What a difference an island makes! We started our day out in Waikiki again for breakfast and a last stroll along the beach. Then we headed to the airport for our flight to the Big Island of Hawaii. This island is so different from Oahu. I felt so much calmer and happier on the Big Island. More space, less people. And the landscape there is incredibly varied. We flew into a lava desert, drove through cattle ranch country, and then a jungle before getting to our hotel for the night. And along the way we explored a lava tube cave, looked out over a beautiful valley, and saw a bamboo forest on a short hike to a waterfall! We ended our day by driving up to the observatory on Mauna Kae to see the stars how they're meant to be seen. They had a bunch of telescopes set up and we got to see nebula, galaxies, and Saturn's rings. It was amazing!
