Not netting.

We've been busy on the Big Island making sure we make the most of it and ticking off a few boxes. Kona turned out to be a sour taste for the island, considering how amazing the rest of the island is in comparison. It was full of huge resorts and condominiums, where old white lizards would grumble in their visors and whine about tedious things. We pushed on and strapped up the Asics, heading to a reef pass we saw flying near the airport a few days prior. After walking over lava for 45 minutes and a little bit of trespassing, we reached a beach with no-one around and a fun little mid-break - the colours were insane. Typical travelling scottish heritage meant a max 2 hour limit in the tropical sun before we bailed back to the car to suckle the air con teet.

The drive from Kona through to Volcano, revealed a different side to the island, where fruit and coffee stalls paved the way to rich fertile hilltops, surrounded by macadamia farms and coffee trees.

The viewing point for the Kilauea volcano is the best and only way to see any lava at the moment, where the glow plumes into the sky, through a mixture of gases. I was reluctant to admit that volcanic areas are quite monotonous when there is no volcanic activity, however plain and simple, we've done these trips before and stared at hardened lava for hours.

Next up was the drive to Hilo, where the landscape grows thicker with tropical trees and ferns and the buildings get smaller and more colourful. The town itself is like a step back in time. The food is farm fresh, the people are happy and the pace is slow. Just about every bay has a handful of turtles enjoying the sun and nibbling on peoples swimwear as they cruise over the lava reefs hidden in these bays.

There is a short 4 mile drive you can do, north of Hilo that winds around some of the craziest rainforest I've ever seen. You can literally pull over where a tight bend will allow and go for a little trek - to find water flowing down valleys.