day 11

we said goodbye to the house and loaded the car with all our stuff.  our flight wasn't until 5:45pm, but we had to check out by 10:00am.  so we decided to spend the last few hours seeing more things on the big island.  the girls had to sit close to each other since the back of the van was full and the single back row seat was folded down to accommodate luggage.

just a short drive away, our first stop was rainbow falls.

we waited around for the sun to come out so we could see the rainbow, but we did not have such luck.

next, we headed over to a beach in hilo.  it was pretty crowded, and i'm sure being sunday and father's day contributed to that.  we eventually found some roadside parking and explored a bit.

with a good 5 hours yet until our flight, we headed back to hawai'i volcanoes n.p. for one last look.  we headed straight for somewhere none of us (including grandpa & grandma who have both been to hawai'i multiple times): thurston lava tube.  

take a walk in the dark through nāhuku, known as the thurston lava tube, a 500-year-old lava cave located at an altitude of 3,900 feet on kīlauea crater in hawaiʻi volcanoes national park. lava caves like this are formed when a river of lava gradually builds solid walls and a ceiling. when the lava flow stops and the last of it passes downhill, a cave is formed. these caves can be a few feet high and only yards long, or they can stretch for miles with high ceilings. there are several lava tubes you can visit around the island but nāhuku is the most easily accessible and is a fantastic example of a massive lava cave.

plants grow anywhere they can on lava rock!

we made it the exit.

our flight was delayed, so we spent a few hours at the airport just relaxing/waiting for our turn.  the plane we were taking was coming from california, stopping in honolulu, then picking us up before going back to honolulu then finally to maui.  when one leg starts late, it affects them all!  but hey, we were on island time so how can we complain?!

i was still waiting to see a real sunset, and thought i might finally see one when we became airborne......well, at least it was colorful!

arriving at the maui airport in the dark, we were greeted by these lovelies in the planter areas of this mostly outdoor terminal.  so pretty!

after a short drive to the hotel, we had finally arrived.  i am excited to see this place in the daylight.

 today's step count: 8,746