At the end of the day, after our walk in the woods among the frogs of Manuka State Wayside, we headed back to Kona on the western flanks of Mona Loa along Highway 11. We passed back thru the desolate Kipahoehoe Natural Area and took the turn-off back to Honaunau. You see, the fair and […]
Tag Archives: vacation
Manuka State Wayside Park
Fri, 4 Jan 2013, 11:02 PM (-06:00)
The sign said Manuka State Park. But I’ve seen it called Manuka State Wayside or Manuka State Wayside Park. It’s relatively small place. The Hawaii State Parks web page can only muster three sentences about it. They tell you is has trees, that you can picnic there, that there’s a nature trail and that there’s […]
No Green Sand For You
Thu, 3 Jan 2013, 10:22 PM (-06:00)
1. Going to Green Sands We had this idea. Why not drive to Green Sand beach? Green Sand or Mahana or Papkolea beach near South Point in Ka‘u is actually the remains of a cinder cone that erupted 50,000 years ago. The ocean has worn it away, and green olivine sand covers the shore. And from that […]
Kealakekua Bay
Wed, 2 Jan 2013, 04:14 PM (-06:00)
Near Kealakekua Bay. Where Captain Cook landed during the height of Makahiki in January 1779. And where we went snorkeling from the deck of the Fair Wind II in April 2012.
Kahalu‘u Beach
Wed, 2 Jan 2013, 12:02 PM (-06:00)
The sky was blue. The day was warm. Sunlight glinted off aquamarine water. We sat on the salt-and-pepper beach gazing up the slopes at rain clouds hugging the forest on the mountainside. It was low tide. The water was far from the sandy shore, and we had to clamber over sharp, black rocks in our flippers […]
Before We Drive Off
Wed, 2 Jan 2013, 10:08 AM (-06:00)
Before we drive off, one more from Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau:
Ranger Kalehua
Tue, 1 Jan 2013, 08:44 PM (-06:00)
Ranger Kalehua gave a good talk. He told a good story, and he kept his audience involved in the telling of it. In fact, Kalehua had a knack for spotting people in the audience who might make good targets and pointing to them and saying, “Quick, what’s the name of this place?” Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau […]
Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau
Tue, 1 Jan 2013, 08:32 PM (-06:00)
A place of black volcanic rock. Stark against the blue ocean. Black walls of ancient temples at the southern end of Honaunau Bay. Pu‘uhonua O Honaunau National Park. (Say that three times fast!) This was our main destination for the day. And we timed it well without knowing it, because just after we got […]
The Coffee Shack
Tue, 1 Jan 2013, 12:51 AM (-06:00)
Highway 11 on the Kona coast is extremely narrow there. The mountain rises up on the one side and drops off steeply on the other side of the two-lane road. Yet just beyond The Coffee Shack there was a narrow pull-off on the narrow shoulder where two cares were parked. Evidently this was the overflow […]
Catamaran
Mon, 31 Dec 2012, 06:32 PM (-06:00)
Blue sky. White clouds roll by. Cool breeze blowing off the ocean. Deep blue waters. White waves breaking on black rocks. And oh my gosh, would you believe it? There goes a Hawaiian catamaran under sail. Two yellow hulls kicking up whitecaps. A brown-orange sail full with the wind of the deep blue sea. Why are you […]