Before the Class of 2016 departed on the annual 4th grade Big Island trip, they faced two major obstacles, Aloha Airlines’ bankruptcy and toxic volcanic gases. For many years, the 4th graders flew Aloha Airlines to the Big Island, and this year was to be no different. However, the airline’s sudden end quickly led to a mad search for alternative transportation. Luckily, arrangements were made with another airline.
The second obstacle, the toxic volcanic gases, was of great concern. Kilauea poured extremely large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. This gas was a threat to the health of everyone, young and old. Even with the daily volcano updates on the internet, there was still some uncertainty as to what the volcano had in store for the students, teachers, and parent chaperones.
These obstacles caused a few changes to the itinerary. Most notably, the group was not able to spend the night at Kilauea Military Camp (KMC). KMC, located in the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, closed for a couple of days due to the toxic volcanic gases. Instead, the group spent two nights in Kona.
Through it all, everyone managed to learn and have fun. They visited the Uchida coffee farm and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden. The farm offered a glimpse at life on a coffee farm during the early 1900s. The garden displayed many of the plants grown and used by the ancient Hawaiians many years ago.
The Big Island has many historical and cultural sites. There are sacred places like the Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau and Pu‘ukohola Luakini. The petroglyph field at Waikoloa was a favorite among many of the students.
On the final day of the trip, the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park opened. At the Jaggar Museum, the students had an awesome view of ash, steam, and gases spewing from Halema‘uma‘u Crater. They searched for pumice and Pele’s tears and hair at the 1969 lava flow. Finally, they hiked through Thurston lava tube.
The trip was a very memorable one.
Over the years Aloha Airlines provided air transportation for the annual 4th grade Big Island trip. ‘Iolani School, especially the 4th grade, would like to thank them for their services and wish all the former airline personnel the best. Mahalo!
