Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Road trip, January 2007

Earlier this month a friend and I went on a road trip around the south and central cost of New South Wales, Australia. I had meant to post these pictures at the time, but didn't get around to it. So, here they are now.

The first four pics are from the Cambewarra Lookout (I think the town off in the distance in the valley is Nowra), and the fifth is from the marina at Nelson Bay.

Cambewarra Lookout
Cambewarra Lookout
Cambewarra Lookout
Cambewarra Lookout
Cambewarra Lookout

Monday, January 29, 2007

Driving around Oahu, Hawaii

Here are my pics from the drive around O'ahu. Click on each picture for a larger version.

O'ahu scenery
O'ahu scenery
O'ahu scenery
O'ahu scenery
O'ahu scenery
O'ahu scenery
O'ahu scenery
Shop sign in O'ahu

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden: Orchid Garden

Here are my pictures from the Orchid Garden in the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. Click on each picture for a larger version.

Pretty orchid in the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Pretty orchid in the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Pretty orchid in the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Pretty orchid in the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Pretty orchid in the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Pretty orchid in the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Pretty orchid in the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

Today we visited the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. Click on each picture for a larger version.

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

Friday, January 26, 2007

Driving around Big Island, Hawaii

Volcano Winery in HawaiiThis morning we visited the Volcano Winery, near Volcano Village. There have an nice selection of interesting wines which can be sampled on-site, or viewed on their website. They are a boutique winery and do not distribute to the mainland, although they can ship directly to some U.S. states.

Volcano Winery in Hawaii
Later in the day, we went for a drive around the island. Here are some pics from the drive.

Hawaii scenery
Hawaii scenery
Hawaii scenery
Hawaii scenery
Hawaii scenery

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

The name Hawai'i is commonly used to refer to the State of Hawaii, however, it is actually the name of the the largest of the Hawaiian islands. To avoid confusion, the Island of Hawai'i is often just called Big Island.

Big Island is built from five separate shield volcanoes. These are (from oldest to youngest): Kohala (extinct), Mauna Kea (dormant), Hualālai (dormant), Mauna Loa (active), and Kīlauea (active).

Today Peter and I visited the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Big Island. The two active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kīlauea, are part of this National Park. Click on the photos below for a larger version.

Hawaiian bottle brushI don't know what this flower is,
but it looks similar to an Australian Bottlebrush.


Hawaiian birdA pretty birdie.


Hawaiian bush landHere's some Hawaiian bush land. Also reminds me of Australia.


Kilauea Iki CraterKīlauea Iki Crater.


Volcanic steam ventsVolcanic steam vents.


Halem'auma'u CraterHalem'auma'u Crater.


Thurston Lava TubeThurston Lava Tube.
From the entrance looking back out to the rainforest.


LavaLava.


Lava on the roadLava on the road.
This road used to continue around the island,
but the lava had other ideas and put a stop to that.


More lavaMore lava.


Lava flow signThere were lots of signs like this around the island.
There appear to have been several big eruptions in the past few decades.


Mr and Mrs Cookie relaxing on lavaMr and Mrs Cookie also had a nice day at the National Park.
Here they are relaxing on some lava.


Petroglyphs carved into the lavaPetroglyphs carved into the lava.


Holei Sea ArchHolei Sea Arch.


Lava flowing into the seaLava flowing into the sea.


Rental car in HawaiiThis is the hire car. And that's Peter in the front seat
wearing the much-loved swiss flag t-shirt
he acquired during our holiday in Switzerland.


Volcano Inn car parkAnd here's the view out the back of our accommodation. Very tropical!