In a marked change from the usual volcano generated Island weather,
Kona Winds blow in a storm from the Pacific.
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| Kona winds usher in a storm from the Pacific |
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The guys are up early and explore the nearby
Ke'eku Heiau which is now being restored as a Native Hawaiian Cultural Center. Although now yet open to the public, the tide is low enough to afford a sneak peak. The economic downturn and subsequent decrease in tourist business has allowed the Native Hawaiian Cultural groups to take back sacred sites around Keauhou. They are in the process of demolishing the former Outrigger Hotel (a neighboring Sheraton was previously demolished over 10 years ago) to expand their Cultural Center. Since the Outrigger borders delicate fish ponds, this demolition takes more planning and time to complete.
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| Jamie wades through the low tide |
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| Tiki guarding Ke'eku Heiau |
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To avoid the building storm, we head north up the Kona Gold Coast, home of several large resorts, in search of sunny weather.
Kua Bay is our first stop to check out the beach and see whales not far off the shoreline.
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| Paul points out whales |
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| Suzy enjoys whale watching |
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| Storm builds to the south |
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We decide to return to Kua Bay later once the weather improves. Moving further north, we stop to check out A Bay (
'Anaeho'omalu Bay) and then have lunch
at the food court in
Queen's Shops at the
Waikoloa Beach Resort.
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| A young girl enjoys feeding Koi |
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| Peter enjoys an ice cream cone |
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| Marti enjoys watching the Koi |
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Back on the road northward, Paul shows us another snorkel put in at
Puako.
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| Snorkel put in |
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| Suzy finds an interesting shell |
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| Jamie and Suzy explore the reef and tide pools |
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Just north is our favorite beach -
Hapuna. With the rainy weather, Hapuna is mostly deserted except for a group of teenagers working on a sand sculpture of a mermaid riding a seahorse.
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| The artists |
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| head of seahorse and mermaid |
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| and their tails |
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We finally find sun (and no wind) in
Hawi, an former sugar plantation town which has retained many of it's original buildings. Our favorite is the
Tropical Dreams Ice Cream shop.
Hawi is a fun place to wander around to take in some of the local flavor in addition to ice cream.
The road stops at the
Pololu Valley (long spear) Lookout. This valley is one of three parallel valleys - Pololu, Honokane Nui and
Wiapio facing north. All three valleys were once the home of taro farmers. However, after the large destructive tsumani generated from the
1964 Alaskan earthquake, all three valleys are now very sparsely populated. The
hike down to the black sand beach is a fun trip, but the day is getting too late, so we simply enjoy the view.
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| Lush vegetation on north side of Big Island |
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| Pololu Lookout |
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| Old surfers survey the waves |
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| Cliffs and black sand beach |
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| A meandering stream works it way down the valley |
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| Warning signs at trail head |
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Despite the dangers, it's a beautiful valley home to many native birds.
We take one last look before heading back to Keauhou via the
Kolaha Mountain Road.
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| Pololu Valley |
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