Hawai'i - the Big Island

I find I need sunshine and warmth around November and what better way to rejuvenate than a trip to Hawai'i. This time around we decided to trip the big island of Hawai'i. Admittedly, this was a destination we had considered a year ago, but didn't end up going because of Covid. This year, the world is back open and so this trip was back on the table. Getting to the island of Hawai'i on our preferred airline requires a stop over through the US, so we opted for LA. We were delayed out of LA which meant we got into Kona later in the evening than we would have liked and with a 45 minute drive still to the hotel meant we didn't arrive to the hotel until after 9pm. The Kona airport is a tiny single level building which means you exit and enter your plane up/down stairs attached to the plane on the tarmac. It's quite lovely feeling the tropical warm breeze right as your step off the plane though. For a tiny airport, they had very efficient airport services and our luggage was offloaded quickly and we were on our way to Hertz to pick up our car. It was already dark when we arrived so we didn't see much on our drive north to the hotel. Driving another day during daylight we noted the scenery along the highway was mostly barren lava rock fields with the occasional new tree or flower growth and the ocean was a distance away from the highway. 

We stayed at the Westin Hapuna Beach resort situated beachfront on Hapuna beach in Hapuna Bay with the Hapuna golf course situated inland. Hapuna beach is one of the top rated beaches on the island and stretches a half mile long with white sand and a gentle slope into the ocean. It has a fairly calm surf, but also picks up a bit in the afternoon which makes it a great spot for body surfing. While the beach is a public beach, the hotel has private guest only sun loungers place in front of the hotel and so not many non-guests set up on this area of the beach. This beach also has year round life guard services. When the water is calm there is some fantastic snorkelling to be had mostly around the north end of the beach by the rocky cliff. The visibility for the most part was fantastic but at times was a bit unclear depending on kicked up sand from the tide. There is an abundance of different fish, coral, and we even spotted a sea turtle one morning. I also got to see my first octopus here that was popping in and out of a small rock crevasse. 

Our hotel room was a very lovely ocean view room with a large balcony. Shortly after arriving, we were treated to a nice cheese and fruit board with a bottle of wine that was delivered to our room. This unexpected surprise came at a great time because our late arrival meant the hotel restaurants were already closed and we were hungry so this made for a good light supper. The hotel was recently renovated and all common guest areas are all open air facing the ocean to make most of the ocean view. The lobby is situated on the 7th floor of the hotel, but it actually at street level. From the lobby there is a dual staircase that takes you down to the Piko cafe + bar where you can grab snacks, including our favourite Kona coffee popsicles, limited menu food items, and beverages. At the level below Piko is Ikena Landing, the breakfast restaurant that features both an abundant buffet along with a la carte options. The staff here were very attentive and friendly. Also on site is Naupaka Beach Grill which serves an array of salads, seafood, and other casual dining entrees, and Meridia which is a Mediterranean inspired restaurant and considered the "fancy" restaurant at the resort; a reservation is a must have here. We enjoyed a lovely ocean view dinner here one evening. The Hapuna has a sister resort a short drive away called the Mauna Kea. Another way of getting to the Mauna Kea is hiking the Ala Kahakai coast trail, which takes you along the coastline over ancient fishermen's trails through both public and private lands. Some of the houses found along this trail are absolutely breathtaking and I can only imagine the value of them. They all have unobstructed ocean views and facing west would see the most stunning sunsets. As were we heading to the Mauna Kea for supper, I had dressed for supper, including the kind of shoes I was wearing, so I was a little perturbed by the trail conditions being dirt; for whatever reason I had thought in my mind that it was a paved trail, so I may have vocalized this a few too many times, or at least enough times to be annoying to my hiking partner. The coastline view was extraordinary and as we approached Mauna Kea, and seeing the beach in its cove made the hike so worth it. We arrived just as sunset was taking place and it was breathtaking. We enjoyed a lovely supper with some live music and a hula dancer. The option of hiking back after supper was quashed by me when we arrived, not only because of the dirt trail but also because I felt it would be extremely unsafe in the dark with the trail unlit. We instead took the hotel shuttle back after we explored the hotel grounds a bit and went to see the manta ray feeding area.  

This vacation was mostly a relax by the beach vacation and we made the most of that without a doubt; I actually finished 2 books during the week! We did explore the island one day that took us inland on the Hawaii Belt Road across the island to the east coast. The big island of Hawai'i is just that, BIG, with an area of just over 10,400 square metres. Built from 5 separate shield volcanos that overlapped with their eruptions, the island has vast barren lava rock fields everywhere along with very diverse lush rainforests and white sand and coloured sand beaches. The island is mountainous and driving around on the island you end up at varies different elevations and the temperature changes are noticeable, in fact we experienced a 20C temperature from the Hawai'i National Volcano park heading back to our oceanfront hotel. Hawai'i has 3 active volcanoes, Haulalai, Kilauea, and Mauna Loa, the latter which starting rumbling and experiencing increased seismic activity in the weeks leading up to our trip; within the week of us arriving back home she erupted. With Kilauea and Mauna Loa being most active and still erupting in present day, the island is actually still growing in size. 

On our island exploration, we stopped in at Akaka Falls, which is an easy 1/2 mile loop hike through a lush rainforest that leads you to Akaka Falls. The forest is filled with ferns, bamboo, and tropical flowers. Akaka Falls is a stunning 442 foot waterfall that plummets into a gorge.  Along the path we encountered a baby wild pig sitting on some stairs, taking in the sun. Not sure where its mother was, but a park ranger was standing by to keep it safe from all the park visitors. We stopped for lunch in Hilo town and found an incredible farmer's market open with fresh fruits, vegetables, and baked goods. We couldn't resist and ended up buying a papaya for $2 and a mango loaf. Both tasted amazing and we actually wished we had bought more papaya to satisfy my papaya cravings. 

Punalu'u beach was another stop. This black sand beach is the most famous black sand beach in Hawai'i and is known for Honu (green sea turtles) basking in the sun on the beach, and possibly seeing the endangered Hawksbill turtles in the water. The sand is made from small black fragments of lava and interestingly when picking up some sand it was actually fairly soft but is quite hot given the sun. From here we drove up to the Hawai'i National Volcano park so we could visit the volcanoes later in the day and stay until dark so we could get a proper glimpse of the active lava lake within the crater. Before hiking over to the viewing point for the lava lake, we stopped in at a few other points along the Chain of Craters Road including Wahine Kapu - the steaming bluffs where steam rises out from the ground through grates; and Nahuku - the Thurston Lava Tube which you walk down to and walk inside; you need a headlamp or flashlight of some sort as it gets dark in here fast. Watching the lava lake was mesmerizing and with it active at the time, it kept changing as more lava spewed out. The view point was a fair distance away, but still at times you could feel the heat from the lava depending on the winds. Seeing this from a distance reenforced for me the power of mother nature.

One of our other activity highlights on this trip was our night manta ray snorkel. This was an unforgettable experience and after I got over the fact that I'd have to enter the water in the dark, it was so much fun too. We found a local, small tour outfit called Kona Ocean Experience. This husband/wife team arrange various different tour options and have a capacity of maximum 8 guests. For our night snorkel, there were 4 of us in total and the other couple also happened to live near us back home. The tour starts in Keauhou Bay and started just before sunset as we took a boat ride along the coastline listening to stories of the island's history. At sunset we stopped in a small cove where the island parrots come to rest; the sounds of their chirping bounced off the rocky cliffs and was quite the sound to hear. When then head back to "manta ray" village where we got into the water and held on to a surfboard with blue lights underneath. We floated around a bit to find a spot where the lights really attracted the phytoplankton which is what these enormous manta rays feed on. Out of the deep, these magnificent manta rays appeared and at first it's quite surreal to see them glide up towards the bottom of the surf board, mouths wide open (which in actuality their mouth is a small opening) to feast on the phytoplankton and the thought goes through your mind that they could also eat me. These gentle giants of the sea (they have no stingers like their cousin the sting ray) and are no real threat to humans which eased my fears. During our 45 minute "snorkel" the rays put on such a fantastic show gliding up towards us and gracefully avoiding contact with us as they did circles swooping back into the deep and gliding back up towards the light. We saw probably 8 to 10 manta rays including a couple baby rays. The manta ray species in Hawai'i can have an average adult wingspan of 15 feet but can reach 25 feet while a baby manta ray is born with a wingspan of 6 feet, coming out of its mom like a rolled burrito to fit. These incredible rays can weigh up to 3,000 lbs and live to 40 years. The spots and blotches on their bellies are their "fingerprints" (like human fingerprints) and no two are alike making it easier for researchers to track them and their movements. This tour was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so happy I got over my initial fears to do this. It was so much fun! This is a must do when visiting the island of Hawai'i. 

This trip accomplished what we set out to do, relax and recharge, explore a new island, and find a few new experiences and adventures. 

To travel is to live...more adventures await...life is good!