for a visit to Akaka Falls State Park. There was hiking, exploring, a visit to the bay, delicious Portuguese strawberry stuffed malassadas and then the grand finale; the Kilauea Caldera! And the best part — no lines, no waiting, no rushing or crowding….no mandatory souvenir shop stops…no touristy tour (my favorite way to explore). this tour is hands down one of the best tours I’ve EVER been on…believe me I wouldn’t be writing about it otherwise! We arrived on The Big Island expecting to see volcanoes, we left feeling almost like we’d spent the day with a long time friend named Scott who just happened to have a van and wanted to show us the magic of his island.
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Although we didn’t run into Pele (there wasn’t any flowing lava that was accessible to the public during our visit) and we didn’t have any strange encounters like Skurzynski and Fergusun’s characters, we certainly had a wonderful day that I’ll definitely remember forever!
So, grab yourselves a copy of Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Fergusun’s Rage of Fire (Mysteries in Our National Parks Series) and start planning your amazing adventure on the Big Island at Volcano National Park! I’ll be busy deciding which of our Hawaiian adventures to share with you next :)
Erupting with Fun and Hawaiian Volcanos “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”