The Big Island- Hawaii

It was MY FIRST TIME ever, in Hawai'i. Since we moved to this country I have always dreamed of going to this island- even found projects from third grade showing my two ideal places were Hawai'i and New York (one down, one to go!) It was so exciting to be in this peaceful and beautiful environment! I did the Wasabi Tours: Big Island in One Day. which takes about 11 hours and goes around the entire island. It's the best way to see it if you don't have a lot of time on your hands. 

The first stop was Waipio Valley. There is a very short walk down the hill to this lookout and you'll spend about twenty minutes there with everyone (restroom stop too!) The story says people used to live down there until a tidal wave destroyed their homes. Sometimes you may also spot hippies living there as well! One side of the walk was surrounded by banana and avocado trees, which sadly may go to waste if they don't have enough pickers.

The next stop for us was Akaka Falls, one of the popular state parks but not too crowded when we got there. It is about a 3 minute walk to see the falls up close, if you're lucky you'll get to spot a rainbow at the end of it! This is where we also had lunch which was included in our tour- they were in bento boxes and delicious! 

There is something about this tree that caught my eye- looks like the tree from one of the Disney movies! Simple and beautiful. This side of the island was so green compared to the lava rock filled side I was staying in.

Rainbow Falls was beautiful as well, if you feel adventurous you can take a quick hike to the edge of the top! It took about ten minutes for me to get there. Only attempt it if you're confident and have good shoes- at some points it got slippery and tricky. Keep in mind you only get about 20 minutes at each location- time it properly so your group doesn't have to wait for you.

This is the view from the top! I tried standing still and taking it all in...only lasted about a minute due to the altitude and wind!

Active lava from Volcano's National Park! My tour guide said this is only the second time tours have been able to see the active volcano since he's worked there. So exciting! The pictures don't do justice of how beautiful this is.