I couldnt be more confused.. please advise.. re helicopter and/or lava flow...

[LegalCat]

Ok..... my husband really wants to see lava... and we also realy want to take a helicopter tour...

 

Im starting to get very confused...

 

I see that we can take a helicopter tour in Maui which is more scenic..

 

First question... is it true that the only island that has active lava flow is the Big Island ie Hilo/Kona?

 

Second question... is there ANY way to see the lava flow without being in a helicopter?

 

if NOT, then it seems our only choice is to take a helicopter tour on the Big Island...

 

The more research I do on this the more confused I feel like I am getting.

 

I would rather take the helicopter tour on Maui IF we can see lava on the Big Island some other way.

 

Looking at the website for the National Park it looks like we would be able to see lava from some of the tours they offer there and we could rent a car and drive there pretty easily... http://www.gohawaii.com/about_hawaii/explore/hawaii_volcanoes_national_park

[sceptic]

Don't be confused.

 

The only island with active flowing lava is the Big Island (it's the only island with active volcanos). The volcano on this island that is erupting (and has been continuously in eruption since 1983) is Kilauea. It is MUCH closer to Hilo than Kona - it's only about 30 miles or so to the National Park entrance from Hilo.

 

Kilauea is currently erupting from a small collection of vents on what is called its East Rift Zone, and its current activity is nowhere near a road, nor are any active lava flows anywhere near roads (let us ignore the Royal Gardens subdivision, shall we? :) ). For much of the last decade the lava came from the area surrounding a large vent on the east rift called Pu'u O'o, and this lava activity was reasonably stable; it formed miles-long lava tubes that fed lava all the way to the ocean. That's what the cruise ships used to see at night. However, in the middle of last year there was some significant changes to the internal structure of the east rift zone. Pu'u O'o is no longer the location of the vents - all it is doing is emitting fume (it's sort of de-gassing much of the lava). The actual lava source is now a mile or so east of Pu'u O'o.

 

You cannot - repeat: CANNOT - see active lava from the ground. It is in a closed area, is super-dangerous, and is nowhere near anything resembling a trail.

 

That is - as of now. It can change tomorrow. But as of now, the only way you can see active lava flows is from the air, and the best way is from a helicopter out of Hilo Airport. What will you see? It varies from day to day, even now. Sometimes there are very impressive, wide flows (even with some "waterfalls" of lava). Sometimes considerably less.

 

How long will this last? I dunno - how clear is your crystal ball?

 

Is it possible that in the next month or two or five that lava will again get to a place - like near the ocean - that is at least a possibility to see from the ground? Sure. There are some technical reasons (like the degassing from Pu'u O'o making it less likely that the final flows will remain pahoehoe for long enough to form good lava tubes... trust me on this:) ) that it might not happen.

 

If your husband really truly wants to see lava, go on the helicopter!!! Many people - especially those with latent "red rock fever" will remember such a ride for the rest of their lives.

 

The only other suggestion is to keep track of the activity at Kilauea. As long as the eruption continues you'll see something.

 

If you have any other ?'s let me know. I and others will be happy to help y'all.

[CC Help Michell]

Sceptic has it right. :)

 

If you are confused, it might be because of the difference between seeing active lava (the glowing red hot stuff) versus seeing "lava" (which is basically volcanic rock -- no heat, no glow, no flow). It's all cooled off and doing what it does... making new land.

 

You can see a lot of "lava" on a visit to Volcanoes National Park on the BI (and on every OTHER Hawaiian island, for that matter -- they are all volcanic and everything you set foot on is volcanic in origin, even if it's covered with some dirt and plants right now!). But you can ONLY see active lava on the Big Island, via a helicopter at this time. Madame Pele might change her mind at any time -- for a long time lava flowed from Pu'u O'o vent into the ocean, making for great viewing on nighttime sailbys. Pele heard we were coming last July, though, so on Father's Day in June she changed the flow! ;)

 

I was surprised to see the OP talking about helicopters on Maui (though I've read sporadic reports of some interesting tours there, like helicoptering one way or the other to Hana, and doing the Road only one way). But Kauai is, by conventional wisdom, the "helicopter isle," and if active lava isn't a goal, and I'd agree with that based on the vistas we saw there.

 

I'd advise the OP to do some more reading here -- you can do an advanced search of this forum for "helicopter" and limit it very closely, like the last three months, and there have been some great threads, detailed discussions and links to wonderful pictures from recent heli trips on several islands.

[beachchick]

Sorry, MichellP, but I disagree with this:

 

I was surprised to see the OP talking about helicopters on Maui (though I've read sporadic reports of some interesting tours there, like helicoptering one way or the other to Hana, and doing the Road only one way). But Kauai is, by conventional wisdom, the "helicopter isle," and if active lava isn't a goal, and I'd agree with that based on the vistas we saw there.

 

I am not in the least bit surprised to hear someone talking/asking about helicopter trips on Maui. To be honest, it annoys me a tad that everyone assumes Kauai is "the" helicopter island. Yes, it's gorgeous and a large part of it can only be seen by air. However, that's true about all the islands. Maui helicopter tours are far more than "sporadic" and involve far more than just a one-way jump to or from Hana. There are numerous helicopter companies/tours on Maui, and they are not flying empty. (In all honestly, we wouldn't consider a helicopter tour on Oahu, but even there some parts can only be seen by air.)

 

We took a long full island helicopter tour on Maui (with Blue Hawaiian), and let me tell you it was spectacular. All those deep rift valleys; the views of Haleakala and the Hana coast from the air; the splendor of the whole island. I'm sorry, but to think that Maui is somehow not as worthy of seeing by helicopter as Kauai or the BI is simply incorrect (IMO, of course).

 

Of course, flowing lava can only be seen on the BI (at Kilauea)--and then only when Madam Pele is "in the mood" for it. If that is a priority, then definitely book the helicopter out of Hilo. As of now, that's the only way to see flowing lava. Otherwise, the BI, Kauai, and Maui are all wonderful helicopter choices. It depends on what you want to see and what kind of vistas interest you most. Kauai with the lushness and many movie sites, as well as Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali coast; the Big Island has vast expanses of barren lava (which only appear barren because when you see it up close you see the tenacity of life in all the flora growing in the hardened flows), as well as the volcanoes and the interior valleys; Maui, which has a bit of everything: Haleakala, gorgeous lush valleys and waterfalls (including the Hana coast), the pineapple and sugarcane fields, Molokini offshore, and pods of whales during the winter.

 

I guess because Maui is our favorite island (with the BI being a very close second and Kauai not exactly being a distant third), I'm a bit sensitive to the issue of anyone "dissing" our favorite. In any case, I think Maui is an often overlooked gem for a helicopter flight. (But don't worry, I don't take it personally if others don't agree with me.)

 

I truly don't mean this as a flame to anyone...Just my very biased opinion.

 

beachchick

[PDAZ]

Don't hold back, Beachchick -- tell us how you really feel ;)

 

We also took a Blue Hawaiian helicopter trip on Maui and thought the views were spectacular. We took the Hana SkyTrek, which was really convenient since we only had to drive the Road to Hana one way, but the helicopter trip itself was great. We had a fabulous view of Haleakala and of lots of waterfalls along the south coast. I would think the full island tour would be even more breathtaking -- the Iao Valley in particular.

 

With regards to flowing lava, would you see more of it from a helicopter than you do from the ship (providing it's flowing)?

[spamwhiches]

Don't hold back, Beachchick -- tell us how you really feel ;)

 

We also took a Blue Hawaiian helicopter trip on Maui and thought the views were spectacular. We took the Hana SkyTrek, which was really convenient since we only had to drive the Road to Hana one way, but the helicopter trip itself was great. We had a fabulous view of Haleakala and of lots of waterfalls along the south coast. I would think the full island tour would be even more breathtaking -- the Iao Valley in particular.

 

With regards to flowing lava, would you see more of it from a helicopter than you do from the ship (providing it's flowing)?

 

 

Lava is no longer visible from the ship as the direction of the flow has changed.

[CC Help Michell]

Beachchick, if time and money were no option (and if I were a helicopter person -- I'm trying to become one -- at least we're considering a floatplane in Alaska), I'd take a helicopter tour on EVERY island! The islands are all so different and I think that would be a marvelous experience!

 

However, I feel that I must point out that I didn't say that helicopter tours on Maui are "sporadic," or that those helicopters are flying around empty. (Where DID that come from? :() I said reports of helicopter tours on Maui are sporadic, probably because most of the folks who take cruises in Hawaii only do one helicopter tour, and the majority of those are on the BI or Kauai. I also said the reports I'd read were about interesting tours (and I even referenced the tour PDAZ talked about). Also I most certainly did not post (nor do I think) that "Maui is somehow not as worthy of seeing by helicopter as Kauai or the BI," nor did I intend to "diss" Maui.

 

Perhaps I mis-read the original post. I thought the poster was stating that they were only going to do ONE helicopter trip during their trip, and I'd also read her other post (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=715400).

 

For what it's worth (not that you asked ;)), the reason I feel that, apart from lava viewing, "if you can only do one helicopter trip, do it on Kauai" is because, as you acknowledge, so much of Kauai is only visible by air. I think I've read only something like 25% of the island is accessible by road? We saw some excellent long views of Maui from the top of Haleakala -- but Kauai doesn't have a big peak in the middle, accessible by road, to give those views. Based on what I saw from the roads in Kauai, and from the ship during the Napali sailby, I still think if you can only do ONE heli tour, that would be the one to do (unless you must see active lava, in which case it would be the BI). For more frequent Hawaii visitors, doing one on each island sounds awesome to me!

[whale-watcher]

We took our lava-viewing helicopter flight out of Kona, as we did not want to cut into our ground time at VNP...this is a more expensive option, and involves a long bus ride from kona to the heliport, but includes some spectacular scenery along the north coast of the Big Island (especially the Waipio and Waimanu valleys).

 

We looked into a different flightseeing option from Maui...a 9 seater fixed wing aircraft tour from the Kahului airport that included scenic touring over and around Maui as well as on the Big Island (including flyover of the active molten lava). We ended up not taking this option, but might try this next time, as it would be fun to see both Islands, and the cost was slightly lower than the Big Island spectacular out of Kona.

 

FWIW...the view of a river of molten lava from the air is a memorable experience, but the spectacular scenery of the valleys and waterfalls really took our breath away....and a Heli trip over kauai is high on our must do list for next time as well.

[beachchick]

Hey there! Let me address some misunderstandings.

 

Beachchick, if time and money were no option (and if I were a helicopter person -- I'm trying to become one -- at least we're considering a floatplane in Alaska), I'd take a helicopter tour on EVERY island! The islands are all so different and I think that would be a marvelous experience!

 

Well, obviously you won't get an argument from me about that!

 

However, I feel that I must point out that I didn't say that helicopter tours on Maui are "sporadic," or that those helicopters are flying around empty. (Where DID that come from? :() I said reports of helicopter tours on Maui are sporadic, probably because most of the folks who take cruises in Hawaii only do one helicopter tour, and the majority of those are on the BI or Kauai.

 

In that case, I misread your statement about what is "sporadic." Gotcha. What you've heard is sporadic, not that you've heard the tours are sporadic. That's a different thing altogether. That does seem to be the most common thing on cruise forums, although for land trips and in many guide books, you'll get a more balanced view. In any case, I'm sorry that I misread your statement or misinterpreted your intent.

 

I also said the reports I'd read were about interesting tours (and I even referenced the tour PDAZ talked about).

 

As I think all helicopter tours on Maui are interesting, I'd expect nothing else. For us, there is no "uninteresting tour" category, so no need to differentiate. I will say that some tours are more interesting than others. We certainly would consider the Hana one-way deal a cool thing. The tour we took encompassed the entire island, including the length of the RTH and many of its little interior valleys, meadows, cliffs, and waterfalls--Ones that we would never see any other way 'cause there ain't no way we're hiking 10 miles to get to the ones you can get to.

 

Also I most certainly did not post (nor do I think) that "Maui is somehow not as worthy of seeing by helicopter as Kauai or the BI," nor did I intend to "diss" Maui.

 

This is my fault.:o I should have written specifically that these comments were not at all directed at you. They were to be directed at all those (especially those who haven't even taken a tour) who have perpetuated the "Kauai is the island for a helicopter" concept. I apologize for not making that clear because I truly was not directing that at you.

 

From your post, I only intended to address the issue that you were surprised to hear anyone asking about heli tours on Maui. That is a shame--Not because of you, but because that means that the word isn't out there enough about all the various tours on Maui and how wonderful they are. There have been many "Which island for a heli tour?" threads where some posters have basically said, "Don't even consider Maui because only the BI or Kauai have X, Y, and Z"; where the truth is that Maui has X, Y, and Z too. Many of those posts are from people who haven't done a tour on Maui, which is kind of like someone saying they hate a specific cruise line even though they've never cruised with them.

Perhaps I mis-read the original post. I thought the poster was stating that they were only going to do ONE helicopter trip during their trip, and I'd also read her other post (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=715400).

 

 

No, I don't think you misread the original post. I agree with you that if seeing flowing lava is the priority and there's only one heli tour in the works, then the Kilauea one out of Hilo is the choice to make. Otherwise, LegalCat specifically asked about either Hilo or Maui. To have repsonses that essentially say "Well, we've heard that you should do either Kauai or the BI" ignores the fact that she asked about Maui, not Kauai.

For what it's worth (not that you asked ;)), I hope you know that I'm always happy to read your opinions :) the reason I feel that, apart from lava viewing, "if you can only do one helicopter trip, do it on Kauai" is because, as you acknowledge, so much of Kauai is only visible by air. I think I've read only something like 25% of the island is accessible by road? We saw some excellent long views of Maui from the top of Haleakala -- but Kauai doesn't have a big peak in the middle, accessible by road, to give those views. Based on what I saw from the roads in Kauai, and from the ship during the Napali sailby, I still think if you can only do ONE heli tour, that would be the one to do (unless you must see active lava, in which case it would be the BI).

I'm sure you did read that, but here's the thing: An even higher percentage of Maui is inaccessible by road and can only be seen by air. True, Haleakala is accessible (and gorgeous no matter how viewed), but look at the top half of the island. Aside from Iao Valley, you really can't get in there except by air. From Haleakala, viewing the north across the central valley doesn't even come close to giving the experience of seeing it up close by air. As well, the interior sections off of the road to Hana are not accessible (although some areas do have hiking trails like northern Kauai does). I was just blown away by the interior valleys and waterfalls, which easily rival Kauai's. (Caveat: They "rival Kauai's" based on what we've seen by cruise ship with binoculars around the whole island, from the drive up Waimea and from the top of Waimea, and the many interior drives we've taken because there are actually many rural and sometimes very challenging side roads from the east coast into part of the interior. Sometime I may have to regale you with our adventures. If you look at the map, we've taken 580 to the end, but also treks such as Wainiha Power House Rd. Some of the views along those roads are spectacular.) Kauai does kind of have its own "peak" by way of going to the top of Waimea Canyon. From there, you can get lovely distant views of the Na Pali coast. Same type of idea: Beautiful, but not the same as actually flying over and through.

 

These are the types of things that many/most people don't think about when they (a general "they" not a particular one) stress that "a big part of Kauai is only accessible by air." The truth is that the same can be said for all the islands. That's what I wrote in my earlier post. All the islands, including Kauai, have large sections that can only be seen by air. Of course I acknowledged that Kauai is like that, but like that too, not like that exclusively.

For more frequent Hawaii visitors, doing one on each island sounds awesome to me!

 

Oh boy! If we had the $$ to spare, we'd do that in a heartbeat! You got that right, for sure.:D

 

Again, I'm sorry that I wasn't clearer in my own intent, which was not to admonish you specifically at all, but rather to make a general admonishment (and give my own very biased opinions). As PDAZ so correctly mentions, I'm not exactly shy about speaking my mind--Lord knows that there are probably times I shouldn't, but my DH has never had much luck reining me in in that department.;)

 

Peace?

 

beachchick

[CC Help Michell]

"Peace?

 

beachchick"

 

Obviously! Not that we weren't already. ;) We still have to get together for those mai tais, too!

[beachchick]

"Peace?

 

beachchick"

 

Obviously! Not that we weren't already. ;) We still have to get together for those mai tais, too!

 

:D You betcha! I'd love it. I'm really missing the islands these days--I want to be jealous that Beach4me is there right this minute, but I just can't. I'm happy when any of us is enjoying the spirit of aloha. Your next trip is coming up soon, isn't it? You lucky girl!:D

 

beachchick

[Spikesgirl]

First question... is it true that the only island that has active lava flow is the Big Island ie Hilo/Kona?

 

Right now, the only island is the Big Island to see active lava. of course, that can change tomorrow if Madam Pele decides otherwise.

 

Second question... is there ANY way to see the lava flow without being in a helicopter?

 

 

Lava is almost like a thinking living being and it changes its mind frequently in the course of a day. We were out on the flow (about 15 years ago now) chatting with a park ranger when a tree about 25 feet away suddenly burst into flame and the park ranger immediately hustled us and everyone else out of the area - the underground flow had aburptly changed course and we were standing on active lava. The soles of our shoes melted before we were clear.

 

Pleaes brace your husband for the reality that he might not see lava. The helicopter will be your only real choice on a cruise to get over the lava fields. The best bet to see lava is to buy a DVD from Lavascapes as that's the only way to guarantee seeing it.

 

Charlie

[DonahCBrown]

Ok..... my husband really wants to see lava... and we also realy want to take a helicopter tour...

 

Im starting to get very confused...

 

I see that we can take a helicopter tour in Maui which is more scenic..

 

First question... is it true that the only island that has active lava flow is the Big Island ie Hilo/Kona?

 

Second question... is there ANY way to see the lava flow without being in a helicopter?

 

if NOT, then it seems our only choice is to take a helicopter tour on the Big Island...

 

The more research I do on this the more confused I feel like I am getting.

 

I would rather take the helicopter tour on Maui IF we can see lava on the Big Island some other way.

 

Looking at the website for the National Park it looks like we would be able to see lava from some of the tours they offer there and we could rent a car and drive there pretty easily... http://www.gohawaii.com/about_hawaii/explore/hawaii_volcanoes_national_park

 

 

I'll jump in late to this discussion, but only because there was an announcement a couple of days ago about the closure of some of the hiking access points to the current lava flow, which is in a very remote area of the Park. At the moment, the only practical way to see the red lava is by air.

 

If your DH wants to see 'live' lava, you'll have to do the helicopter tour, as of right now. As noted, conditions change all the time, and by the time of your trip in May things could be different, of course. You can keep track here: http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/kilaueastatus.php

 

The Big Island, specifially Kilauea, is the only currently erupting volcano in the islands - 0r at least the only one you can see - the 'next' Hawaiian island - Loihi - is erupting some thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean, but that only counts if you are able to do one of those deep sea submersables.

 

There are a number of volcanos in the islands that are considered 'active' and some that are still alive but considered 'dormant' but Kilauea is the only one presently in an eruptive state.

[mattmommy]

We've done the helicopter tour in Maui (Blue Hawaiian is #1 in our book) and it went to Molokai and the views were spectacular and would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Also took the helicopter in Kauai (before BH got there, great ride, old helicopter). It was soooo spectacular and amazing.

 

DH has walked on the lava at BI when ds7 was only 3yo (so he didn't get to go). He wants to let ds walk on it with him. 4 years ago it was a 2 hour walk out and 2 back (yikes). He did see bucket sized pockets of lava and was amazed and scared at the time. I don't see ds prepared to do that walking although he is a cub scout. DH was torn. I told him let's take the helicopter in BI over the lava. Then we go to Maui we can take the rental car to where the spot is we're not supposed to pass (opposite of Hana) and there's TONS of lava. It looks like the moon. Problem solved.

[beachchick]

We've done the helicopter tour in Maui (Blue Hawaiian is #1 in our book) and it went to Molokai and the views were spectacular and would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Also took the helicopter in Kauai (before BH got there, great ride, old helicopter). It was soooo spectacular and amazing.

 

DH has walked on the lava at BI when ds7 was only 3yo (so he didn't get to go). He wants to let ds walk on it with him. 4 years ago it was a 2 hour walk out and 2 back (yikes). He did see bucket sized pockets of lava and was amazed and scared at the time. I don't see ds prepared to do that walking although he is a cub scout. DH was torn. I told him let's take the helicopter in BI over the lava. Then we go to Maui we can take the rental car to where the spot is we're not supposed to pass (opposite of Hana) and there's TONS of lava. It looks like the moon. Problem solved.

 

There's no practical way to hike to the current flows. Visitors haven't been able to hike to the current flow for some time. I think the estimates recently have been something like 7+ hours round trip just to get to it--assuming you can get there safely, which visitors can't.

 

No way would I take a 7 y/o (even a very active Cub Scout) on those lava beds for those kinds of distances. If the flow was closer, maybe, but even the hike your DH took last time would be too much for most youngsters. Plus, it's just too easy for little bodies to get dehydrated and overhot. For now, you'll just have to wait until your DS is a bit older and hope that Madam Pele is kind enough to "move" the flow close enough to get to for your "next trip" (I always believe there must be a next trip).

 

You've come up with a very good compromise. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

:D You betcha! I'd love it. I'm really missing the islands these days--I want to be jealous that Beach4me is there right this minute, but I just can't. I'm happy when any of us is enjoying the spirit of aloha. Your next trip is coming up soon, isn't it? You lucky girl!:D

 

beachchick

MichellP: Now that I think about it, it's MommyJamie who has a trip to Hawaii coming up soon. Shoot! I mean, great for her, but I'm sure you'd like to be going back soon too. Well, one of these days we'll all meet up on a great island beach to swap stories, share some laughs, and have a beverage (or two).

 

beachchick

[CC Help Michell]

MichellP: Now that I think about it, it's MommyJamie who has a trip to Hawaii coming up soon. Shoot! I mean, great for her, but I'm sure you'd like to be going back soon too. Well, one of these days we'll all meet up on a great island beach to swap stories, share some laughs, and have a beverage (or two).

 

beachchick

 

Returning to Hawaii will be a year, or more likely two, off for us. We're doing a 14 night cruise in Alaska this summer (got a deal too good to pass up), and planning a visit to interior Alaska for the summer of '09 (that's what I was researching when the cruise deal came along, :) ) Another part of the country I've never seen, so I'm excited -- but it's very different from Hawaii except in one way -- the value of the Cruise Critic message boards for planning!

 

The beach get together sounds good to me... I wish I could be there now, it's cold and rainy here this morning... Februweary in Atlanta!

[LegalCat]

Thanks to everyone for all the information, suggestion, comments etc... it looks like we will be taking a helicopter tour on the BI then... I know we arent guaranteed to see hot lava but at least we have the chance... Maybe we will do a second helicopter tour on one of the other islands but I think one helicopter tour might be too much as it is, both financially and nerves lol... I'm a TERRIBLE anxious flyer and have never been in a helicopter.. so we shall see... DH really would love to fly over and hopefully see hot lava so BI it is :)