{"id":407,"date":"2022-01-31T21:01:59","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T07:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavalightgalleries.com\/blog\/?p=407"},"modified":"2022-01-31T21:01:59","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T07:01:59","slug":"winter-update-for-hawaii-and-lava-light-gallery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavalightgalleries.com\/blog\/winter-update-for-hawaii-and-lava-light-gallery\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Update for Hawaii and Lava Light Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Winter is “mo betta” on the Big Island of Hawaii. \u00a0Our day time temperatures are down to the mid to low 80’s. \u00a0The ocean is about 78. \u00a0And the volcano is erupting. \u00a0All in all, not a bad place to spend part of your winter.<\/p>\n

Here are the facts…covid remains a problem here and elsewhere. \u00a0Check the travel requirements before you book your trip. \u00a0We have lots of visitors on the island, so we are certainly not shut down. \u00a0It appears that the current surge may be lessening, but that is something you will always want to check before you travel here or anywhere. \u00a0Our gallery is open seven days a week from 10am to 8pm. \u00a0Masks are currently required inside retail establishments.<\/p>\n

The volcano has put on an amazing show for months now. \u00a0The caldera currently has something like 12 billion gallons of liquid lava in the lake at Halema’uma’u. \u00a0However, it has been intermittent lately…goes on and goes off without much warning. \u00a0I took a friend out a few weeks ago and we caught a classic night of eruption. \u00a0We went the next night and got there just in time to see it completely stop erupting…and it did not come back on for three days.<\/p>\n

If you do come to see the volcano, some advice. \u00a0The Park Service has provided an EXCELLENT viewing area on the opposite side of the caldera from the Jagger Museum. \u00a0You access it by driving down Chain of Craters Road, go past the Thurston Lava Tube about a mile or so and then look for the Devastation Trail Parking lot. \u00a0Park there and look for the Port-a-Potties…they are at the start of the closed to traffic, but open to hikers, Crater Rim Road. \u00a0You hike one mile down that paved road and then about 100 yards over a decent lava trail to the viewing area. \u00a0As long as you stay inbounds…inside the ropes…it is as safe as any other viewing area you may have visited and provides an excellent view of the entire lava lake and the splatter cone. \u00a0Lava is often jumping and flowing heavily into the lake. \u00a0The photo on the left is about how it looks at night without any telephoto or binoculars. The shot on the right is with a 400 mm telephoto.<\/p>\n

The crater is at 4000 feet and makes its own weather…so it can be windy, wet, cold or all three. \u00a0Bring rain gear and a bottle of water. \u00a0Check the hourly weather forecast for Volcano, Hawaii to get an idea of what you are in for on your trip. \u00a0We typically do not go if the rain possibility is over 25% or the cloud cover is 80% or more….but you may have limited time and may have to give it a go no matter what the weather. \u00a0However, if it says it is going to rain over there…like 50% chance or more…believe it. \u00a0And when it rains, it creates steam and obscures the viewing.<\/p>\n

If you Google Kilauea Eruption, you will easily find the U.S. Geological Service website that features a daily update on conditions. \u00a0I also look at the “Multimedia” area and go to web cams..then look at the summit webcams to see what it looks like in close to real time. \u00a0If it is not red…if you do not see lava…you can be pretty sure it has shut off temporarily. \u00a0Could be back roaring tomorrow…keep checking.<\/p>\n

And I hate to tell you this, but the best time BY FAR to see the volcano is at night. \u00a0It just does not look anywhere near as vibrant during the day. \u00a0Sunset and sunrise are often crowded. \u00a0If you are a photographer, we highly recommend 12am to 5am. \u00a0Remember to clean the front of your lens on a regular basis…there is often moisture in the air there and it will make you photos look out of focus if you let it build up on your lens.<\/p>\n

The humpback whales are back. \u00a0I have not noticed them in big numbers, but there are plenty around.<\/p>\n

We have had lots of mantas on the night time manta excursions. \u00a0You can get up close with them by snorkel or as a diver.<\/p>\n

This is the time of year when we can get big surf…so be careful out there and never turn your back to the ocean.<\/p>\n

Restaurants are not as plentiful as in the past…suffering still from lack of staff and covid restrictions. \u00a0Same with retail, we lost a lot of our small businesses during the past two years of the pandemic. \u00a0Rental cars are more reasonable than they were a few months ago, but book them early. However, for those who do come to visit, adventures and beaches and fun things to do are in good supply and not as booked up as normal.<\/p>\n

That is a quick update. \u00a0If you have a specific question, feel free to call me at 808 9388383…just keep in mind our Hawaii time zone. \u00a0I am a bit cranky when I answer the phone at 3am.<\/p>\n

Hope to see you soon. \u00a0 Aloha,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don Hurzeler and all of us at Lava Light Galleries, Inc.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter is “mo betta” on the Big Island of Hawaii. \u00a0Our day time temperatures are down to the mid to low 80’s. \u00a0The ocean is about 78. \u00a0And the volcano is erupting. \u00a0All in all, not a bad place to spend part of your winter. Here are the facts…covid remains a problem here and elsewhere. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t