Hali'i Kai Pool in Waikoloa Beach Resort on Hawaii's Big Island

In case you are one of the millions of snowed-in Americans, this sunny pool photo is for you.

If you live to surf and are aiming to test your skills on Hawaii’s wicked waves, you may want to bring your trusty surfboard with you. But, how do you pack your surfboard so that it arrives in Hawaii in all one piece?  Neal from Surfboard Shack has written an excellent step by step guide to packing and shipping surfboards that will keep your board safe and secure for traveling.

Neal not only describes all the steps for securely packing your surfboard, he also documents the steps with excellent photos. He  starts with describing all the necessary packing supplies:

Surfboard box
Packing tape
Plastic bagging
Packing foam (sheets)
Bubble wrap (optional)
Utility knife

Then he documents how to use all the materials and go from this:

To this:

To a well packed surfboard box, complete with carrying handle

Neal flew with his surfboards to the US Mainland on Hawaiian Airlines. Of course, extra baggage fees apply and Neal was charged $100 for his two surfboards. The packing supplies cost another $40. Be sure and check out Neal’s complete surfboard packing guide.

If you and your valentine love Hawaii, maybe you’ll enjoy this Happy Cake valentine’s gift idea. You may recall that I’m a fan of Happy Cakes.

I just got an email for this special deal from Happy Cakes. The special valentines offer includes one 16 oz heart shaped cake and a 7 oz bag of 100% Kona coffee for $39.95 including priority mail shipping delivered anywhere in the US. It’s a $47.85 value. Visit their site directly for details and ordering.

Today’s photo was provided by loyal Go Visit Hawaii reader and friend, Dave from Oahu. Dave snapped this photo near the Hilton Hawaiian Village at sunset just a week ago. You may also find it interesting that Dave took this photo with his iphone.

I love the dreamy composition. Gorgeous, isn’t it?!

Do you have a Hawaii photo you’d like to share? Please let me know.

Happy Aloha Friday!

From March 2008 until very early this January, lava was steadily flowing to the ocean at the end of Highway 130 in Kalapana on Hawaii’s Big Island. Lava had been flowing through self-formed tubes to the ocean, but the tube system was most likely blocked or collapsed which stopped the flow to the ocean.

The good news is that lava is still visible! Since lava was no longer flowing through the tubes to the ocean, it was forced to break out onto the surface closer to the source near the Kilauea summit. You can see the lava flow down the pali (hill) from the Hawaii County lava viewing point at the end of Highway 130 in Kalapana. The lava flow down the pali is distant, but still very impressive!

The Hawaii County lava viewing point continues to open daily at 5pm. (Note that you must arrive by 8pm to enter the viewing point.) For best lava viewing, ideally you need to be there at sunset and watch it as the night becomes darker. If you are headed to the Big Island to see lava, please review these useful articles:

• How to find out what’s going on with the Big Island lava flow
• Advice for viewing the Big Island lava flow

I wonder what’s next for Kilauea’s lava flow? I’m no volcanologist, but I would guess that if lava continues to flow at the pali, it will eventually make it’s way down to the ocean and once again form a tube system. It will be exciting to see what happens.

In the meantime, check out this video of the current lava flow on the pali. This video was shot by a brave volcano chaser on January 31, 2010. He’s up close and personal with the lava — more so than the general public is advised to be. (Email subscribers, click here to watch the video.)

* The Cheesecake Factory is giving away a six-night vacation for two to Waikiki’s Hilton Hawaiian Village. The giveaway includes airfare, accommodations, dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and $1000 spending money. See this link to enter the contest.

* Are you and your BFF both engaged? You can enter to win weddings in Hawaii for both you and your best friend. The giveaway to the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island includes airfare, accommodations, two separate weddings, and more. Enter here.

* It’s time for a new entry in the Carnival of Aloha at Homespun Honolulu.

* The Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay has donated a three-night stay towards a journalist’s efforts to raise enough funds to support a year of volunteering. The value of the stay is over $2,800, but you can get it now for a pledge of $1,500. See this link for more details.

* PSA Time: My stomach gets balled up in a knot when I read stories like this one about break-ins on visitors’ cars. It’s a sad reminder that you should never leave your valuables unattended!