You Are Doing WHAT!?

Big Island: 7. Hilo

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We drove to Hilo by way of Waikolo Village, Waimea, and Honokaa and stopped at Gramma’s Kitchen (a homey Portuguese restaurant) for lunch, which was excellent!  We ended up sitting next to a French couple from Paris on holiday. 🙂  

 

We spent the next day at the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden, which were gorgeous!  Note: There are lots and lots of photos below!! 🙂

The history of how the garden came to be was fascinating!

      

On our way back to the house, we stopped at What’s Shakin’ Smoothies for a coconut water, a smoothie, and a stunning view!  It turns out the business, house, and land are (were?) for sale for just over $2 million…in case anyone’s interested! 🙂 

G and L found a gecko near one of the pots, and we got some cool pictures of it!

After a super tasty late lunch/early dinner at the Pahoa Fresh Fish and Chips (which was recommended by our French friend, Nastia, at the Mariott in Kona), we headed back to the house, where we worked on our hackey sack skills! 🙂

The next day, we had a lower-key day as L had a nasty cold brewing.  We drove through kitschy Pahoa Village, stopped by the nearby transfer station that only a few years ago had lava running right up to its fences, and then headed into Hilo.  We ended up having lunch at the Hilo Burger Joint AND watching playoff hockey!  (Mike’s Note: The hockey game was about as exciting as the botanical gardens, but still hockey.)  On the way back to the house, we stopped at the Lava Tree State Monument. There’s a loop trail where we saw lava molds of tree trunks that were formed when a lava flow swept this forested area in 1790!  It was an easy, quick and interesting stop.

On our way back to Kona for our last three nights, we took the Saddle Road, which allowed us to stop at the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station (Mauna Kea Visitor Center) at 9,200 feet!

According to its web site, “Mauna Kea is the world’s home of astronomy.  The clarity, stability, and darkness of our skies make us the premier location for astronomical research, and is why we are home to thirteen of the world’s largest, most powerful, and most productive telescopes.”

The summit, where the telescopes are located, is one of the only places in the world where you can drive from sea level to 14,000 feet in about 2 hours, so altitude sickness is a high possibility (there is 40% less oxygen at the summit than at sea level!).  For that reason, it’s recommended that children under the age of 16 (as well as others with various health issues) not go any further than the visitor center.

It is possible to hike to the summit, if you are so inclined.  However, reading through the information about what it entails (and the dangers/riskes involved) makes me have absolutely no interest in adding it to my bucket list. 😉  I was happy and content to read and enjoy the information at the visitor center.  We even got to look at the sun (!) through a special telescope and saw solar flares and sunspots!  Cool!

Next stop, we return to Kona for our last 3 nights/4 days on the Big Island before we head home!

Big Island: 6. Kalaoa

Our first full day in Kalaoa was Mother’s Day, so we called both Nana and Grandma to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day, and then I asked if anyone was interested in going to the Hulihe’e Palace (which historically served as a summer residence for Hawaiian royalty) with me.  I didn’t have any takers, so (as a Mother’s Day treat!) Mike and the kids dropped me off at the palace, and they went to check out a beach/playground on the grounds of an old airport! 

 

After visiting the palace (and getting an impromptu tour because there were only 3 of us there), I went across and had a quick look at the first Christian church in Hawaii, which is made of lava stone and mortar.

 

From there, I walked down Ali’i Road in Kailua Village and popped into a couple of the shops along the way.

As I was heading back toward the main street, a young sales woman in a pineapple skirt convinced me to stop into her shop to try some magical potion to make my wrinkles disappear. (Yes, it was Mother’s Day, and she was talking to me about eye wrinkles!)

The stuff really seemed to work…it should have!  Online, the between eyes serum was $350 and the corners of eyes serum was $750 (or vice versa…doesn’t really matter!)  If I would have been interested in buying it in the store (which I wasn’t!), I could get both for $250!

Just so she didn’t get the idea that I was at all interested in purchasing her magic potion, I told her that I wasn’t going to buy anything without talking to my husband first. 🙂 I think she almost fell off her chair, but recovered quickly enough to ask if I check before buying shoes or a new shirt…I said, “Yes, I do.”  At that point, I think she was wondering what century I lived in, but I nicely explained that’s just how it works — he works; I stay at home, so we discuss purchases. (Mike’s Note: That doesn’t seem SOOO wrong, now does it?)

She gave me her card with information about the product (which it turns out is some sort of caviar from Beverly Hills), wished me a Happy Mother’s Day, and I continued walking down the marketplace.

Just around the corner, a nicely dressed guy was handing out samples.  I tried to say thanks and keep walking, but he asked where I was from and wanted me to come in so he could take a look at the wrinkles around my eyes…!  I said someone just did!  He said, “I can’t tell…” At that point, I smiled and said that I needed to catch my ride and asked if he wanted his sample back.  He said, “No you keep it.  You’re too cute, Miss Minnesota.” 🙂  Too cute but with wrinkles around my eyes. 🙂  Ugh!  Happy Mother’s Day! 🙂

By the time Mike and the kids picked me up, the stuff the woman at the first shop applied had dried up around my eye, so it looked like I had concrete stuck to my face.  Pretty! 🙂 The kids weren’t big fans. 🙂

The day was saved, however, with a lovely Mother’s Day dinner of grilled meatballs and pineapple, a tasty cupcake, and some lovely drawings from the kids. 🙂

  

While staying in Kalaoa, we spent a day snorkeling at Kahalu’u Beach.  It was GREAT!  The water was calm, and we were able to see lots and lots of different fish!        

The next day, we headed out to check out various beaches for swimming/snorkeling, starting at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park. At the visitor center, G got another Junior Ranger booklet and started to fill it out after walking around a bit and reading and looking at the displays.  Not too far from the visitor center area, was a harbor where we walked down to the see the beach and historical/culturally important ruins, as well as found some more info for G’s booklet.

There was a sea turtle on the beach, so Leo drew a line around it to keep people the preferred 15 to 20 feet away, and one of the park volunteers thanked him. 🙂

Back at the visitor center, G answered questions and was sworn in as a junior ranger using Hawaiian words this time! 🙂

After a quick lunch at Costco (!!), we headed for another beach Mahai’ula Beach, which is part of Kekaha Kai State Park.  This one required us to drive was over a seriously, ridiculously rocky lava field!  It was worth it, though, as there was a beautiful bay and lovely beach area to explore.

It started to rain a bit, but it didn’t last too long.  By the time it stopped, however, we were back in the jeep, so we decided to check out another beach just down the road —Manini’owali Beach at Kua Bay.  There was a lovely paved road almost right to the beach!   

We just had to walk a few steps down a lava hill, where there was a long stretch of beautiful soft, white sand!  Gorgeous!!  There were lots of people in the water, splashing, snorkeling, boogie boarding, etc.  The kids weren’t in suits but had a great time getting wet and “riding” the waves, which were really big (to us at least)! 🙂  

 

The next morning, we headed to Hilo.  While we had planned to stop at Kua Bay again to snorkel, the road there was closed and being rerouted due to an accident, unfortunately.  We decided instead of snorkeling, the next best thing was shaved ice at Scandinavian Shaved Ice. (Mike’s Note: I was hoping for lutefisk flavored ice, but had no luck.)

As we walked along, I snapped this picture of a yellow hibiscus (the state flower of Hawaii) and called it “Beauty and the Beast.” Can you figure out why… 🙂

 

Big Island: 5. Kona

From the south part of the Big Island, we headed to Kailua-Kona. Our first stop was at Snorkel Bob’s to pick up snorkel gear for all of us, including the super cool moflo snorkels, which are amazing!  As the kids hadn’t ever snorkeled, eliminating the unpleasant experience of water getting into their snorkels was definitely a plus!

The gal there recommended Foster’s Kitchen for lunch, so we walked down the street a block or so and had a great lunch upstairs on their lanai overlooking the bay — beautiful!  Mike and L split rack of BBQ ribs and G and I split a chicken pesto avocado sandwich.  Super tasty!

We didn’t tell the kids that we were staying at a hotel right on the beach, so they were super excited and then we told them we were going to the luau, too! 😉  FUN!

 

(Mike’s Note: Marriott Reward points are THE BEST!!  Very worth it to spend the points on a place like this.  One of the greatest customer service experiences at a hotel I’ve had.)
After getting checked in, the kids put on their snorkel gear and headed for the pool to try it out!  They both got the hang of them right away and had fun using them in the pool.  

That evening was the luau out on the lawn.  We each got a shell lei as we followed the line outside.  It was a really interactive evening, which was fun — not just dinner and a show. It felt like a party with Hawaiian games to play, tatoos, fire baton twirling (without the fire), hula dancing lessons, and Mai Tais and other drinks on the lawn.

    

Before dinner was served, we got to watch the imu ceremony, which is the uncovering of the imu (underground oven), where the kalua pig was cooked.  (An imu uses hot coals, stones and layers of leaves and cloth or mats to steam food.)  

Following that, the Royal Court (performers dressed as King Kamehameha and his court) arrived via an outrigger canoe and a rainbow!

The dinner was a fabulous buffet that the MC described, so we knew what we were going to find at the buffet before we were excused by table to the buffet line.   

As we were eating the actual luau show began.  It was called He Ohana Kakou and was focused on family and sharing cultural traditions and practices of both Hawaii and its “cousins,” the other Polynesian islands of Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, Easter Island, and Fiji.  It was a really fun evening!  

 

Afterward, G and I got a picture with some of the performers, and L got a fire baton to take with him!  As we were walking, a little voice started talking to L.  “Hey, hey guy.  I got one of those, too.”  He was a super cute little 3 ½ year old who thought L was a pretty cool big kid. 🙂

The next day at the pool, the little boy from the luau (Daniel) spotted G and L, so he was super excited to play with the kids and decided quickly that G was his best friend! 🙂  

We spent the next two days snorkeling in the ocean, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with Daniel and his parents (Bernadette and Tomasch), who were from Hungary but live in Dubai.  

On the last day, G was playing with a loose tooth when it suddenly fell out.  Daniel kept asking, “But, G, why did your tooth fall out?”  It was a little confusing for someone who hasn’t experienced losing a tooth! 🙂

One more picture and then time to say goodbye…Daniel wasn’t too happy about it, though.

On our way out, we stopped by the front desk to say goodbye to Nastia (who was the primary reason for the aforementioned customer service experiences).  She is a French woman we met when we checked into the hotel.  She’s from Paris and used to teach French.  She was so sweet and had several conversations with G and L in French, which was fun. 🙂  

Next stop, an AirBnB place in Kalaoa, just up the hill from the beach.

Big Island: 4. South of South – Black Crabs and Coffee

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Before walking to a coffee shop, we called to wish Mike’s Grandma a happy 99th birthday, made pancakes that resembled tiki statues, and created some domino runs. 🙂

The coffee shop was nearby (about a 2-mile walk) that we’d passed by several times in the car, and I’d read good reviews about it.  It was a lovely little place and in such a beautiful location with a wonderful new, open-air building for events.  The owner and barista were super friendly.  It turned out that as we were walking, the owner had passed us on the way to pick up her kids from school and thought about stopping to see if we needed help. There wasn’t really a sidewalk/path, so we were just walking in the grassy shoulder. I’m guessing that there aren’t a lot of people walking that route. 🙂

In addition to the coffee/gift shop, the owner’s mom runs an orchid greenhouse in the back as well.  Both the coffee shop and the orchid farm are the southernmost of their kind in the U.S. 🙂  (Mike’s Note: At the time, I was the Southernmost left-handed brown-eyed Math major in the U.S. as well.)

 

Spent another afternoon at the black sand beach (Punalu’u Beach), but we parked on the other side this time and walked out onto the big lava rocks and watched the waves crashing on them.

There were also some super cool black crabs crawling around, but they were too fast (or shy) for us to get any pictures. Below is a picture from a web site with more information and about them.

After the beach, we headed to the Punalu’u Bake Shop (again) for some pastries.  We each had $4 to spend.  G and L were so excited that they were able to choose two things!!  G got a pinwheel and a vanilla malasada (Portuguese donut).  L got a vanilla cream puff and a vanilla malasada.  I got a traditional malasada.  Mike got a bag of pineapple candy.  Yum!

The malasadas are the best donuts I’ve had!  I think it’s the consistency. 🙂

We headed home and the kids convinced Mike to stop at the coffee truck since I’d not spent my full $4. 🙂

Backstory — One day while we were sitting on the lanai of our house, we saw a coffee food truck drive by.  I was hoping it was like an ice cream truck in the neighborhood.  I was listening for a bell or music or something and was ready to run down the street with my money. 🙂  Sadly, that didn’t happen.  Happily, though, we spotted that same coffee truck (The Flyin’ Hawaiian Coffee Co.) parked on the lawn of a church in Naaleu on our way back from the beach! 🙂

I got a tasty cafe au lait with a little foam for the road.  The kids ran around in the yard, hoping someone would offer them some espresso and a kitten like a sign on the truck warned. 🙂 Thankfully, that didn’t happen! 🙂