This trip was meaningful for me on multiple levels. It was my first trip since the start of the COVID pandemic. It was also the first vacation that I took by myself, and not meeting up with anyone I knew prior to the trip! It was just days after my birthday, and so it was a treat for myself.
I spent a week traveling all over the Big Island. From the North Kohala coast all the way down to the southern most point of the 50 states, and all around the island. I was able to spend time at one of the world's very few Green Sand Beaches (Papakolea Beach), swam under a waterfall in Kohala, watched the sun set (and the moon rise) over a black sand beach, and saw the full moon over the lava glow of Kiluea.
It was a magical trip, and I wasn't far from a camera the entire time. I'm happy that I can share some of that magic with you through these images.
![Kohala](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/10f980cb-95ec-4dda-ae51-3ff5aba7379a_rw_1920.jpg?h=1da50cc7151cd8db89bfa13296f914ad)
Kohala
![Kohala](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/07d188f9-9e1f-457a-8066-1486eeb962e2_rw_1920.jpg?h=5b223cc508a5d285080515f0cf5633d0)
Kohala
![Kohala](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/c8b83fde-8d57-46ce-98be-2b42136213c8_rw_1920.jpg?h=eebbcfe226bac851baf3d7545f7e54da)
Kohala
![Kohala](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/6c5c7a8f-e722-4968-ac76-105e41c75aae_rw_1920.jpg?h=d6f12d12ef0cbe56867e1a554fc1ec77)
Kohala
![Kohala](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/8b588618-4a85-4883-88c1-cf9828fb3153_rw_1920.jpg?h=786cd32b6fe876150d232e439abe32d8)
Kohala
![Mauna Kea](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/560efada-8b9f-437e-9138-660584fcf3a4_rw_1920.jpg?h=0df4e2062ef47c70e0110d9e18077bd2)
Mauna Kea
![Mauna Kea](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/85f930cf-165d-4c8d-bc62-873ea3ef9e02_rw_1920.jpg?h=33441a46ad26c470dbfc6ffc303157a7)
Mauna Kea
![Laupahoehoe Beach Park](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/7821cd8a-ca34-46ba-82d3-4d1d00e6c93b_rw_1920.jpg?h=b588a567303078f8371f67b4e8539b3b)
Laupahoehoe Beach Park
![Laupahoehoe Beach Park](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/31650104-1846-434c-9f10-2eff3e360d28_rw_1920.jpg?h=e8c5fb109823e7fbb527ae897158d59e)
Laupahoehoe Beach Park
![Laupahoehoe Beach Park](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/f87f0877-9e3e-4e6d-828e-8e029c32c1e0_rw_1920.jpg?h=295b713ff33812ea7de50baa1345b1d9)
Laupahoehoe Beach Park
![Laupahoehoe Beach Park](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/38a33de5-d996-4ea1-b595-95c10c6024dc_rw_1920.jpg?h=87b7cddb6620749255d1f2d787ddb42c)
Laupahoehoe Beach Park
![Mauna Kea](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/b564452b-72fd-4b9e-b8c9-f7c4e06807ed_rw_1920.jpg?h=89e2ccfd0e07f57810b26c8bd0a48d41)
Mauna Kea
![Papakolea Green Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/2924fd88-a0ce-4f14-bda9-ca43a7083f33_rw_1920.jpg?h=8c285f4c9b8f21d00447b1f6a6ab2444)
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
![Papakolea Green Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/1c742b85-aa8a-4ee6-ba34-eb5a48398a43_rw_1920.jpg?h=8d8b1f42cd6b68569b8acef9d9a32ff8)
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
![Papakolea Green Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/5517f112-2461-402f-b64b-62dd59dd8978_rw_1920.jpg?h=c709f38e91facafe94faa28f6d66a76f)
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
![Papakolea Green Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/81dbe6fe-5cbe-42a3-b4da-0a9117df3d68_rw_1920.jpg?h=a45f993bd8baab2e26f2791d4c7396f6)
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
![Papakolea Green Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/32ffc0ed-5c99-4d46-adfb-1333cc3f7371_rw_1920.jpg?h=e542839acb58acadeb88f55529237739)
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
![Papakolea Green Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/b216bb54-8f69-4d24-a15a-809b17f1b1f3_rw_1920.jpg?h=80ebfce3e9a085d50cf9ee9d365fd9ea)
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
![Papakolea Green Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/65b606a3-5ab2-4410-aef1-94f3dd023a51_rw_1920.jpg?h=444ac3afc10bda522fb886a07a6adcde)
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
![Papakolea Green Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/f0707647-aeec-4655-8dd0-529e75194ada_rw_1920.jpg?h=561305f8e3d43a10929b60c2a9aff3bb)
Papakolea Green Sand Beach
![Kohala](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/ca3f7b2d-9743-493f-aff0-259d044701d5_rw_1920.jpg?h=70b27248ee02ccf0d7acf87cc8f6e481)
Kohala
![Kehena Black Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/e0793613-21e8-4edf-b0a6-2adbccbb73e2_rw_1920.jpg?h=b7979d5e4ae889d5e68436acbb752671)
Kehena Black Sand Beach
![Moonrise, Mauna Kea, Hawaii](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/d3077b9b-831d-436a-b880-667c88e22b45_rw_1920.jpg?h=a3d0923da8682dc5c8955d724c0c9b56)
Moonrise, Mauna Kea, Hawaii
![Kiluea Volcano Lava Glow](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/d4d8adba-67df-40ff-a189-8af74b4c8be1_rw_1920.jpg?h=dd97ab412624127d1e73629a441cdae3)
Kiluea Volcano Lava Glow
![Moonrise over Black Sand Beach](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/d6ac595a075e920e4db43316f64c4ee7/228a7829-64b4-4976-9c86-695f970a37d6_rw_1920.jpg?h=943c20a47e3e255d1e96898267698008)