Hawaii

Finally some time all by ourselves; getting a Mustang convertible as it was all they had left; lava flowing into the sea and oozing by our feet; sunsets over the Pacific; Kona coffee; snorkelling in what seemed like an aquarium; snorkelling with sea turtles and dolphins - wow; a well chosen night in a hotel when it deluged; and a well chosen undercover camp when it deluged; white sand like flour on Makalawena beach complete with sunset and sunrise swims; sifting through shells on the seashore; and fantastic orchids at Hilo airport.

We flew from SFO to Honolulu on Oahu - stayed four hours in a hotel by the airport then island hopped, with a stop at Maui, to Hilo airport on the 'Big Island' also known as Hawai'i Island.

Day 1: We picked up our car, which ended up being a Mustang convertible and headed, after booking all our camps for the week, to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We had a free, if remote, campsite. Before dark we checked out the Visitor Center and drove around the crater rim drive of Kilauea, the most acive volcano in the world.

Day 2: Up super early we headed straight to the sea down Chain of Crater's Road to see where the lava flowed into the sea. Arriving at sunrise the hillside was glowing but with the sun the glow went - still, the 2.5m trek across the lava was worth it to see it dripping into the sea. After visiting Thurston lava tube we hiked through the main crater, Halema'uma'u, in the heat and across Kilauea Iki. A 15mi day exhausted us...

Day 3: Frustrated we missed the full glow the day before we were up at 3.30 to head to the sea and we trekked across the lava in the dark. It was worth it for some unbelievable views - and the lava at our feet was unforgettable. We let rain subside a little and then headed for Napau crater near the most active Pu'u'o'o vent. Once the rain finished the hike was fantastic across lava, then rainforest, past huge craters to steaming vents. We had the camp, and likely, most of this side of the park to ourselves.

Day 4: Rose early to see the glow from the Pu'u'o'o vent - amazing. We left the park and after driving up a little way of Mauna Loa, the largest volcano, we ate a malasada - like a doughnut - at Tex's and dropped in to see our first green sea turtles at the black sand beach of Punalu'u. We spent the evening at a strange camp by Miloli'i State Beach Park but with a lovely sunset.

Day 5: Early we hiked 20min along the coast to the secluded black sand beach of Honamalino Bay. We then visited Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park with the carved statues. It was a beautiful serene spot. After some great Kona coffee we had an awesome snorkel at Kahalu'u Bay - which apparently, we learnt, you shouldn't do as the reef there is dying. Still the fish and sea turtles were amazing and snorkelling was fun. We'd booked a hotel in the North of the island in Hawi which was great as when we got there it was pouring. The Kohala Village Inn served our needs perfectly - namely, protection from the rain.

Day 6: We visited the green and forested, steep Polulu Valley - but the water level, and rain when it came, stopped us staying long. We loved the snorkelling so much that we headed South back to the drier and sunnier West Kona coast and after stopping for petroglyphs near Puako we picked up snorkels from Snorkel Bob's and headed to the Place of Refuge. The water was beautiful and a local named Matisha led us to deep water where we swam with a pod of spinner dolphins. It was unbelievable. We'd booked camp on the East side of the island so after dinner at the beach a long night drive took us to both Kalopa State Park camping and really torrential rain. The contrast was remarkable.

Day 7: We aimed for the steep Waipio Valley and braved the look out in still torrential rain. We stopped for postcards and coffee in Honoka'a and spoke to a Hawaiian who recommended camping past Makalawena Beach on the West Coast. We left the rain behind and headed West and hitched a ride across the lava to the beach with our packs. 2 miles up the coast was beautiful Malawena Beach with white flour-like sand and crystal clear waters. We found a camp outside the park and took a sunset swim and admired the stars.

Day 8: Breaking camp before sunrise we caught a sunrise swim by ourselves and a rare glimpse of Mauna Loa without cloud. Heading back to Hilo we drove to the Southernmost point - Ka'lae or South Point. A 5km hike took us to green sand beach for a final swim before we had to head to Hilo airport to catch two flights back to San Francisco...