Along for the ride: July 2018

After the first 10 days, the usual stay for us, we find ourselves relaxing more and just taking life day by day. We are no longer in a frenzied rush trying to see and do as much as we can in the time we have on the island. Instead, we fall into doing many of activities we do on the mainland, such as, hiking, and visiting interesting places.

Hike on fire road behind Puako housing with view of clouds building on Kohala

At the end of Puako Beach Road on the Mauna Lani Resort property is the Puako Petroglyph Field, with over 1200 petroglyphs. One large panel has over a hundred human petroglyphs with most of the heads pointing to Mauna Kea. These are thought to indicate a religious reverence to the volcano... or maybe commemorate a battle or large ceremony. No one actually knows for sure, but it's fun to speculate about what the early Polynesians were thinking.

Petroglyph trail marker

Viewing platform to main panel

Man

paddles to island

meets woman

and raises child

Goats were introduced in 1700's by Cooke's voyages

Aloha goat

Goats enjoying green grasses after the rains

One evening we go to the Mauna Kea Resort to enjoy the sunset.

Mauna Kea Hotel and Beach - photo looks an old postcard

Possible snorkel location?

On a day that's not good for the beach, we drive to the Kalopa State Recreation Area on the windward side of the island north of Hilo. We've come to see old growth Ohia trees and what the forests may have looked like BH (before humans).

Beginning of Nature Trail

Lots of large trees

really big trees

Monster philodendron vines

which grow up large trees

Ferns, large and small, are everywhere

Wild Orchids

Wild Orchid

Native hibiscus

After the hike we drive to the Waipio Valley Overlook, where Peter's excellent parking karma continues to serve us well. Even though the parking lot is packed with tourists, we find a good spot.

Waipio Overlook on a cloudy day

On a bad beach day, we finally drive up Mauna Kea for the first time despite being on the island many times before. Turns out this day isn't the best time to go. The fog is so thick we can't see much of anything. Next time we'll book a night tour well in advance and hopefully get a clear night to see the stars up at the observatories.

Yes - of course, we have to look at real estate. Much to our surprise we find a house we fall in love with, but to buy it we would have to sell out of California. After talking and thinking about it we have to face the fact, we really aren't ready to make this kind of leap yet. Still we are tempted by Puu Lani Ranch and South/North Kohala.

Puu by Puu Lani Rance

Wild turkeys at Puu Lani

Makani Golf Club

Kohala Ranch

Fancy shore front house on Mauna Kea Resort

Julie arrives back home day or two before we have to return to the mainland. We tell her about finding a Konane board out on the reef. We try to find it again to show her, but can't. Instead Julie shows us a petroglyph indicating this part of the reef is good for spear fishing.

Good spear fishing here

Peter at petroglyph

Yet another pretty Puako sunset

Spectacular double rainbow

Of course the day we leave the weather is absolutely gorgeous.

Good-bye Mauna Kea

Good-bye Mauna Lao

Good-bye Maui view

So what did we learn staying on the island for a month?

First to answer the question that we get asked the most "Are we moving to the Big Island?"
The short answer is no... at least, not yet. We did find a house that made us think hard about selling out of California, but we're not ready to make this kind of move. Still, we do like the northern part of the island on the Kona side. It's less populated with fewer tourists (if you stay away from the resorts).

Lava Man community cycling event

Over the years of visiting Hawaii and watching people come and go, we've noticed that those who stay and make Hawaii their home are the ones who become more involved with the local community, such as, canoe clubs, gardening, hiking, church and other groups. Those who just sit around and don't get involved tend to not stay long or end up as alcoholics.

On one trip, we met a couple from the Midwest on an airport shuttle. They were moving to Kailua Kona after selling out of their mainland home. In fact, they had bought a house they had only ever seen online. They were excited about getting to see it for the first time in person. Over the years, we've wondered how things worked out for them - if they liked the house and if they stayed. We would never recommend moving to Hawaii like this. I can only hope it worked out for them.

Morning on the front screened porch is a great place to greet the day with Kona coffee and papayas.

Sunlight streams in

Comfy seating

Our friends Sheila and Charles from California are flying in to join us for several days. We are meeting them at the Harbor House after they get free of the airport. I love the ambiance of sitting next to the large open windows looking out over the harbor. Plus, their schooners of beer served in large icy goblets are hard to turn away, especially while waiting.

Views of the harbor from our table

Peter with a schooner

After spending a restful evening at the house with Charles and Sheila, we decide to head northward the next day. Our first stop is Lapakahi State Historical Park, which is an archeological site at a pre-contact (before 1778) fishing village. When we first visited this site over 10 years ago, the archeologists then thought this village was only home to a few hundred people at most. However, in the intervening years, their excavations have uncovered a much more extensive complex of housing, temples, and agricultural fields. Currently, they think this complex supported a population of around 10,000 people. In fact, the archeologists are now revising their estimates of pre-contact populations of the Big Island overall from around 100,000 to 150,000 upwards to even as high as 500,000 people. Considering the current population of the Big Island is now around 200,000, this means the island used to support over twice as many people than there are living here now.

Windy day at Lapakahi State Park

Inside rebuilt hale

Outside of a large hale

Sheila and Charles along the walking paths at Lapakahi

We next drive up to Hawi, which is old plantation town once serving the housing and commercial needs of workers at the Kohala Sugar Plantation. Today the sugar plantation is long gone due to competition from cheaper sugar beet production in the mainland's Midwest. However, this quaint town remains a housing and commercial center for residents and tourists.

We stop for lunch at the classic Bamboo Restaurant and Bar. The decor is funky Hawaiian and the food is excellent. We especially like our liliquoi (Passion fruit) cocktails including a liliquoi Margarita (Sheila), a liliquoi Martini (Charles), a liliquoi Daiquiri over the rocks (Peter), and a liliquoi blended Daiquiri (me). Slurp! Guess you could say we went loco for liliquoi.

We resist the urge to order more drinks and instead drive to the end of the road at the Pololu Valley Lookout. The rain clouds catch up with us here forcing us to decide against the hike down into the valley as the steep trail becomes treacherous when wet and slippery.

Sheila toasting our good fortune

Peter with Daiquiri

View from Pololu Valley Lookout

We next take Kohala Mountain Road through Waimea to Hwy 19 towards the windward side of the island to meet mutual friends who have recently moved to the Hilo area, where they are building their dream home. Along the way, we pass magnificent views toward Kailua Kona.

Kohala Mountain Rd

View towards Kailua Kona

A stop at Laupahoehoe Point Beach Park.

Memorial to those who drowned in the tsunami

A school house once stood at this Beach Park. On April 1, 1946 the "April Fools Day Tsunami" raced out from an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands and completely inundated the school. While even more people were killed in Hilo, here twenty students and four teachers lost their lives.

One young teacher was washed out to sea and managed to hang onto some flotsam for hours before she was rescued. The happy ending to this otherwise tragic story is this teacher married the man who rescued her (as told in Perils of Paradise).

With a little trial and error we find Dennis and Mona's building site north of Hilo. It sits high on a hill overlooking the ocean. Although they haven't moved in quite yet, the house is almost ready. Dennis was a tile contractor in California. Both he and Mona have planned this move for many years. Before moving, they stuffed a container full of building supplies and had it shipped to their building site. We joke that they could turn the now almost empty container into an extra guest house where we can stay in the future.

Dennis and Mona's new digs

Mona show us the master bedroom

Moroccan tile for the bathrooms

While in the area, of course we have to stop at the sprawling Hilo Farmers' Market.

In the evening we go to dinner at the Lava Lava Beach Club, where local live music is featured. The Lava Lava Beach Club sits on the Anaeho'omalu Bay (known mostly as "A Bay") close to the Waikoloa Beach Resort.

Beach at A Bay

A Bay is also home to the Waikoloa Canoe Club, which our friends Al and Julie belong to. In fact, Julie appears on their website as part of a winning women's team. In the past, she has told us hair raising tales of rowing the Moloka'i Strait during one canoe race. The Moloka'i Strait is infamous for its treacherous currents, wind, and wave conditions.

Nice canoe!

Waiting for a table

Peter practices his paddling form

Our table is ready

Back at the house, it's time to climb over the lava for a good view of tonight's sunset.

Peter, Charles, Sheila and a Canadian winter refugee

The next day, Sheila and Charles leave to visit friends in Keauhou while we stay in Puako. One evening we meet Paul and Liza, who live in South Kona, at Don's Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Kona Resort to celebrate Peter's birthday with pupu's and drinks. Brother Noland provides the entertainment and the place is packed. We are lucky to score both a good parking place a table with a view.

We then move the party to Paul and Liza's for a traditional St. Patty's day dinner topped off with one of Liza's fabulous glutton free birthday cakes along with Paul's guitar playing.

Paul, Liza, me & Peter

Great BD cake!

Paul strums his guitar for us

A few days later. we meet for snorkeling at 69 Beach (aka Waialea Bay), which is close to Puako.

Paul & Peter entering the water at 69 Beach

He, who has the biggest flippers, swims fastest

Paul & Liza

Sand turtle at 69 Beach

On a Sunday, we meet at the Coffee Shack for brunch sweets and of course Kona coffee. Talk about a strong sugar/caffeine rush. Needing to work off our extra energy, we drive down to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau (Place of Refuge). Ancient Hawaiian culture was governed by strict rules and prohibitions - kapu. Death was the penalty for breaking a kapu and the only way to survive was to reach Pu'uhonua by the grace of the Gods before getting caught.

Today Place of Refuge is a National Historical Park which is well worth visiting on any trip to the Big Island.