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Punalu’u Outing guided and posting authored by Martha Bouchard. Punalu’u is an area steeped in cultural significance, just minutes from Pacific Quest; some people even claim it may be the real site of the first Polynesian arrival to the island (most often thought to be Ka Lae, South Point). This area is the perfect backdrop …

The weather was a bit voggy (an island term used to describe volcanic emissions – like fog) but the sky was clear and sunny.  On the drive, the group discussed volcanes, volcano formation and  unique stories about previous eruptions in recent history. We first stopped at the tree molds so everyone could get an idea …

The group experienced excellent weather for snorkeling.  The sun was shinning and the water was glassy and clear.  The day started by heading down to the City of Refuge.  All the kids were eager and excited.  The snorkeling was good, however by Hawaii standards it was not ideal.  The water was cloudy in places but …

The group started the outing by first visiting the black sand beach at Punaluu. The weather turned out to be cold and windy near the coastline so the students were not too enthused about going swimming. The group spent most of the day hiking around “talking story” (a Hawaiian term) about the history of the …

Rainy day at Volcanoes National Park! It was coming down pretty heavily when the group departed. By the time the group arrived at the national park the rain let up a bit. As the group approached the park they talked about general geology of the area, highlighting the formation of the landscape and the fault …

For this outing we drove north to keaau. On the journey we talked about Hawaiian native plants in the national park as we drove through, about the volcanic activity at Halema’uma’u and Pu’u O’o, the legend of Ohia and Lehua and a brief history of sugar in Hawaii, and its influence on the town of …

The Honomolino Outing started off with the group loading up the cars and heading to the old village of Milolii. We parked the cars in the village and hiked south along the coast for about a mile or so across dry lava fields. The hike ended at a large bay, coconut grove and a 100 …

The west side of the Big Island offers protected bays teaming with sea life.  Snorkeling at Pu’uhonua O Honaunau, or two-step as it is commonly referred to is some of the best adventure the Island has to offer.  Last Friday the students and staff set out to explore and learn about the unique underwater ecosystem.  …

In addition to spectacular white sand and black sand beaches, the Big Island of Hawaii boasts a unique green sand beach.  Green sand is formed from the gemstone olivine, or peridot. Through volcanic action the olivine is brought to the earth surface.   As the olivine weathers, it is broken into small fragments, which eventually becomes …