The Big Island - Hawaii
We spent the second
part of our Hawaiian vacation on the Big Island, where we stayed at the Hapuna
Prince on the Kohala coast. The Hapuna Prince was a great choice – 2
wonderful golf courses and a white sand beach with a cove known for its
snorkeling and sunsets.
Such a lot to do on
the Big Island! I visited ancient Hawaiian sites all up and down the Kona-Kohala
coast – temples such as the huge Puukohola and nicely-reconstructed Ahuena Heiau
(both built by Kamehameha I in the late 1700’s), fishing villages (Lapakahi) and
fishponds, petroglyphs, and the very evocative Puuhonua O Honaunau (Place of
Refuge.) More modern sites included the 1838 Hulihee Palace in Kona and the
quaint Painted Church (quirkily hand-decorated with Biblical scenes and palm
trees by a Belgian priest in the late 1800’s) near Honaunau.
I drove as far north as
the road lasted, to the Pololu Valley Lookout, seeing the original King
Kamehameha statue in Kapaau en route. I traveled through paniola (cowboy)
country along the Kohala Mountain Road on the way back – who knew Hawaii is a
major producer of beef! One day I went to Hilo along the very scenic Hamakua
Coast, stopping at Honokaa (a plantation village “kept in a bell jar since 1920”
according to Frommer’s), majestic Akaka Falls, and the World Botanical Garden. It was
a revelation to see how some of the tropical flowers such as torch ginger and
heliconia grow in a rain forest – the plants are HUGE!! In Hilo I went to the
Lyman Mission House and Museum, stopped at the Farmers’ Market, and wandered
through the lovely Liliuokalani Japanese Gardens. I visited the Blue Sky Coffee
Plantation in Holualoa and saw how coffee is grown, picked and roasted.
I took the Fair Winds cruise to Kealakekua Bay, where
the snorkeling was phenomenal. There were so many different varieties of
tropical fish that I couldn’t keep straight which ones I’d seen – parrotfish,
trumpetfish, angelfish, tangs and wrasses galore – some spotted, some striped,
all brightly colored. The Captain Cook Monument, marking where he was killed, is
located there.
I went horse-back
riding through the Parker Ranch (our group consisted of 2 guides, 2 expert
riders from Colorado, and me – who panicked whenever my horse broke into a fast
trot.) I got Roger off the golf course long enough to go whale-watching – we
were a little early for humpbacks but after a 3-hour search whale-watcher
extraordinaire Capt.Dan McSweeney finally found one who frolicked obligingly for
us.
Roger also joined me on
a helicopter tour of the island – absolutely amazing. We flew over Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park, seeing the Kilauea Caldera with its red-hot lava, steam
vents, and oozing lava flows. At one point, we saw where the lava was flowing
into the sea, sending up a huge cloud of steam. The return trip was via the
Hamakua Coast and Waipio Valley, over gorges and into valleys with towering
waterfalls.
The variety of the Big
Island is remarkable. The leeward east side has rain forests and lush valleys.
The center consists of 2 huge volcanic peaks – the dormant, often snow-capped
Mauna Kea and still active Mauna Loa. The windward west coast is largely covered
in black lava, in some places slowly being reclaimed by vegetation, but in many
places just the naked lava, petrified as it cooled. Along the highways it’s
common to see graffiti spelled out in white coral on the lava. Towards the north
are rolling hills covered with cattle ranches, and a little inland on the
western side coffee plantations line the foothills. I tried to make it back each
day in time to join Roger on the beach for a swim, some snorkeling and a mai tai
at sunset. Once or twice I was actually successful.
We had some great meals
on the Big Island. We had a wonderful dinner at Merriman’s in Waimea – Roger was
particularly impressed with the wine-list and its pricing. Roy’s in Waikoloa had super ribs. We
also enjoyed the more downscale Café Pesto
in Kawaihae.
Mimi Santini-Ritt
2006