Pierced in Paradise

Location: The Big Island, Hawaii

Introduction:

Hawaii is a favorite travel destination of ours and the Big Island is extra special in that we met there. We used it to transition from Asia back to the USA as the last leg of our extended vacation abroad. It’s the largest and most rugged of the islands, yet beautiful in its own way. At the end of June, the daily temps were in the low-80’s for a high and the mid-70’s for a low. Despite our mishap (see below), it’s only a matter of time before we’ll be back for more.

Sights Visited:

We used Sea Quest Hawaii for an afternoon of snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay. We had a blast. The snorkeling was perfect for our seven-year-old daughter as the water was crystal clear and the depth ideal. We were also entertained by spinner dolphins frolicking nearby. We were transported in a fast open-air speed boat making for an exhilarating ride on the choppy ocean water. Some large bottle nose dolphins joined us on the return voyage and put on a show racing the boat and jumping in and out of the water. We explored a sea cave and some lava tubes; learned about Captain Cook and some of the island’s history and geology.

We headed to the other side of the island to visit Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. For us, it was worth the two-hour drive each way to see an active volcano and connect with nature. There’s a small visitors center that was well staffed with helpful park rangers to guide us. We did some hiking on some fairly easy trails that were well suited for our daughter. Checking out the steam vents and walking through a huge lava tube cave were extraordinary.

The Seahorse Farm offers one-hour tours that need to be booked in advance. It was a fun activity.

Most of the beaches are rocky from all of the past lava flows. We needed a proper sand beach fix. So, we headed for Hapuna Beach for an afternoon of fun in the sun.

We visited Greenwell Farms and took a one hour guided tour to learn all about Kona Coffee. The place is popular and dates back to 1850. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot about the farming, harvesting, processing and roasting. Following the tour, free samples of all of their brewed coffees were provided. We enjoyed many of them and purchased some of our favorite to bring back home. The whole experience exceeded our expectations and we came away favorably impressed.

We booked an afternoon cave tour with Kula Kai Caverns but as luck would have it, we never made it. While exploring tidal pools in the morning, we discovered a sleeping sea turtle. When attempting to pet the turtle’s shell, Adelaide’s foot slipped and landed onto a hidden sea urchin. The pain was intense resulting in a trip to urgent care to remove the largest of the embedded spines. It was an adventure we’ll never forget.

With Adelaide hobbled by her foot injury, we needed a chill activity and found a good one at the Kona Kat Café.

We found another leisurely activity with a visit to the Paleaku Gardens Peace Sanctuary. It lived up to its name as the gardens were both tranquil and beautiful.

Play:

The Ali’i Kai Park playground was just a few minutes from where we stayed.

The large Kamakana playground at Harold H. Higashihara Park is south of Kailua-Kona on the way to the Coffee Shack.

We found a nice playground located in Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area to break up our drive to see Volcanoes National Park. It was located between the enormous Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes.

Accommodations:

We used VRBO to book a two-bedroom two full-bath condo on the ocean named Kona Bali Kai in Kailua-Kona. It’s an older property that’s well maintained with an unbeatable location that sea turtles frequent. Our daughter enjoyed exploring the tidal pools along the rocky shoreline. The property faces west allowing us to admire the beautiful sunsets. We had a full kitchen including a drip coffee maker and full-sized washer and drier. The single unit Euro-style A/C left a lot to be desired. The WiFi was excellent.

Food & Drink:

There’s a Costco near the airport where we picked up some familiar items for our one week stay. We ate out frequently with Halani restaurant at the Mauna Lani resort being the best.

Our nephew Matt, who lives in Oahu, joined us for a day. So, we headed for our favorite breakfast spot The Coffee Shack where both the food and the view are terrific. There was a wait to get in but it’s totally worth it.

We like mochi filled with ice cream. Matt told us about a place in Hilo (Two Ladies Kitchen Mochi Manju) that fills them with all sorts of things other than ice cream, we had to go there and give them a try. Shaved ice is also a popular dessert on the island.

Transportation System:

The overnight flight from Tokyo on Hawaiian Airlines took seven hours to Honolulu where we had to clear customs and recheck our bags for a short flight over to the Big Island. The funny thing was that we left Tokyo on Friday night and arrived in Hawaii on Friday morning as we crossed the international date line. We picked up a rental car upon landing, which is a necessity to explore the island as there is very limited public transportation available. To get back home, we flew United to Denver on an overnight flight with a connection to Orlando.