ter 6 days at sea we docked in Hilo, Hawaii on January 25, 2017. We were greeted in the terminal by a hula dancer. On this day we took a tour that explored some of the results of Kilauea Volcano’s repeated eruptions. On our way to the first stop, Rainbow Falls, we stopped to see a rainbow that arched over Mauna Kea. From the falls we went to the most recent lava flow that had stopped just before it reached a small village. Then it was on to Lava Tree Park, to see the lava tree molds–formed when lava surrounds a tree, cools against it, then drains away. Our next stop was at Ahalanui thermal springs. Here there was an area that was walled off so it made a nice swimming area. It was a thermal pool so fairly warm, usually around 90°. We drove along the coast where we could see some cliffs and some surf. Then on to visit Kaimu–once the site of a famous black sand beach and a small town that was destroyed by a lava flow in 1990. Here, you can walk on the “frozen fire”. As we sailed away the sun was just fading in the West.
