Big Island, HI

Tired of the usual date night that consists of dinner and a movie? Have you run out of ideas for somewhere out of the ordinary to take your significant other? How about a romantic yet adventurous (and even a little cutting edge) evening that involves the ocean and lava? If you happen to be on the Big Island of Hawaii, you’re in luck…you can take your date out and not even spend a dime, while impressing her or him with a very unique night out!

What I’m talking about is going out to a spot after sunset where you can watch the lava from Kilauea flow into the ocean. I did this in early May with my friend Dee, although the entire time I’d been wishing my husband had been with me instead! If you’re fortunate enough to have someone special to take along, this is a night that will remain in your memory forever!

We were staying in the town of Volcano for a couple of days and we’d heard that seeing the lava run into the ocean was supposed to be an amazing sight. We were very curious to see it and we love a good adventure! We were also suffering a bit from the chilly air and the rain up there on the volcano; we hadn’t dressed appropriately! It took us almost an hour to drive back down off the volcano and get onto the road going toward Pahoa. We didn’t have clear directions but we knew we needed to drive down toward the water! We followed all the cars on the road, in the hope that they would lead us to the right place. We weren’t quite sure what to expect once we got there. Luckily, getting away from the actual volcano, the temp was back in the 70’s so we weren’t so cold anymore. We finally reached the end of the road and got to a point where we started hitting all this lava rock. The road was treacherous! We parked with all the other tourists who were there for the same reason and walked the path as it started to get dark. It was so exciting and even a bit scary! We were literally walking on LAVA ROCK! Again, we were not so prepared. We had water to drink but no flashlights. Luckily, this guy at a roadside drink stand loaned us his lantern. The walk to the actual spot where you see the volcano exploding in the distance was about 1/4 of a mile, maybe a little more. Those flashlights were totally necessary! We walked along carefully and it was just crazy, trying not to twist our ankles! It was a total accident waiting to happen! What was funny is that the lantern I was carrying on loan was brighter than anyone’s flashlights. When we reached the spot and stood there to watch the “show” this guy came over and said, “If you’re not going to keep moving, can you please shut your light?” Ooops! I didn’t realize that I was the only one with a light still on!

The volcano was “spitting up” and we saw that but because of the rain all day, there wasn’t the usual flow of lava into the ocean. We were very bummed about that, but I guess you can’t control Nature! It was still an awesome experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat, preferably with my hubby! Dee and I were also bummed about the quality of photos that our camera took in the dark. So if nighttime photography is important to you, make sure your camera takes good photos in the dark! Still, it was super cool to be out there walking on the lava rocks and watching Kilauea “perform” for us.

If you’re going to take the love of your life out to see this phenomenon, prepare for it! Wear good walking shoes, bring along a lightweight jacket in case the temperature drops, and don’t forget the water and flashlights! If you want to be romantic, you could bring some candles, a bottle of wine, and a blanket to sit on with your loved one. There will surely be others around watching the show (the lava flowing, not you guys!) but everyone will be pretty quiet as they stand around under the pitch black sky, gazing at the powerful lava making its journey into the water…