Helicopter Tour

Posted on March 6th, 2017

Having your honey plan your whole honeymoon is a luxurious treat, but there was one thing in the back of the mind that I really hoped to see when Ian handed me my surprise itinerary on that first flight to Lihue: a volcano helicopter tour.  I had never flown in a helicopter, my parents still talked about that same tour as the highlight of their trip from their first visit to Hawaii more than 30 years ago, and where and when else in the world could I count on seeing LAVA?

The dream came true, and we set out on a helicopter excursion on the morning of our first full day on the Big Island.  They first weighed us and each of the other four passengers, coincidentally all New Zealanders, and crunched the numbers to make sure they had us sitting in seats such that the weight balance was the right distribution.  I was a bit uneasy at the idea that our vessel was delicate enough to care whether or not I had eaten a big breakfast, but again, lava was at stake, so I sucked it up.

After lift off, we headed straight for the mountains near Kona.  Every few minutes, the terrain below us would completely change, a product of the eruption history and the ground’s resulting suitability to varying types of vegetation.  The closer we were to the tops of the mountains, the less green we saw.  As we summited the mountains and started a descent, our ears popped like one long elevator ride.  But then we saw the steam rising up– a volcanic crater.

Lava, in all its glory, peeking out from be low the surface.  It looked like we were on an entirely different planet!

I was thrilled, and excited for the rest of the tour, which I knew entailed pretty much flying the whole circumference of the island.  We flew towards the ocean on the southeast side of the island.  I was minding my business, enjoying the gorgeous color of the water and the dramatic vista of the cliffs plunging into the ocean, when…. wait a minute.

LAVA.  I wish I could make an animated version of the picture above, because while I had always imagined lava as an oozy kind of substance, like the chocolate that comes out of a lava cake, this lava was coursing into the ocean like a spigot that was all the way open with excellent water pressure.  It was absolutely one of those cheesy moments where you’re just so impressed with mother nature, an episode of Planet Earth come to life.

The tour continued over Hilo and through some waterfalls in the mountains before we took a little break on a ridge on the north side of the island.  As thrilling as the scenery had been, I admit that I was grateful for the chance to drink some water and get a little fresh air.  We set out again, flying down the sunny west side. We saw some whales swimming right off the coast near our resort, and the aerial perspective really impressed upon me how long they are.

I’m not ready to declare helicopter flight as my preferred way of travel, but I will assert that it was the absolute best way to really understand the impact of volcanic activity and the active process of island formation.  Plus, I could have gone my whole life living an oozing lava lie.  I’ve seen the light.