Travel Rewards

The ship departed Hilo that evening at 6:00pm.  About time for dinner anyway. Later that evening the ship passed  the part of Island of Hawaii where the lave streams hit the ocean.  I tried to get some pictures, but digital cameras have there limitations. Fortunately we had met some new friends from down under who had the proper equipment. Thanks for the pictures Mario & Veronica.  Hope we can cruise together again some time. http://www.imageworksphotographers.com.au/ Tomorrow Kona

The Pride of America arrived at port in Hilo, Hawaii at 8:00am on Tuesday.  We would be docked here until 6:00 that evening.  This was our first visit to the big island. We had signed up for the Volcanoes National Park shore excursion. Volcanoes National Park is the home of Hawaii's Goddess of Fire, Madame Pele. They the tour bus drives along the crater's rim as allowed by park rangers; due to activity, parts may be closed. Standing at just over 4,000 feet, Kilauea is not the tallest volcano on the Big Island, but it's certainly the most active.You drive by the Halemaumau Fire Pit and the Kilauea Iki Crater before stopping at the Thurston Lava Tube. There you take  a short walk gives you the opportunity for an up-close view of an extinct lava tube. The tour also visits the Hawaii Volcano Observatory and Jaggar Museum. On your way back to the ship, the bus stops to visit the Big Island Candies where you can sample the tasty treats and take some...