2025  Hawai, Big Island

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Milvina spent a month in Hawaii, which included Peter leaving for home, André coming on board for most of the month, Neil flying home for a week for a scheduled injection and finally Derek arriving for the voyage to Canada.
The landfall was one of the least impressive we have made, with the almost flat lava flows and the mountains hidden in cloud.  However, touring the island was impressive.
We made landfall and stayed a week in Kona Harbour which was great, but only because we snagged one of only two berths available for boats over about 35 feet.  Otherwise we would have had to anchor outside, which would have been safe enough but very uncomfortable in the constant mid-Pacific swell.  The harbour is primarily a fishing base, as evidenced by this 500+ lb marlin caught by our neighbour.  He was an Alaskan on the way in from his last day of a fishing holiday when his wife snagged this one.
He generously gave us several steaks off it.
Volcanos National Park is a typically well run US park with good trails and great views.
We spent an hour sitting on the bottom near the harbour while 12 foot wide Manta Rays fed on plankton around us.  Although they look fearsome, they are harmless to people.
This guy looks as if he is about to bite me, but he just brushed my hair on his way by.


His mouth is big enough for a diver to enter, but of course we did not try.
Seeing this 10 feet in front of you would be terrifying if you did not know they these animals live on plankton.
  We drove to the top of Mauna Kea, where there were a few snow patches around, amongst several observatories and had a look inside one.
Other stops driving around included this banyan tree that Peter climbed, and several waterfalls.
This waterfall is particularly interesting because a local fish species, the 'o'pu 'alamo'o climbs the 135 metre fall (twice height of Niagara) to reach a lake to spawn.

   
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