Katie Molzer has ridden elephants in Thailand, hiked the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand, held sloths and caimans in Brazil and gone scuba diving among giant clams and white-tip reef sharks along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, Japan, Canada, Holland, Spain, France, England, Italy, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic — the stamps in her passport hint of many other adventures, all befitting an athlete who loves the great outdoors.
VOLCANO TOUR + IPAD
» Transportation: Pickups and returns are included in the tour price within a 5-mile radius of Kailua-Kona Public Library, 75-138 Hualalai Road. Pickups can also be made at Waikoloa Resort and Kona International Airport at 8:30 a.m. for an additional $10 per person, minimum of two people.
» Days: Vary; call, email or go to the website for upcoming dates
» Time: 9 a.m. pickup and 9 p.m. return
» Cost: $169 for adults and $119 for children ages 6 through 17, including snacks, lunch and dinner (note any food allergies or preferences when booking). This tour is not suitable for younger children. Kamaaina receive a 25 percent discount (mention this when booking).
» Phone: 937-5472 on Hawaii island and toll-free 888-886-7060 from the other islands
» Email: info@hawaiioutdoorguides.com
» Website: hawaiioutdoorguides.com
» Notes: Participants must be mobile and able to walk on rough, uneven terrain. Several short, easy hikes are part of this tour. Frequent rest stops are made, and none of the hikes are steep. The longest is about 1.3 miles round trip. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress in layers for weather ranging from warm to wet and chilly. Bring a jacket and money for incidentals, including souvenirs.
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Molzer grew up on a farm in Medford, Ore., where she raised and showed horses, cattle and pigs, and cared for a small flock of sheep. Hiking and camping ranked high on her family’s list of favorite activities.
Today, Molzer’s survival skills and love for nature serve her well as the co-owner and lead guide of Hawaii Outdoor Guides, which specializes in active tours of Hawaii island for small groups. She and her partner, Nick Wolfgang, founded the company in 2010, intent on providing personalized experiences that enable guests to absorb the beauty, culture and history of the island at a leisurely pace.
A tour of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was among Hawaii Outdoor Guides’ early offerings. IPads were added in May and they’ve been a big hit.
"Nick and I initially came up with the idea of using iPads on the Volcano tour because we were looking for a way to entertain guests on the two-hour ride back to Kona," Molzer said. "We saw all the new ways tablets were being used, and we thought sharing photos, videos, illustrations and audio clips on iPads would really enhance the narration."
She and Wolfgang spent three weeks researching and editing the content they wanted to incorporate on the tour. "We didn’t want to just talk about Kamapuaa, the pig god; we wanted to show an ancient Hawaiian carving and artist’s rendition of him," Molzer said. "We didn’t want to just imitate the song of the apapane [Hawaiian honeycreeper]; we wanted our guests to hear the real thing."
On the Volcano Tour + iPad, six devices are supplied for a maximum of 10 participants. According to Molzer, this works out fine as most guests come as couples and have no problem sharing.
The 12-hour excursion begins with a walk through Kailua-Kona town that includes stops at Ahuena Heiau, Hulihee Palace and Mokuaikaua Church. From there it goes to Greenwell Farms in Kealakekua, where participants walk through the coffee orchard, learn about the production process and sip freshly brewed coffee and KonaRed, a juice made from coffee cherries.
Next on the itinerary is a picnic lunch of turkey and ham sandwiches, salad, chips, fruit and nut bars, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and beverages at Punaluu Beach Park. The group then hikes to petroglyphs near the beach; Halelau Heiau, a war temple where human sacrifices were made; and remnants of the King’s Trail, built in the early 1800s to connect seaside villages around the island. The park’s long stretch of black sand is a favorite hangout for honu (green sea turtles).
"Our guests prefer being part of a small group and sightseeing in an unhurried manner," Molzer said. "If they’re enjoying watching the turtles, we don’t rush them into the van. We let them know the schedule, but we’re flexible. We allow them to spend more time at one location than another if that’s what they want to do."
From Punaluu the tour heads to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park for hikes that lead to sulphur banks, steam vents, the 500-foot-long Thurston Lava Tube and Holei Sea Arch, sculpted by the relentless pounding of waves along the ebony coast. The visit to the park ends with a view of a glowing lava lake at Halemaumau Crater and a supper of hearty soup, bread, brownies and beverages.
"Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is more than 333,000 acres of incredible wilderness," Molzer said. "One evening, my tour group was walking away from the lava lake, saying they’d never seen anything as amazing as that—and then we saw a moonbow just below Mauna Loa volcano! That’s what’s so exciting about being in the park; everywhere you look there are sights that will take your breath away."
Riding back to Kona, participants can use the iPads to play games, listen to music, watch a movie, read a book or review what they’ve learned on the tour, including how the Hawaiian island chain was formed, legends about Pele the volcano goddess and facts about the endangered nene (Hawaiian goose), Hawaii’s state bird.
"On the tour, we travel on more than 200 miles of asphalt and go millions of years back in time," Molzer said. "It’s an adventure our guests will always remember because we’ve got nature as our companion all along the way."
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
