Time to leave Hilo and drive across the Island to Kona - actually we drive round the bottom of it and Volcano Park Part 3 (or 2).
First stop is Kipuka Pau'u'ulu - an alleged bird sanctuary, but lacking a bit in birds.
We then move on to Tree Molds - this is a small area where the lava has totally engulfed the trees, burnt them away/decomposed away and left holes - quite the opposite to what we saw several days ago.
A stopping point at an ancient footpath and a fifteen minute walk down it through ropy and A'a lava fields, takes us to a covered area where preserved in lava are some footprints of natives - we are told this by the sign, we certainly can't see them. I am sure that the area is being renovated and that in a couple of years time the footprints will be as clear as anything!
Continuing on we make a stop at Waiohinu to view the Mark Twain Monkey Pod Tree - Hmm.
Last stop before Kona is the southernmost point of the United States - South
Point - situated at the end of a 12 mile cul-de-sac. The drive there was awful.
Once there it was very nice - we had kept ahead of any rain all day and it was
quite sunny and warm here - but VERY windy. It is so windy here that some of the
trees grow virtually horizontally.
We arrive at Kona after sunset and try and find the hotel in the dark - difficult but we managed it. Dinner was in an awful place that seemed to cater for the poorer local inhabitants. This was followed by a walk round town before going back to the hotel exhausted.
Goto Day 16: North Island
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