Day 22: The Journey Home

After a restful sleep we awoke to our final day.  Dwight enjoyed his last breakfast on the lanai.  Check out the view:

The plan is to pack, got to mass in Kona, pick up some last minute souvenirs, have lunch and go to the airport by 1:30.  We will miss our Mustang convertible!

With three flights, including a red eye from Honolulu to Vancouver, the only thing to look forward to is the trip to duty free in Honolulu to pick up some booze. 

We went to mass before leaving Kona at St Michael of the Archangel.  The church was demolished after recieving extensive damage from an earthquake in 2008 and they hold mass in an tent.  They have a grotto of the virgin Mary made of coral.

When we got to Honolulu we had a rest (Marilyn had a little nap) in the garden.  It is so unusual to have an open air airport.

Day 21: Last Beach Day

Our final full day was spent visiting Kohala and Kona coast beaches.  In the morning we drove north to find what the locals call A-Bay which has supposedly great snorkeling.  We couldn't find it but instead checked out the Mariott Resort.  These resorts are self-contained communities for vacationers.  The resort has 2 shopping centers (one even had a Macy's store), golf courses, condo's galore and the Mariott hotel on the beach.  People who stay there would never have to leave the resort.  Not our idea of a vacation.  The thrill is in exploring the wonders of the island not staying in an enclave.

We decided instead to visit Hapuna Beach which be briefly visited on Friday on the way back from the other side of the island.  The golden sand beach with gently rolling surf was heaven on earth.  After a swim we decided to catch some final rays.  Marilyn with a good tan decided to forgo lotion and got a burn.  I used only 15 times lotion and got a bit of a burn too.

We contributed to the burn by driving with the top down back for lunch at the condo.  Here are some shots from a lookout on the way.

Marilyn and her hot convertible

Dwight flashing twin shakka symbols

People make graffiti in the lava field using white stones.  Very creative.

After leftover lunch at the condo, (on the last day the food choices are limited) we set out for some snorkeling again at Kahuluu beach.  We are getting better at navigating lava rocks to get in and out.  We learned it is easier to carry the snorkel equipment in and then but it on.   The fish were amazing and we also saw a s,mall green sea turtle.  Being a Saturday there were many close collisions with other snorkelers.  The increased traffic and higher surf made the water murkier so the schools of fish were not as clear.

Our final dinner was at the old Kona Inn right on the water near the Kona pier.  This 20's era hotel has a open air dining room right on the ocean.  We watched the sun set for a final time in Kona and enjoyed a great meal.  All the ceiling fans were driven by pulleys since they predate electricity.  The tables had the rattan queen chairs with large fan backs.  We expected to Bogart and Bacall any second.  (For those of you born after 1960, they are actors from the 40's)

A walk along the sea wall and a stop for some 100% Kona coffee completed a perfect evening.  Now back to the condo to pack!

Day 20: Hilo & Hamakua and Kohala Coasts

Our last road trip began early with another trip on the saddle road across the island to Hilo.  We began with the top down but as we got on the saddle road the temperature dropped from 84F to 68F and the wind was ferocious!  The scenery of the saddle road changes from brown to green as we descended into Hilo.

We once again visited Bear's Coffee, 106 Keawe St.  The owner is very friendly and the coffee and warm brownie were amazing.  The owner also brought us a free sample of fresh white pineapple.  He even offered some advice on what to see.  His tips were very useful.

We first checked Coconut Island near the cruise ship pier.  A small park was filled with families and teenagers spending the the last weekend before school begins on August 1st.  Marilyn even got into the coconut spirit as you can see in the picture below.

Since we are on Coconut Island Marilyn is showing off her own coconuts.

We drove along the ocean before heading out on highway 19.  Our first stop was at mile marker 7 where a four mile scenic drive.  We highly recommend this diversion as the road twists and dips down to the ocean.  The vistas are amazing check them out:

The twin Guardians.  The Hawaiiain story is that two Lovers's volunteered to save the village from an advancing force of invaders.  Overnight, while the village slept, they were magically transformed into these two Guarding rocks that prevents ships from entering the harbour/lagoon.

The Hawaiian Botanical Garden on this route is a must see.  This labour of love of a mainlander couple who transformed a trash filled overgrown valley into an tropical oasis.  The trails take to don to the ocean with stops for a koi pond, parrot cage and waterfall.  The pictures speak for themselves.

Check out this movie of surf with Marilyn's narration:

Just before the end of the scenic drive we stopped for a smoothie at What's Shakin.  All the smoothies use local ingredients.  We looked at their bananas grove, pineapple, avacado, guava and papayas trees.

Marilyn's smoothie was made from bananas from one of these trees.

We drove with the top down along the Hamakua coast.  First stop was Akaka Falls.  This 400 foot waterfall is reached by a short hike from the road.  The flow of water comes from the rainforest at 9000 feet up Mauna Kea.  The flow of water was low according the guide.  She said it was hard to predict the flow.  It was much larger a few days earlier.

At the end of the Hamakua coast we climbed up to Waimea again.  The clouds descended and the temperature dropped again.  We drove with the top up in the fog until we began the descent out of Waimea and watched the countryside turn brown as we moved to the dry side of the island again.

Once we returned to the ocean we began the drive down the Kohala coast back towards Kona.  We stopped briefly at Hapuna beach that featured golden fine sand with some surf with the sun beginning to set.  We drove the 30 miles back to Kona and watched the sun dip toward the ocean.  The countryside is either brown or black lava field.

Dinner at Jackie Reys Ohana Grill was great.  Marilyn enjoyed a Mai Tai and Back Ribs and Dwight slaked hist thirst with an Hawaiian draft and the Seafood Trio of Opa, crab cake and shrimp.  We both had the Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato soup.  A return to the condo featured blogging by Dwight and Marilyn's turn to rest on the couch.  Another fabulous day!

Day 19: Rest & Snorkeling

After long days we like to have close to the condo days afterwards.  It was nice to read e-mail, Maggie's blog, the The Toronto Star online and watch TV in the morning.   We set out just before lunch to pick up some souvenirs and have lunch at Lava Java's on Alii Drive.  We ate salads, soup and sandwiches while watching the people and the beautiful ocean.

We picked up some rental snorkeling gear and headed out to Kahuluu Beach in the late afternoon.   According to the travel guide, this beach on Alii Drive has a salt and pepper beach and great snorkeling.  The guide neglected to mention that to access the snorkeling area you have to walk over lava rocks in the surf while wearing snorkel gear.  Do you realize how difficult it is to walk in fins and how hard it is to put fins on while waves crash down on you?

Marilyn has wounds on both knees and Dwight has a wound on his left thumb as mementos of thi snorkeling experience.  Once we got over the rocky start (pardon the pun) the views of fish and green sea turtles was worth it.  A green sea turtle was one foot away from Dwight.  We will look for beaches that have easy access and exit for Saturday's snorkeling..

We had a steak dinner at the condo and watched a fabulous sunset.  (No pictures, sorry)  After a Hagan Das ice cream stick it was a quiet evening.  The only sound was Dwight snoring on the couch.

Day 18: Waimea & Mauna Kea Observatory

Today we decided to explore the interior of the Big Island with a trip to cattle country, the Hamakua coast and the observatory on Mauna Kea.

The geography of the Big Island is dominated by five volcanoes: Hualalai near Kona, Kohala in the north, the active Kilaeau in the east and the two biggest in the middle, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

We drove north around Hualalai to get to cattle country at Waimea also called Kamuela.  This town is right between the windward and leeward sides of the island.  Approaching the town from the leeward side is very brown and dry.  On the windward side is very green and wet.  The weather depends on what part of town you live in.  In the middle is a mixture.  We stopped at the Parker ranch mall in the middle and had misty showers with the sun shining.  The high plains around Waimea resembles Arizona or Montana.  You can tell you are in cattle country when the stop signs say Whoa!

We had an excellent local beef burger for lunch and set out for the Hamakua coast on the windward (north-east) coast.  The drive down to the coast takes you through rain forest and forests of tall trees.  The Waipio valley is a pristine valley that has sheer cliffs on each side.  The lookout has a "road" that goes down to the valley floor that only 4-wheel drive vehicles can take.  Fools sometimes take their rental cars down the road but need to be towed back up as their expense.

View from lookout

People live in the valley

Black sand beach

Flowers growing next to the road at the lookout

Traveling back through Waimea we took the saddle road through the high plains to get to the Mauna Kea observatory.  The road is named as it traverses the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.  It was built in the 40's and until recently rental companies forbad their cars from traveling it.  There are no services and the road has one lane bridges, blind corners and you feel like you are on a roller coaster.  Kind of like the Forks of the Credit road but longer.  The government is upgrading the road as it is only way to get the the observatory and it is a direct route across the island to Hilo.  The middle part that goes through a military reserve has been upgraded as was the best road we've driven on the island.

Mauna Loa from Saddle Road

The road into the observatory takes you from 4000 feet above sea level to 9000 feet above sea level in only 6 miles.  Mauna Kea is the best location on Earth to see stars.  It has mostly clear nights (since it is above the clouds) and nearly no light pollution.  We arrived about an hour before sunset and got a quick orientation at Visitor Center.  We got on our cool weather clothes and took a short but steep hike to a cinder cone to have a picnic and watch the sunset.  We were likely the only people eating hard-cooked eggs and California rolls on top of a mountain in the world!  The views speak for themselves.

Road to Mauna Kea Observatory

Road to 13000 foot summit.  Dust trails are vehicles on ascent.

The drive back was long but uneventful as we were in a convoy of cars back to Kona.  The road was twisty but the roads have great reflectors for night-time drivers.

Day 17: Hary Potter & Luau

With 5 hours in the car yesterday we decided a day close to the condo was in order.  After breakfast on the lanai, a swim and some sunning we decided that seeing the last Harry Potter movie would be a great way to rest.  The matinee was nearly empty as we munched on popcorn and shared the tub-o-pop and watched in 3D the movie.  Marilyn was disappointed in the final battle between Harry and Voldemort as it was not true to the book but Dwight was happy seeing all the action in 3D.

Next, we decided it was time to finally go to an Hawaiian Luau since we only have 5 days left.  The luau at the Kona Beach Resort began with a lei and then a trip to the free bar, whoohoo!!  We opted for the VIP seating to get served food first and see the dancers better.   Using the mai tai's as conversation lubricant we soon got to know Suzy and Gerry from Raleigh, North Carolina and Howard and Linda from Melbourne, Australia.  Both couples were staying at the resort unlike us who found a condo that is cheaper.  We discussed vacation itineraries, geography, weather and families while we waited.

The luau began with the unearthing of the pig from the underground oven.  The pig had been cooking with hot rocks inside it for 8 hours.  It smelled so good when the placed the pork in a tray.

Removing the dirt covering and leaves

The final product.  Don't you wish you could smell it too?

Our table was called to the buffet first (VIP has its perks you know).  The buffet featured local dishes such as poi, ono fish, fruit, salads, teriaki chicken, roast port, and desserts of upside down pineapple cake and coconut cake.  Dwight's plate was stacked two levels deep but he managed to finish it all.  (Way to take one for the team)

Just before the dance show started we watched the sunset and took some goofy pictures thanks to the mai tai's.

Marilyn's new sun hat

Dwight's pathetic attempt to keep the sun from setting

The dancing told the stories of the various Polynesian cultures.  We were surprised how much we had been exposed to as we explained the significance of dances and costumes to Gerry, Suzy, Howard and Linda who were just beginning their Hawaiian adventures.