Hawaii, The Big Island, February 10-25, 2020

The trouble with spending a couple weeks in Paradise is that you have to go through a couple of days of hell to get there and back.

We flew from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, and then from Los Angeles to Kona, Hawaii on Monday, February 10th. We arrived in Kona about 9 o'clock and we got our rental vehicle, a black Chevy Malibu Hybrid, and headed to our condo. 9:00 PM in Hawaii is 1:00 AM in Minnesota.

Tuesday, February 11, we woke up about 4:00 AM, which was 8:00 AM Minnesota time. We had breakfast and found a Walmart to get groceries, etc. From there we went down to the ocean just below where we were staying.

We drove south along the Kona Coast to see Puuhonua O Honaunan National Historical Park, which is the “city of refuge”. We walked the trail and we saw a green sea turtle sunning itself. We walked along the Heiau on the black lava.

We had brunch, and then headed back to the condo to rest. We ate at Jackie Rey’s Grill, and then watched the waves and the setting sun below the condo.

Wednesday, February 12, we woke up early again, about 4:30 AM. We had fresh papaya for breakfast, and we headed out to mail the valentines to the grandkids.

We went to the Kalako Honokohau National Historic Park and walked the 2-mile hike around the ruins and fishpond with very high walls. It covered a very large area along the ocean.

We went on the petroglyph boardwalk also. The weather was 82°, and sunny. This was quite a contrast to the below zero weather they were having in Minnesota. The trail led down to the ocean.

Lunch was at Maggie’s Beach Grill, then a stop at a Farmer’s Market. Saw some bright yellow finches. Supper was at the Royal Thai - great pineapple stir fry and shrimp & scallops. We watched a beautiful sunset close to our condo.

Thursday, February 13 we walked the trail at the Old Airport Park. There were many lovely native plants, lots of feral cats, and mongooses that darted away into hiding. At the beach there we picked up some pieces of coral.

Next we headed up the mountain on Kaloko Drive for a tour of Thunder Mountain Coffee Plantation. It was very interesting - coffee is the fruit of the plant. Each red berry has 1-2 nuts that are separated in many steps to get the best tasting coffee. We bought a cup and some coffee beans. At the end of the same road (just over 5,000 feet in the “Cloud Forest”) we saw a view of Kona and the ocean below. There were beautiful flowers and rain forest trees and ferns.

Coming down we tried to find a restaurant and ended up on a narrow two-way one lane road — luckily no one came the other way! We ended up eating at Big Island Grill in downtown Kona. A historic church nearby was being renovated and wasn’t open.

Our B&B was a condo in a large complex that fronted the ocean. During our stay we had several gecko visitors, one only a couple of inches long.

Friday, February 14 was a travel day from Kona to Hawi in the north. We stopped at Ahaehoomaluo Beach and saw a sea turtle and took a path around the ancient fishponds. We ate at Waimea in a small cafe, got groceries, and saw a museum of Hawaiian cowboys. We took the “over the mountain” road to Hawi — lots of hills and valleys and one lane bridges. We drove to the Pololu Valley Lookout — it was very crowded.

After settling in at the B& B, we ate at the Bamboo Restaurant. The food was great and there was a wonderful Hawaiian guitar player & singer. It was a nice way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Saturday, February 15 we had breakfast at the B&B, then went to the Pololu Valley Lookout - there was only one other car and an amazing view! On the way back, we drove down a very narrow road to the Keokea Beach Co. Park. There was great wave action against the black rocks with high cliffs around it. A flock of wild chickens wanted some food.

On the way back we stopped at the King Kamahamaha statue, shopped at the Farmer’s Market, and went down the coast to see the Lapakahi State Historic Site. We walked both sections of the trail through the ruins of a native Hawaiian village. It was on a lovely spot right on the ocean. and ate supper at Kings View Cafe in Kapaau - very informal. Hawi was very busy during lunch and supper - lots of activity and traffic.

Sunday, February 16 we woke up to rain. We headed down the West Coast Hwy and across through Waimea to the east coast, down through Hilo to see Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The rain stopped, but it was very windy.

The visitor center at 10 am was very crowded, so we grabbed a map and headed down the Chain of Craters Road. We stopped and walked part of the trail at the Kilauea Iki Overlook. It is an immense crater. The 1959 eruption spewed lava as high as the Empire State Building! We stopped twice to see the lava field and a view of the far southern coast.

At the Alanii Kahiko view we could see the “new” land created by the flows.

At the end of the road, we walked out near the sea arch and saw the high black lava cliffs created by the flows from 1983-2018. The ocean waves splashed high up on them. We ate very good pizza at a restaurant in the town of Volcano.

We stopped in Waimea for groceries and took the coast road back to Hawi. We stopped at Kapaa Beach Co Park and looked for whales. It’s a very pretty spot. We had supper at Sushi Rock / Trio in Hawi — a wonderful meal of chicken and Hawaiian Brown Rice with Macadamia Nuts and Pineapple!

Monday, February 17 There was heavy sounding rain during the night with wind. This area is in the path of the Trade Winds. After breakfast we headed down to Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site. The Heiau was built by King Kumahamaha to mark the end of the warring with other chieftains and the unification of all of Hawaii. (About the time of George Washington.). We walked the trail after watching a very good movie about the King and that time period.

We sat for a while at Spencer Beach Park right next door. On the way back we stopped at Kapaa Beach Park and saw whales spouting and one humpback breached!