Last Hawaii Hurrah

When the Allens arrived at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park one afternoon in December, they had no idea they were about to witness something spectacular. They had just finished an arduous 4.5-mile hike through the crater and had returned to the lodge, tired and hungry. That’s when they heard the news: Kilauea had just started erupting.

“People in the lodge were saying, ‘Oh my gosh, the volcano is erupting right now,’” recalls Joseph Allen. Daughter Victoria rushed to gather her scattered family members. Through the foggy afternoon, they watched in awe as Kilauea put on its show – a once-in-a-lifetime sight that set the tone for their extraordinary family vacation.

This wasn’t just any Hawaiian getaway. Nineteen years earlier, Joseph and Amy Allen had visited these islands when Victoria was just a baby and Amy was pregnant with their son Nathaniel. Now, they were returning before Nathaniel heads off to college in the fall. Their daughter Victoria, 19, is a sophomore at American University in Washington, D.C. Amy’s sister Anne Briggs, who lives in Brenham, and her two sons, Garrett and Beck Briggs, came along, as did the family matriarch Carol Dinkins, a retired environmental attorney who was the first woman to serve as Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice from 1984-85 under President Ronald Reagan.

“The whole extended family has been wanting to take a trip together,” Joseph explained. “Carol really wanted to spearhead a big family vacation celebrating life and celebrating all of us... It’s getting harder and harder to all get together.”

The eight-day adventure, split between the Big Island and Kauai, balanced ambitious excursions with moments of family connection. While some activities required creative planning to accommodate everyone from 79-year-old Carol to the four cousins (ages 18-23), others brought unexpected opportunities for multi-generational bonding.

Their exploration of the Big Island revealed Hawaii’s dramatic diversity. While snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay, Victoria was particularly fascinated to find a memorial of Captain Cook, given her recent college coursework on the British explorer. The bay offered what became one of her top three memorable experiences, including an enchanting encounter with local marine life. 

“I almost swam past what I thought was just a rock, but then it moved,” Victoria recalls. “When I realized it was an octopus, I kind of freaked out. My dad and I had recently seen My Octopus Teacher, which completely changed how I look at octopuses. I grabbed my dad and showed him.”

The family spent about 10 minutes gathered around the creature, watching as their eight-armed acquaintance gradually became more comfortable with their presence. “The longer we stayed, the more it emerged from the coral to look at us,” Victoria says. “It was this small, reddish-brown creature, and except for its two eyeballs, it blended perfectly with the rock.”

While others were surfing, Carol and Anne (front row, from left) and Amy (back row) paid a visit to the verdant landscape where Michael Crichton, the author of Jurassic Park, was married – at the Allerton Garden, which is part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai. 

The trip’s timing proved especially meaningful as Nathaniel had just received life-changing news. “He had just found out 10 days before that he had gotten into Northwestern, and we were all super happy,” Victoria recalls. “The stress of college was gone, so he could fully enjoy this trip and my parents could tell everyone, ‘My son's going to Northwestern.’ It made the trip a lot happier.”

Their stargazing experience with an excellent guide on Saddle Road near Mauna Kea became another highlight. “There's no light pollution, so you could see the Milky Way just as clear as day,” said Joseph. The guide had brought a large telescope, and the family was able to observe Saturn, Jupiter, and the Andromeda Galaxy. “When you’re there and it’s so dark,” Joseph explains, “it’s like there’s a thousand stars in Orion that you just can’t see in Bellaire.” 

Victoria captured a remarkable photo of her brother against the night sky, with an unexpected detail: “My brother was sitting on a bench, with stars all around him, and there was a reddish glow. It was not light pollution or a warping of the camera. It was from the Vog (volcanic smog) of the volcano we had seen earlier in the week; we realized it was creating this infrared haze that showed up on camera.”

The family’s aquatic adventures proved equally memorable. On an evening snorkeling expedition on a large flotation device off the Big Island, they encountered a group of massive manta rays. The water was rough and turbulent, and they were getting banged around in the waves. Their guides shone a penetrating light down into the dark waters about 30 feet down. And suddenly, there they were: elephant-sized and swimming right under them.

The animals’ proximity and the suddenness of their appearance made it an especially intense experience. 

“They were shocking,” said Amy. “They’re down there eating plankton, and the water is very cloudy so you can’t see them coming.”

Joseph chimed in, “And so it’s cloudy, and you can’t see anything… and the next thing, there’s a 12-foot manta ray six inches from you.”

Some of their most special moments came from veering off the beaten path. On New Year's Day, they tackled a challenging drive and hike to Makalawena Beach. 

Joseph, Amy, Victoria, and Nathaniel took a boat to get to the isolated, jaw-dropping Na'pali Coast.

“We had to drive on this horrendous 4x4 road for about a mile,” Joseph recalls. “And then we had to hike another mile over a lava pathway to get to this absolutely beautiful and secluded, powdery soft sand beach.”

The adventure turned slightly chaotic when their second car couldn't handle the terrain: “Amy’s mom stopped, not even halfway to the park. And so, Amy’s sister Anne and her boys had to actually walk another half mile to come join us.”

The cousins – Victoria and Nathaniel Allen, along with Garrett and Beck, from Brenham – have always been close. “These are memories that they will have together as a family that will last,” Joseph reflects. “And hopefully with these shared experiences, they will continue this tradition with their own children.”

For Victoria, the trip offered a new perspective on family time. “We don’t see each other as often as we used to," she says. “It was really nice to catch up with them, to do our own thing, to share college memories, and what's happening in our lives in a more adult way.”

The family then flew to Kauai to start the new year, where they drove through Waimea Canyon, also known at the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. They then embarked on a powerboat tour of the Na’pali coast that is only accessible by boat or kayak. Its mountainous terrain has been featured in numerous films including Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, and King Kong. Spinner dolphins, the Hawaiian triggerfish or humuhumunukunukuapua’a, and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal all paid a visit to their snorkeling excursion on this unforgettable aquatic adventure. Carol, Anne, and Amy also visited the Kauai Botanical Gardens, where Michael Crichton, author of the Jurassic Park series, held his wedding ceremony.

Their final evening on Kauai brought one last marvel at Poipu Beach, where the Allens had vacationed 19 years before, when it was just Amy, Joseph, and baby Victoria. It was a beautiful memory, but this time was different.

During Covid, when the whole island was shut down, Poipu Beach became a haven for Hawaiian green sea turtles, explained Joseph. 

The Hawaiian green sea turtle, or honu, is one of the only species that engages in a behavior called “hauling out.” Most sea turtles only go ashore to lay their eggs and leave, while the honu regularly basks on the beaches. 

“So I thought we would go there and maybe see a sea turtle or two swim in,” said Joseph. But when they got there, they were lined up by the dozens. “And we're like wow, this is way more impressive than what I thought it was. One of the park rangers said they had as many as 60 turtles at nighttime.”

Victoria noted the significance: “I think it says something about how safe the beach is and how much Hawaii cares.”

PARADISE Stunning views at Pololū Valley.

The whole experience, Joseph reflected, “from a naturalist point of view with all these beautiful animals we saw – the fish, the Hawaiian monk seal, the turtles, the manta rays, the spinner dolphins – it’s just amazing.”

Now, as Victoria hopes to study abroad in Scotland and Nathaniel prepares for Northwestern, the Allens are already planning their next adventures. 

“I put the cart before the horse because she’s not there yet,” Joseph says with a laugh about Victoria’s potential Scotland semester, “but I’ve told her, ‘you need to get this through because I’m ready to go see you in Scotland.’”  

Their Hawaiian journey may have marked the end of one chapter, but for this close-knit family, it's also the beginning of new adventures together – just with a few more frequent flyer miles between visits.

Tips from Our Travelers

From Joseph, Amy, and Nathaniel Allen

Worth the splurge: Snorkeling with manta rays, stargazing with a guide near Mauna Kea, private surfing/boogie-board lesson

Don’t miss: Na'pali coast, Kauai, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Favorite restaurants: Foster’s and Harbor House on the Big Island. L&L Barbecue or Gill’s Lanai were also amazing. 

Packing: Reef-safe sunscreen and good water-compatible shoes (Chacos, KEENs, or Crocs will save your feet from the lava rocks and can take the beating from hiking)

What to avoid: Find places to eat away from the touristy places; eat where you see the locals go for better food, better prices, and authentic Hawaiian hospitality.

Local favorite: Shave ice, without question

Beware travel rating scams: Ocean view vs. Oceanfront – check Google Earth to make sure if you truly want the view your place claims they have.

Unexpected hits: Kekaha Kai State Park had the worst road, but Makalawena was an amazing beach and a lifelong memory after the 1-mile off-road drive and 1.3-mile lava rockfield hike. The food trucks in Koloa of Kauai offered amazing food and Hawaiian hospitality that were second to none despite looking a bit shabby.