The Mountain Revealed and Paddle Boarding 101

Woke up this morning to a great sunrise with not too many clouds in the sky. We had a 7:30 am appointment with Keala for a Paddle Board lesson in Hilo Bay. As we drove out the gate Keala pointed toward Mauna Kea and there it was, 14,000 feet and clear of clouds. Later from the bay we could see both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

We paddle boarded up the Wailoa River into a beautiful park so we could get used to standing on the boards. We did get a little time on the bay before we finished, but Keala (the Owner of our rental) was a great teacher. And since she was sure she wouldn’t fall off her board she took our camera and took some great pictures.

After paddle boarding we went back to Kapoho Tide Pools. Steve gave us some masks and snorkles and we saw a lot of fish and coral. Back in Hilo we ate lunch at Sombat’s Fresh Thai Cuisine, recommended by Steve and Keala and really good.

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After lunch we got an Hawaiian Shaved Ice at Wilson’s.

Champagne Pond and Tidepools

Shorter trip today closer to Hilo. Still had a mile hike into Champagne Pond because it’s inside a gated community. All the beaches are public in Hawaii but sometimes access is hard. Champagne Pond has warm water in it heated from the Volcano. Then we drove north a bit to Kapoho where a lava flow into the ocean made a big area of tide pools. We might come back Wednesday to snorkle. The water was very clear and we could see a lot of fish just looking down.

Posting today’s pictures early because we are going paddle boarding with our Hostess Keala tomorrow morning on Hilo Bay. She has a business taking people out.

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Hike to the Green Sand Beach near Ka Lea (South Point)

Monday’s adventure was to see the Green Sand Beach near Ka Lea, the southern most point of the United States. It was about an hour and a half drive from our cottage going up past the Volcano National Park. Once we got past the Volcano the landscape got much dryer. To our right was the gradually sloping base of the Mauna Loa, it’s top still in the clouds. We wanted to get some sandwiches for our hike and saw there might be a place. Just before that there was a listing on the GPS for a coffee plantation that was right on the road. We pulled over and it was a mom and pop operation with a few acres of coffee and a self serve tasting center. We walked up to the house where you could buy some beans. The owner was excited to see us. She said she was packing some shipments to be sent out by mail. She told us there were some more acres of coffee up the slope of the mountain. Her husband had worked the old sugar cane plantation and after it had closed some of the workers got pieces of the land. The roasted beans were in a big bag she said came from the roaster in Kona. We wondered if maybe it was from Costco, but no worries. As we walked back to the car her family was harvesting some of the coffee nearby.

At Punaluu State Park there is a black sand beach right off the highway known as a resting place for sea turtles. We stopped to see and there were many tourists there. Dennis took a picture for a nice family. People seemed to be pretty good about not hassling the turtles. Bob thought it was funny there was a snack shop right on the beach. People have got to make a living.

In the town of Naalehu we stopped at the Hana Hou Restaurant to get some sandwiches to go. The listing said they made a great Macadamia Nut Cream pie, and we had a piece for dessert before we headed back on the road. It was great!

A short drive from there was the parking lot for our hike to the Green Sand Beach. About 2.5 miles each way along the brilliant blue water, the hike was easy, but a little hot and windy. Some locals were giving rides in four wheel drive trucks or jeeps to tourists that didn’t want to walk in. It didn’t take too long to get to the beach and we sat behind some rocks to avoid the wind and had a nice lunch.

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Visit to Pele’s Home

Sunday we visited Volcano National Park to see the caldera of Kilaua. It’s about an hour drive from Hilo. Going up through the rainforest it was very drizzly. About half way up the mountain there was supposed to be a clearing where you could see Pu’u O’o vent, which is where the current eruption is happening. One of the videos on Cielo Grande shows a lava flow which broke from the vent caldera on September 21, 2011. We saw a vent but on the way up weren’t sure it was Pu’u O’o.

Since it was drizzly and early, we stopped in the town of Volcano to the only winery on the Big Island. There are only two wineries in Hawaii. It doesn’t seem that it is easy to grow grapes in the volcanic soil which is only 3 inches thick. Plus there is the problem of sulfur in the air and the many days of moisture which makes mold easy to grow. They did make a Honey Wine (Mead) from Macadamia Nut honey that was good, and another Mead infused with Black Tea from the Island that was also very good and different. We also bought a white wine that was blended with fermented Guava that had a nice local taste.

Pictures of the Volcano don’t do it justice. The caldera of Kilauea is big and deep and a picture doesn’t give enough depth. Smoke is rising from Halema’uma’u Crater on the far edge of the caldera. At night you can see the orange glow of lava at the bottom. This crater was supposed to be the home of Pele. We hiked around the rim to the Jagger Museum past some steam vents. It was nice to be away from the tour buses.

We also stopped at the Thurston Lava Tube on the way to a hike where we thought we good get a better look at Pu’u O’o. We were lucky that only one other group of people were walking through it when we were there. It can get pretty crowded.

We finished our visit with a short hike to Pu’u Hulahula. Across lava fields from Mauna Ulu (1969). It was a nice walk with views of Kilauea smoke in the distance. Pu’u Hulahula is an old crater that is now grown full of jungle, but from it’s summit we got a good look of Pu’u O’o in the distance pluse many other sights. On a clear day you are supposed to see much more, but it was great what we saw.

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World Peace Festival

Saturday we went into town for breakfast at Ken’s House of Pancakes. Then we walked over to Coconut Island to check out the World Peace Festival. There was some music and dancing there which was nice to watch. The weather was also very nice. Then we went home for the afternoon sitting around the pool having wine and visiting with Steve and Keala for a bit while we let a stew we made for dinner cook.

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Malasadas, Makalawena, and a Sunset from 15,000 feet

Took a trip to the dry side of the Island. Just a bit into the drive we stopped for a Malasada, which is a Portuguese fried bread or doughnut. Keala had left a note in her welcome letter that these shouldn’t be missed and they were good hot and fresh.

Dennis had researched a good beach he wanted to go to. It is near to Kona, but about a half hour hike over some old lava fields. It was amazing how dry it is on the other side of the Island. We had seen that there was a different macadamia nut farm, but it turned out to be a processing plant. They did have some different flavors (Bob liked the “Spam” seasoned nuts), and a nut cracker and some fresh nuts, so we liked it.

Nearby was an Historical Park of where King Kamehameha had a temple and his court. It is called Pu`ukohola Heiau. It was a short self guided walk, and it was interesting, but it didn’t make the ancient Hawaiians seem very nice.

Then to the beach at Makalawena. It was funny, as we were leaving to go there Tim left a message on Dennis’ phone with directions to it. He didn’t know we were going there.

On the way home we wanted to try one more time to see the stars at Mauna Kea. They had told us Friday should be good weather, but when we got to the visitors center it was still foggy. We could see the clouds thinning and it looked like the sun was trying to break through. Another tourist with a rental car walked into the Information Center then came back and started driving up the mountain to the top even though it’s supposed to only be for four wheel drive vehicles. We figured at least we could see the sunset if we drove up a little way. The clouds didn’t want to clear and we ended up making it all the way to the top and got to see a fantastic sunset, plus all the telescopes. There were many tours up there doing the same thing, but costing a lot of money. The road turned out to be nicer than the road to our house, but being at 15,000 feet elevation did make us a little light headed. It was a lot of fun.

When we got back to the Visitors Center the sky had cleared and we did get to look through some telescopes at stars but the program wasn’t very good. We stayed for awhile then went home. We need to get a good telescope for the cabin.

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Hiking Waipi’o Valley

Thursday we went to hike down into Waipi’o Valley. There is a road down into it, but the grade is 25%, so no one drives without a four wheel drive or on a tour. The valley is located in the north of the Island on the Hamakua Coast. It was about a 40 mile drive from where we are staying with some nice coastal scenery. First we stopped by the very accessible Akaka Falls. There is a good cement path to the falls through some very lush and colorful jungle foliage. Bob was very nostalgic about Hawaii on the hike, and after thinking about it realized that it was because when he was little, Hawai’i had just become a State and there was a lot of references to it in cartoons and other TV shows, and of course there was the Tacky Tiki Room in Disneyland. He thought that was funny.

After the falls we drove to Honokaʻa. We had heard of this town because it is where Rosanne Barr has a house and where she made her reality show “Roseanne’s Nuts” about like on a Macadamia Nut Ranch. We liked the show, but saw this week that it was cancelled for a second season next year. We had lunch at a small restaurant in town. We had read the town was an artist area, but many shops were empty and the town was dead this time of year.

A short drive from Honokaʻa we parked at the overlook of Waipi’o Valley. The view was spectacular and the hike down was steep, but since the road was paved not too difficult, just like home but without the big gravel to slip on. It wasn’t very crowded on the black sand beach. We walked over to the Z-Trail that rises the other side of the valley to get a look of Hiʻilawe Falls, the tallest on the Island. It was a little in the shadows and not running so hard, but still pretty.

When we got back to Hilo we had a Homemade Ice Cream at Hilo Homemade Ice Cream. Dennis had Macadamia Nut and Bob had Rocky Road. Yummy.

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We are glad to hear Ginger and Zues are doing okay. We really appreciate they are being taken care of.

Farmers Market and Lava Fields

Went to the big Farmers Market in Hilo. They have a little one everyday, which we got some fresh fruit and vegetables at on the first day, but Wednesday and Saturday it is bigger with more vendors and more things like jewelry and clothes to sell. The we headed south to see the lava fields. Right now there is no lava flowing to the ocean so we hiked to the beach across an old flow from the 1980’s. On the way home we stopped at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory and walked the self guided tour backwards. The didn’t show how they cracked the nuts, which is what we wanted to see. We bought some cans of nuts. The Kona Coffee glazed ones where good. Sat in the spa with a glass of wine with Steve and Keala and they shared some ideas of what to do. Both were born in Hawaii, and Keala’s family has been here many generations since the time of Kamehameha in the 1800’s. Then a stir fry with our veggies for dinner.

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