Along for the ride: Kona - Fun in the sun

After working on the house and making arrangements for other repairs to be completed, we have time to enjoy the island. In fact, we have more time than other trips because the house doesn't need as much attention, we have given up our real estate search for living here, and all of our friends we used to hang out with have left the island.

Keauhou Surf and Racket

Here's a few snaps of where we're staying. Although we've stayed in many different places on the island, we tend to like staying at the Keauhou Surf and Racket.

Lava foundations of a king's residence

The condo complex has several archeological sites within the compound as the area was once a favored residence of Hawaiian royalty - Ali'i. In fact, the main road through this area is Ali'i Drive.

One area not pictured is a men's residence. Men and women lived separately with male children joining the men's house once they were weaned from their mothers.

It has a good location with lovely grounds and nice amenities.

Pool

Club house with tennis courts

Many of the units are ocean front, including the one we have rented for the week.

Inside our condo

view to north

view to south

South Kona

In looking for some garden plants, we visit a nursery a few miles south.

Shade house

White striped bamboo

Peter chats with Jerry

Jerry, the owner, turns out to be a talkative old hippy from the Vietnam era. Besides running this nursery, they have a non-profit parrot sanctuary of over 400 birds given up by people who could no longer keep them. Parrots do tend to be longer lived than most people expect and plan for.

a prized Macaw

Jerry gives his pet a good head scratch

Farther south we explore a black "sand" beach in Kona Paradise for a friend who's considering buying a home there.

the beach at Kona Paradise

Not exactly sand... maybe in a few thousand years

We stop at a few of our favorite roadside stands.

South Kona Fruit Stand

My favorite Lei stand

You gotta like the price

Most days we have lunch out since we're running around the island. One day we decide to check out Sam Choy's which as gotten mixed reviews from our friends and Yelp... in short the view is great, the food is so-so.

I toast Peter with a Kona draft

Bar area with Marlin

Coffee Farm Tour

Unfortunately, our planned tour of Hualalai Crater is cancelled for our last day on Kona. So we decide to check out an organic coffee farm operated by Mountain Thunder in the Kaloko cloud forest at the 3000'+ level.

Mountain Thunder entrance

Our guide starts by explaining how the plants continually set flowers and coffee cherry on the same branches necessitating hand picking to collect only the ripe fruits... which makes Kona coffee so expensive.

Flower buds with green cherries

our guide

Ripe cherries with raw beans

We then head into the processing factory... We are surprised to learn that Mountain Thunder ships many of their processed beans to other roasters and only roast a small proportion of their own beans on site.

where beans are washed, sorted into sizes,

and bagged.

high quality green coffee beans

Bags awaiting shippment

local roaster

Peter enjoys a taste of their best estate coffee

Being an organic farm, they reply on integrated pest management solutions rather than sprays.

Feral chickens

Geese and ducks

with occasional help from wild turkeys

The cat patrol has the night shift and snoozes during the day.

this kitty had to be prodded to get out of the road

zzzz... wake me when a mouse shows up

Keauhou Farmers' Market

There's a small market on Wednesdays at the Keauhou Beach Resort, which is right next door to us. Even though we have to leave the next day, we decide to check it out for future reference.

Small Weds Farmers' Market

I show off a new lei

Peter gets one too

Next to the Keauhou Resort, an old hotel was torn down and the land was given back to the native Hawaiians since the site was originally occupied by a large Heaiu (temple). Over the years, we've watched the destruction of the old hotel and the reconstruction of the Heaiu. We are pleasantly surprised at how much progress has been made on this visit.

Keauhou Heaiu reconstruction

The ancient Polynesians originally came to the Hawaiian islands in large ocean going canoes, Kai Wa'a, from Tahiti. This migration was a truly remarkable feat in ocean navigation in which they used not only what they could see and feel from the ocean and sky. This ancient art is now being taught again, but is not easy to master. On Mother's Day, we are treated to a single sail Kai Wa'a crossing close by our condo lanai.