A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Hilo, United States by TravelPod blogger Keith_aussie titled "Lava Trees and Hot Springs" Keith_aussie’s travel blog entry: "For our final day on the Big Island Max and I chose to head south again and see the Lava Tree State park, as well as stop off at some natural hot springs. Lava trees are created when lava surrounds a tree and then hardens in the shape of the tree, creating little pillars of hardened lava. Our final major destination was the south coast where a number of natural hot springs exist. Once we found them we were able to soak in the water, which was about 30 degrees, and was the perfect way to relax after a number of days of hiking. We headed out onto the rocks near the shore for some pictures as well, until the tsunami alarms went off and sent us scampering back to town. While it turned out to be a false alarm it was still an interesting sight seeing all the people fleeing back to safety along the coast. For the remainder of the day we toured the galleries and shops of Hilo before embarking on our flight back to Honolulu. Altogether the trip was an amazing experience that I am certain I will not soon forget. The sights of Hawai'i are so varied and incredible and having even a short time to experience them has been unbelievable." Read and see more at: www.travelpod.com Photos from this trip: 1. "Lava tree" 2. "Me surrounded by lava trees" 3. "Hot springs" 4. "Crabs at the edge of the hot springs" 5 ...