Made it back to Delaware after our 5 days on the Big Island. We were about 2 hours from the volcanic activity so we did not see any lava or even the glow from the lava. What we did see was "vog", on the coast it wasn't bad but you could see it blanketing the surrounding hillsides.
We stayed 2 blocks off of Alii Drive near Kahlua-Kona which was a short drive to a "salt and pepper" beach with really great snorkeling. The beach, Pahoehoe, had black and white large grains of sand and rocks leading into the water. The rocks were slippery and sharp so getting in and out of the water was always a challenge. The water itself was calm and clear and full of sea life. We saw many fish and coral formations and everyone, but me, saw turtles.
One day we drove through the ancient (and not so ancient) lava fields to the south. The lava fields look just like brownie batter. We stopped at a black sand beach where the water was much rougher. Here we saw turtles surfing the waves as they tried to graze off of the rocks in the shallow water.
We also went to the "Place of Refuge" the Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. If you broke the law the penalty was death. If you could make it to the Place of Refuge before you were captured, you would be safe. We walked the rugged shoreline looking at huts, old rock walls and ki'i (carved wooden images) that surrounded the temple.
Of course you can't go to Hawaii and not attend a luau! We went to the Voyagers of the Pacific show at the Royal Kona (big discount when ordering online!) They provided all the Mai-Tai's you cared to drink and a variety of island food including steamed pork cooked all day in an earthen oven. The world is a big place so what are the odds that you would run into someone you know at a luau on the Big Island? A man in front of us was talking about the Orioles so I asked if he was from Maryland, he was and one of the people in his party had lived in Newark, taught at the University, and had even lived in our neighborhood just before we moved in. Small world, right? Well the world got even smaller when his wife walked up and it was Luci's 9th grade ELA teacher!
Another day we drove through the center of the island between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. The island of Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world (as measured from the sea floor) and the top of Mauna Kea was shrouded in clouds (and vog) so we could not see whether there was snow on the top or not. We drove though rain showers to the town of Hilo and visited the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens where they had many plants from throughout the tropical world. We went to Akaka Falls, and then followed the coast around to Waimea and a delicious gourmet dinner at Merriman's ($$$ on Yelp, I'd hate to see how much $$$$ was) and then back to the house.
One of the many highlights of the trip was our final excursion, a kayak tour to Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay. The five of us kayaked across the bay for about 1/2 an hour (2 each in a kayak with Nana going with one of the guides) and landed at the spot of Captain Cook's death (https://tinyurl.com/yark2ns5). We snorkeled and saw countless fish of all kinds of colors. Unfortunately, we did not see any turtles or dolphins but the variety of fish, coral, sea urchins and the massive drop off to the deep made it all worthwhile!
The next morning we were off on our return to Delaware.
All in all it was great trip with history, geography, geology, biology all wrapped up with swimming and eating (and a fair bit of driving).
As always, thanks for reading and look for my reflections on my journey to South Africa which starts on Wednesday! (I'm really looking forward to some 24 hours in planes!)
We stayed 2 blocks off of Alii Drive near Kahlua-Kona which was a short drive to a "salt and pepper" beach with really great snorkeling. The beach, Pahoehoe, had black and white large grains of sand and rocks leading into the water. The rocks were slippery and sharp so getting in and out of the water was always a challenge. The water itself was calm and clear and full of sea life. We saw many fish and coral formations and everyone, but me, saw turtles.
One day we drove through the ancient (and not so ancient) lava fields to the south. The lava fields look just like brownie batter. We stopped at a black sand beach where the water was much rougher. Here we saw turtles surfing the waves as they tried to graze off of the rocks in the shallow water.
We also went to the "Place of Refuge" the Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park. If you broke the law the penalty was death. If you could make it to the Place of Refuge before you were captured, you would be safe. We walked the rugged shoreline looking at huts, old rock walls and ki'i (carved wooden images) that surrounded the temple.
Of course you can't go to Hawaii and not attend a luau! We went to the Voyagers of the Pacific show at the Royal Kona (big discount when ordering online!) They provided all the Mai-Tai's you cared to drink and a variety of island food including steamed pork cooked all day in an earthen oven. The world is a big place so what are the odds that you would run into someone you know at a luau on the Big Island? A man in front of us was talking about the Orioles so I asked if he was from Maryland, he was and one of the people in his party had lived in Newark, taught at the University, and had even lived in our neighborhood just before we moved in. Small world, right? Well the world got even smaller when his wife walked up and it was Luci's 9th grade ELA teacher!
Another day we drove through the center of the island between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. The island of Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world (as measured from the sea floor) and the top of Mauna Kea was shrouded in clouds (and vog) so we could not see whether there was snow on the top or not. We drove though rain showers to the town of Hilo and visited the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens where they had many plants from throughout the tropical world. We went to Akaka Falls, and then followed the coast around to Waimea and a delicious gourmet dinner at Merriman's ($$$ on Yelp, I'd hate to see how much $$$$ was) and then back to the house.
One of the many highlights of the trip was our final excursion, a kayak tour to Captain Cook Monument in Kealakekua Bay. The five of us kayaked across the bay for about 1/2 an hour (2 each in a kayak with Nana going with one of the guides) and landed at the spot of Captain Cook's death (https://tinyurl.com/yark2ns5). We snorkeled and saw countless fish of all kinds of colors. Unfortunately, we did not see any turtles or dolphins but the variety of fish, coral, sea urchins and the massive drop off to the deep made it all worthwhile!
The next morning we were off on our return to Delaware.
All in all it was great trip with history, geography, geology, biology all wrapped up with swimming and eating (and a fair bit of driving).
As always, thanks for reading and look for my reflections on my journey to South Africa which starts on Wednesday! (I'm really looking forward to some 24 hours in planes!)