Despite all its comforts this isn't the best room in the house as it's over the corridor from the office outside which they have the coffee and sticky donuts available from 5:30. It's fair to say most people had been through by the time we got out of bed. We'd visited [the coffee and donuts] twice by the time we'd updated our journals and had to leave at 11. We're undecided on our camping plans so don't book any more nights.
Today's efforts are concentrated on Puna, the south eastern corner of the island. Sort of cut off by the volcanoes' activities and has a not friendly to visitors reputation. We shouldn't encounter any of that as we're sticking to the well beaten track. First stop is Lava Tree State Park where there is a concentrated collection of the echoes of the diehard trees caught in the flow.
On reflection, at this stage of the journey round Puna, there really isn't a great deal to see at all however highwat 137 is a really good road to meander down on a balmy day. From the east it runs very close to shore and a four hundred yard stretch is barely above sea level, the road acting as the top of the rubbly mangroved shore. There's a few State Parks on the way though only Makenzie was worth stopping at. There are 40ft lava flow cliffs being battered by the seas beyond the pine needle floored park. At the north end you can see where the roof has collapsed on a large lava tube. It emerges at the nearby cliffs revealing the sort of tube you could easily drive a car through. The rest of the road then winds delightfully near the coast through rainforest in amongst which people have squirrelled away their homes.
At the end of the drive we end up in Kaimu Beach. We take lunch at Verna's Drive In, an American greasy spoon. Kaimu Beach is famous for being originally the best black sand beach in Hawaii. Now it's famous for Verna's, untouched in its entirety, being the only thing left of Kalapana, an entire village smothered in lava in 1990. It covered the beach too, though enterprising locals and (more) knowledgable travellers have planted coconuts again near what's left of the beach now a ten minute walk over the lava.
The threat of rain calls the balmy day to a halt. We stop at some steam vents, running over the road to confirm a nearby one was hot rather than venture down the path to the `bathing' vents. We take the long run back into the park and down to the campsite. It's still misty from low cloud around here so we're undecided about camping. Finally, we decide to pitch the tent and if it's raining [later] we'll, um, do something else.
In the meanwhile we head down to the front for more lava. 
Always a winner. We come back to the campsite near 10 and, having decided not to take the risk of heading the 40 odd miles into Hilo in search of gas and food, settle down for the night.
We've only spent US$12 today. Surely a record.
Kulanaokuaiki Camp, Volcanoes National Park, Big Island N19.34411 W155.27383 Elev. 988m
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.