Hawaii’s Wild SidePuna Paradiseby Rick Millikan Hawaii’s Fire Goddess Pele has often visited Puna. In covering this district several times with molten lava, this Big Island hottie bestowed a surprising range of gifts creating a veritable paradise. Dense emerald foliage now thrives in her rich volcanic soils. Old macadamia nut plantations, new coffee estates, orchid greenhouses and colorful anthurium farms similarly flourish.  At the heart of Puna throbs Pahoa. Locals drift in and out of its unpretentious health-food store, Thrift Shop and Cash & Carry Grocery. Pastel clapboard buildings line downtown boardwalks; Pahoa’s aromatic eateries bustle. Joining a boisterous throng at its Mexican cantina, my wife Chris and I enjoy the whole enchilada.
 Our secluded Plumeria Hill B&B provides a spectacular panorama of tropic and ocean splendor. Under the starry sky breathing in perfumed air, feeling a cozy serenity, we drift asleep. Awaking to a jolly chirping chorus, we climb the stairs to enjoy the first of three sumptuous breakfasts on the wide veranda. Our affable hostess Candee gives us insider tips to plan our itinerary. The goal is to explore Puna’s rugged coast starting at Star of the Sea Church.
Our sunny home away from home lies just below a notable site, which locals call Pele’s saunas. So we first follow the well-worn paths through lush pink and violet bamboo orchids to a series of steam vents heating cozy caves and craggy cavities to enjoy some steamy meditations reposing on simple wooden benches. The heritage “Painted Church” survived the lava flow of 1990, which buried most of Kalapana. Moved up along the highway, this small New England style church encloses vibrant murals depicting Christian lore. Hawaiians had worshipped here in their own language. Saintly Father Damien and Mother Marianne glow in stained glass in an alcove. Their benevolent work with Molokai’s lepers is commemorated upon its walls.  The same lava covered Puna’s most famous black sand beach; nearby, a new beach is evolving. Impatient, we dash instead to popular Kehena. Descending the rugged cliff on a precipitous trail, we encounter both surfers in bathing suits and swimmers in birthday suits sunning upon its black sandy shore. As a great place to often sight and even swim with dolphins, it’s been dubbed Dolphin Beach. I paddle about the cove’s more protected left side, wary of currents.
 Stopping at MacKenzie Park is a chance to re-experience a mysterious grove of ironwood trees. Crossing spongy carpets of needles past lava-slab picnic tables, we look again upon its 100-foot cliffs and breathe the scents of evergreen and salty sea. Turning inland, we reinvestigate a restored portion of the old King’s highway and a lava tube, where molten rock once flowed into the ocean.
 Strolling Isaac Hale Park’s shoreline, we discover a family already soaking and splashing about in a large rocky tub of steaming water. In deference to the red-haired goddess, locals call these Pele’s spas. We head on to idyllic Ahalanui Park, where stately palms surround Pele’s Olympic-sized pool. Surprisingly few people are frolicking in its warm clear water. Stepping down its lava block steps behind another couple, I ask where they’re from. The pale fellow answers, “We’re from Bowser on Vancouver Island.” His spouse adds, “We’re off a cruise ship docked in Hilo, hoping to see the volcano next. Is it far from here?” We reassure them that Puna’s about an hour’s drive to Kilauea crater. Then we briefly talk about Pele’s smoldering home.
After galloping Chris around as her trusty sea horse I leisurely snorkel checking out a rainbow array of small fish darting in its shallows. A large spotted moray eel weaves through the rocks near the ocean inlet.  Traveling southward, we arrive at Kapoho Tide Pools, which stretches two hundred meters off shore and a kilometer down the coast. Donning mask and fins, I swim among the colorful fish over patches of coral in a series of volcanically heated pools.
Leaving the coast we motor upward, passing through papaya groves and near a geothermal well supplying steam turbines; this gift from Pele produces 25% of Hawaii’s electricity. As the highway continues under a leafy canopy of dappled trees, we enter Lava Tree Park.  Ambling along its paved trail, we’re amazed at how split leaf philodendrons grow stories high against the trunks of towering monkey pod trees, nicknamed “salad bowl trees” by covetous woodworkers. Though thickets of bamboo orchids intrigue us, the ghostly grove of volcanic trees is the main attraction. The 1790 lava flow had encrusted this area’s ohia rain forest; emerald ferns and silvery green lichen now adorn their tall black skeletons. Quarter-sized coqui frogs dwell inside their hollow trunks; whistling loudly, they join into the bird serenades emanating from above.
 Returning to Pahoa, we peer into gallery windows before going next door for a veggie pizza. A surfer-like waiter lays out plastic utensils and paper plates. We ask him if he likes living in Puna. He says, “I came here with three California buddies. We’re having a great time. Like, it’s really cheap to live here!” Even for tourists, Puna’s the budget side of the island. No big hotels or resorts yet exploit its untamed potential. Instead, campsites, inns, hostels and cottages offer basic accommodations.
When our sizzling, aromatic pizza arrives, we nibble away and savor plans for our last two days on the wild side of the Big Island. Friday is a day of discovery beginning at Imiloa, Hilo’s new planetarium of cosmic learning and continuing into the evening with a star studded adventure atop Mauna Kea. On Saturday our goal is to revisit Hilo’s free zoo to watch its silvery anteaters, funny-faced lemurs and white Bengal tiger star that prowls within a large grassy habitat. At Hilo’s colourful Farmer’s Market, there’ll be apple-bananas and Thai spring rolls for a picnic among the hillside splendor of World Botanical Garden and a stop to view its three-tiered Umauma Falls. Of course another stop will be required in Honoka’a for fresh cream-filled malasadas, popular Hawaiian treats. And before our redeye homeward flight, we’ll fire Pele a note thanking her for our good times in Puna paradise. If you’re going:Check out the helpful information- www.bigisland.worldweb.com Consider cozy, hospitable and beautiful Plumeria Hill- www.plumeriahill.com Investigate Hilo’s new astronomy centre www.imiloahawaii.org | 
