Email ElizabethThe Southernmost Winery in America Will Amaze You
Who knew the southernmost winery in America is located on Hawai’i Island, a/k/a Big Island? I didn’t even realize they could even make wine in Hawaii. But when you stop to consider what makes good wine, things such as elevation and coolness and rich soil, coupled with ocean air, it’s not so surprising.
This was part of our Fissure 8 Tours all-day adventure, which ended at the Volcano Winery in Volcano. The artist Keeth, who painted my coveted orchid, used to live in Volcano before he moved back to the Mainland. There are lots of artists and creative types in Volcano.
This was our host for the wine tasting, talking to the photographer who used to work for National Geographic. Volcano Winery works with a lot of tour companies, I guess, but in particular with Kapokohine Tours. You can tell by the type of food they serve. It is the same as the lunch we had while riding ATVs on Big Island.
BBQ chicken and spareribs, corn (with parsley for some reason), cole slaw. At lunch we had sparkling wine or beer, pop and water. But for dinner at the southernmost winery in America, we could choose our wine.
One of my favorites was the Volcano Blush, such a great summer wine, but it works all year round. I also really enjoyed the guava and grape selection. Pinot Noir was OK but I can get Pinot all day long out of Napa. A delightful dessert wine, although, it is so good you could probably drink it anytime, is the Macadamia Nut Honey wine, and at only $20 a bottle, it’s a bargain!
I bought a case of wine, of course. Because my favorite is the Volcano Red. It is bursting with juicy fruits, rounds out the tongue. Grown right here on Big Island at the southernmost winery in America! The Volcano Red is also Volcano Winery’s best selling wine, so no secret there. Try it, you’ll want a case yourself.
That is Loli in the photo drinking wine behind the kapu sign. She insisted I shoot this photo of her, so you can see why I like this woman.
By the time we finished the wine tasting, followed by dinner, we had a short tour before the sun dropped into the sea. The Volcano Winery looks like most other wineries. Roses in bloom. It is the wine that is different and very Hawaiian.
The Steam Vents at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
When we entered the steam vents thermal area at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, my friend Loli said it reminded her of Yellowstone National Park. I can see that, but I also feel it is more in line with Lassen National Park. In particular, Bumpass Hell, minus the boiling mud pots.
At the steam vents we encountered many fumaroles, which emit hot gases with a sulfur odor. Not as bad as rotten eggs, though, which is more the norm. When I mentioned it didn’t stink as much as I would expect, the guide said Pele’s breath is sweeter. I wish he would have explained the scientific reason. Science is real, despite what our present administration might spout.
When water seeps into the hot volcanic rock, it produces steam. Not much vegetation can survive in such extremely warm temperatures in the ground. This is why you will see a lot of tall grasses and a few plants, but no huge trees at the steam vents.
This is the flower of the lehua ohi’a tree. These are prized for garlands and leis, but Rapid O’hia Death is claiming so many trees that Hawaii asks we not pick the flowers. Scientists recently discovered the source of the fungus that’s been killing the ohi’a trees, and it is carried by a certain beetle.
The lehua o’hia tree is simply amazing. It grows on lava, often as the first vegetation, and it can turn lava rock into soil. The soil allows other types of vegetation to grow. When the air turns bad due to vog, the o’hia tree can hold its breath until the vog clears, up to a week. The lehua o’hia tree is truly a tree of survival and the birther of life.
Everybody repeats the same Hawaiian story about how the o’hia tree came to be. Legend has it that O’hia was a very attractive man, and Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, took one look and became infatuated with O’hia. She tried her best to lure him away, but O’hia was in love with Lehua. So Pele turned O’hia into a tree and Lehua into the flower. Today the tree is known as the Lehua O’hia. Lehua means the flower AND the tree.
Here is the first view after rounding the bend at the steam vents in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. There is a walkway, raised decking, that circles through the thermal area, like many visitors paths at national parks. It’s about a 3/4 mile hike to traverse.
One of the stories guides like to tell about the steam vents is that they are not caused by ground water creeping into volcanic rock but instead is Pele’s breath. They will do a trick such as light a piece of paper on fire and hold it over the steam vent. Suddenly, the steam emissions dramatically increase. See? They will exclaim, it is the goddess of fire responding in excitement.
It is science. I can’t tell you the exact physics of why this happens, but I do know it is scientific in origin.
Like the flowers I found at Fissure 8 tours in Leilani Estates, this is the same wild orchid. I see it referred to in other places as a purple orchid. Amazing, how something so beautifully shaped and fragile appearing can survive in the harshest of environments.
There is so much to see and do in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park that even a week is not enough time to spend here.
Photos of Kilauea at the End of 2018
This is what Kilauea looks like at the end of 2018. When I was last here in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, it surprised me to discover that it was 8 years ago. I recall my husband and I driving down Chain of Craters Road to the end where the lava crossed the road, and I spotted a rainbow. There were petroglyphs along the way, and we never really worried about an eruption. Although it was spittin’ and fumin’ then.
The continuous eruptions in May of 2018 widened the crater and emptied the lava lake. Kilauea at the end of 2018 looks very different than it has over the years. At approximately 600,000 years old, Kilauea is a relatively young volcano, although much of it still lies under the sea. Its last eruption prior to 2018 was in 1983.
When we looked for a house in Hawaii, I decided to stay clear of Kilauea. Just did not seem like a good idea to buy property where it’s likely to be covered in lava. Not only that, but lava insurance is very expensive for that side of the island. It is also wet, rainy, and subject to coqui.
I’d like to share some of the photos I just shot at Kilauea. This way you can see Kilauea at the end of 2018 and compare it to how it used to look. I also thank my stars we are on the Kona side. Although, the Kapoho area and the Red Road is hands down the most beautiful scenery in all of Hawai’i.
How to Miss the Train in Sacramento Real Estate
Christmas-time is a perfect example of how a buyer can miss the train in Sacramento real estate. The buyer’s agent was trying to write an offer while juggling a bunch of small children, picking up family members at the airport and unwrapping presents on Christmas Day. We agents work all the time, but sometimes, maybe we should not. Or maybe we should hand the buyers over to an agent who has time.
This particular agent was in such a rush, she did not stop to consider that she could miss the train in Sacramento real estate. When she called, I let her know we had sent a counter offer to other buyers. Also explained I fully expected that buyer to accept the counter offer. It was mostly clarifications and we had already agreed upon the terms. However, if she sent a better offer, the seller is always free to pull back the counter offer.
As long as the counter offer is withdrawn prior to the listing agent’s receipt of the acceptance, that is. Once the counter offer arrives in the listing agent’s hot little paws, it’s delivered and the deal is sealed. But this agent had a window of opportunity. She managed to draw an offer and submitted.
To be fair to the first agent, I also let that agent know we had received another offer.
The offer from the agent who was about to miss the train in Sacramento real estate was not prepared correctly. Her buyer’s signatures were wrong. The agent did not send proof of funds. I could not in good conscience suggest to my seller that he accept an offer like that. Anybody can say they have the money, but in real estate you have to show us the money, especially when the offer is cash.
On top of that, I let the agent know the competing buyer had removed all contingencies, and if she wanted to be on par, her buyer would need to do the same. There are only so many times I want to sell a house four times and get paid once.
Did I mention this happened on Christmas Day? Yes, I was at my neighbor’s Christmas party, huddling in a corner, dictating to my phone. The agent sent several offers, all incomplete or missing crucial info and no proof of funds. How difficult could it be to download a bank statement?
She did not appear as committed as she claimed to be. Plus, she suddenly included a contingency in the offer and for some odd reason thought the seller would not care. The seller cared plenty. This situation provides a good example of not listening to what people say but watching what they do.
And the following morning, the day after Christmas, we received the accepted counter offer from the original buyer. We were in contract. And this buyer missed the train in Sacramento real estate.
The Newest Land in the World is in Hawaii
Part of the reason to visit MacKenzie State Park was to see the newest land in the world. The lava from the May 4th and subsequent eruptions of Kilauea eventually found its way to the sea. Magma continued to flow for months. Sometimes at 25+ miles per hour. For a short time, there was an island off shore formed by the lava, but the fast moving magma finally filled that in.
Some people were not so lucky when they were viewing the lava from the shore. Because when lava hits the sea, the sizzling and steaming can produce lava bombs. The explosions sent lava bombs flying many feet into the air and a few slammed tour boats. In one instance, 23 people were injured by lava bombs.
The ocean sends waves up over the cliffs at MacKenzie State Park in lower Puna. Just walking too close to the cliff is dangerous. A wave could grab you before you had a chance to turn around and knock you into the rocky shore below. Altogether, the newest land in the world in Hawaii has added about 700 acres to the state of Hawaii.
This is how islands are formed. Under the sea is a huge bed of magma known as a hot spot. The tectonic plate that sits over the hot spot moves only a few inches a year, taking the islands with it. This means the older islands, like Kauai and Ni’ihau once sat directly over the hot spot, where Kilauea is now, and they drifted away over the years. Which is why their volcanoes are extinct.
Below the ironwood trees you can see the top of the lava flowing into the sea, which has created the newest land in the world in Hawaii. You will note the sprouts scattered. Those are coconut palm trees, and they don’t grow near this location. Nobody knows if seeds were carried by the lava or if somebody decided to toss baby palms into the rock.
We met a tourist couple carrying their son walking along the top of the cliffs. In the tourist’s hand was a chunk of lava. He said his son was born in May of 2018, so that new lava rock was a memento for him. Our guide shared the tale of Pele’s wrath and how bad things happen to people who remove lava from the island.
He has had previous tour customers mail back lava rocks, he claims, pleading with him to take it back to Pele. One customer said she got home and her dog was sick for no known reason. Her car would not start. The lights in her house flickered, and all sorts of horrible things began happening. Soon as she returned the lava to the Big Island, everything stopped and her life went back to normal.
Whether it’s true or not, makes for a good story to scare tourists into dropping those lava rocks.
Below are a few more closeup photos I shot of the fresh lava. It sparkles when it’s new. And it comes in many colors. Maybe it’s just me, but I can see animal shapes in the lava photos below. Can you? Hope you enjoy the photos of the newest land in the world.
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