Hawaii, Day 2: Punalu'u Bake Shop, Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park, Hawai'i Volcanoes, and South Point - Monday, March 10, 2025

This morning, we headed out at 7:30 am for Punalu'u Bake Shop in Na'alehu, Hawaii on the Big Island. The goal? Arrive before the bakery opens and get in line for ono (delicious) treats.

We had time to walk around the grounds to enjoy the smell of fresh baked goods. They have a small garden area with a pond and gazebos. 

Darren and Bob at Punalu'u Bake Shop,
the "Southernmost Bakery in the USA." 

I love this place!

We arrived early enough to beat the crowds, although the bakery opened while we were using the restrooms and reading signs in their display case. That was enough time for a line of 12 people to form in front of us. There were plenty of treats for everyone!

A mural of a Hawaiian luau.

The pond outside Punalu'u Bake Shop.

The Bake Shop is on the left,
gazebos are on the right.

Heliconia collinsiana.

A Fortnight Lily.

The bakery display case had mostly Chocolate
Bismarck Malasadas, my favorite!

In addition to the Bismarck Malasada, I had a cinnamon roll. Bob had a Lilikoi Malasada that didn't have any filling in it. Darren and Bob each had a peach-pineapple turnover. Darren also enjoyed a Bismarck Malasada.

We continued our drive toward Hawaii'i Volcanoes National Park. The next stop was Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park. In addition to the beautiful black sand crescent beach, this park is known for its green sea turtles. This stop was very picturesque AND we saw green sea turtles swimming in the surf close to shore. There were numerous turtle heads or backs visible as the turtles swam around the bay.

Legend of Kauila and the Sea Turtles of Punalu'u.

Artist's rendering of Kauila and the green
sea turtle

Warnings and rules at the Black Sand Beach.
Darren and Bob are walking along the beach.

Scenery at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park.

Bob and Darren on the crescent-shaped
black sand beach.

This is a delightful park to visit.

A green sea turtle napping in a tidepool.
They can stay underwater for three to six hours!

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park.

Our next stop was Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The road climbs up the slope of the Mauna Loa volcano to about 4,500'. The rain came.

Upon entering the national park, we were on the Kilauea volcano. We made a quick stop at the temporary visitor center at Kilauea Military Camp. (The regular visitor center is undergoing renovation.) I bought a cheap poncho because it was pouring rain and I was in shorts! Plus, it was chilly.

For our first "vista," we traveled a short distance to the Halema'uma'u Crater. A couple of days ago, the lava was fountaining to 400'. Today, we only saw steam plumes coming from the floor of the crater. 

Steam vents in the floor of Halema'ma'u Crater.

Steam vents in the floor of
Halema'ma'u Crater.

A yellow finch adds a pop of color
to the landscape, but blends in.

The crater overlook was at the end of the road. We went back to the steam vent displays. The area smelled like sulphur, it was raining steadily, and Bob and Darren got out to look. They were back in the car within 45 seconds.

We decided to drive down the Chain of Craters Road to the ocean. Our next stop was a hike through Thurston Lava Tube. Again, the rain was coming down pretty hard. The cave offered a short reprieve from getting wet. I was pretty well protected by my poncho, although it looked like I was wearing a ghostly hijab; not my best look. LOL.

Darren and Bob at the entrance to 
Thurston Lava Tube.

Bob and I are almost inside the 
lava tube.

The Thurston Lava Tube. It's hard 
to see in there!

Continuing along the Chain of Craters Road, we stopped at Muliwai a Pele Overlook. The lava here has interesting patterns. Be sure to read the website link.

Muliwai a Pele Overlook - lava patterns.

Muliwai a Pele Overlook on the Chain of Craters
Road, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Lava channel at Muliwai a Pele Overlook.

Muliwai a Pele Overlook.

Darren at Muliwai a Pele Overlook.

At the bottom of the Chain of Craters Road, near the Sea Arch parking lot, we stopped at a roadside pullout. Much to our surprise and delight, we saw juvenile humpback whales circling, spouting, and showing their flukes. It looked like they were circling to trap fish. It's called "bubbling" because the fish go to the top of the water and the whales go underneath and scoop them up from beneath. The water gets all roiled up.

A humpback whale spouting just offshore!

 

The circular roiling water on the left is 
where the whales are "bubbling."

Two juvenile humpback whales.

Two juvenile humpback whales. I
barely caught the fluke of one of them.

From the ocean, there was only one way to go...up the mountain. On the way to the top, we stopped to look at an old crater. There was a pretty ohia bush on the rim.

An old crater on Kilauea.

An ohia shrub.

It was time to eat and we were going past the Punalu'u Bake Shop on the way back to the resort. Guess what? We stopped for lunch and more goodies! Hell, yeah!

We saved an impressive piece of the Big Island for last today: South Point, the southernmost point of the United States. The startling water color runs from  sapphire to aqua. 

Things to look for here are the cliff jumpers and the fisherpeople. Bob used to cliff jump from here whenever we visited. Today, we got to see five people jump off. 

In the past, to get out of the water, jumpers would climb up an old iron ladder. In fact, there was a hoist attached to the green metal structure where people used to lower sea kayaks up and down the cliff or hauled up big fish like ahi and barracuda. But, the ladder broke. Now, anyone wanting to jump in and go for a swim has to climb up the rocks to get out.

Bob (in foreground) wistfully watches 
cliff jumpers. 

Another cliff jumper.

Looking down the collapsed roof of a lava
tube to the ocean below.

I didn't get a photo of how people fish here. They have huge, sturdy fishing poles and tie a big, black plastic garbage bag onto their line. The wind catches the garbage bag like a sail and takes the line farther out into the ocean. I guess they catch bigger fish out there.

I could not get my videos to load into my blog, but you can find them on my Facebook page.

We enjoyed all aspects of the day, a little bit of everything! The Big Island is so pretty and so diverse. You feel like you can get away from it all out here.