Home (11/2-11/3)

The last day on Hawaii was uneventful, to be honest.  We ate the breakfast we got the day before at the bakery, I caught up on the blog, and we waited for the tour guide to pull our bags for departure. There was a bit of milling around the lobby with the others while we waited.

We finally left Kona International Airport (KOA) at about 130 pm for the 4.5 hr flight to San Francisco, then after about a 1.5 hr layover we had another 4 hr flight to Pittsburgh.  We arrived at about 630 am.  I was all screwed up thanks to the International Date Line, Hawaii's non-observance of Daylight Savings Time, and the mainland's falling back an our on 11/1.  I thought I'd sleep on the plane, but couldn't.  Then I drove about 2.5 hrs home.  I made sure to get plenty of coffee at Sheetz--so long ABC stores!

Which was my favorite island?  The four we were on (Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii) were all beautiful and interesting in their own way.  But I have to say it was Kauai I liked best.  A lot of beaches, a friendly, laid-back (even more than the other islands) attitude, developed as well as rural areas, and no active volcanoes are all factors in my decision.  If I ever get back to Hawaii (the state), I will have to visit Molokai and Lanai (and hopefully Niihau) to make sure Kauai is the best.

What did I think of the group tour?  YMT is a great company.  They took care of the luggage on every flight, the hotels were all clean and comfortable, and our tour guide (Kalili) did a lot of work to keep us happy and answered all of our questions.  (He told me I had interesting questions.  I told him that I knew that was tour guide politeness for weird.)  The other people on the trip were very nice too. By the end of the two weeks, we made a few friends who I wouldn't mind travelling with again.

Now having said all that, I'm still not a big fan of guided tours.  One reason I enjoyed the trip so much was because my dad and I didn't sign up for many of the group events.  We actually used the tour group to get to the islands cheaply, and then rented a car on each island we stayed on.  (We put over 1000 miles on the rental cars across the four islands.)  When we did travel with the group on the bus--usually on the first day on each island--we saw a lot of things, but I could tell that it was geared toward having us spend money at each location we stopped at.   And while I liked saying aloha and mahalo (thank you) to Hawaiians we met, I soon tired of responding ALOOOOO-HAA every time one of the bus drivers called that out.

Of course, it was great spending time with my dad--we've traveled to the UK this way and Ireland with my wife and kids--since we tend to have similar interests.  As I was leaving he said, "We'll have to do this again."  I agreed, but I told him there was no way that Fe would stay home while I go on another one!  Ha ha.

Aloha.

Hawaii (The Big Island) Part 3, 11/1

This was the second day we had the car on Hawaii, but we had to be back for the luau later, so we didn't stay out too long.  We started early and went looking for the monument to Captain Cook, who was killed on the Big Island.  Our bus driver on the first day here told us that the Hawaiians felt bad after they killed him, so they named a town after him.

The monument can be visited by a long, difficult trail or by boat.  We chose to take photos from across the bay.

Captain Cook Monument from across Kealakekua Bay

Shore along Kealakekua Bay

Our next stop was also the third National Park that we've been to here, Pu'uhonua O Honaunau.  I'm not typing that again, so here are some pics:

Lastly, we visited the southernmost point in the United States, called (appropriately) South Point.

A view if the point from the highway.

Wind turbines along the way.  The wind was very strong here, enough to have the trees grow bent to the wind.

Cliff view at Southpoint. Diving was forbidden, but for some reason there were platforms there to make it convenient if you wanted to.  This was taken from one--scary--but anything for the blog.

After re-visiting the black sand beach and bakery from the first day on the island, we headed back to return the car at the hotel in time for the luau.  The lighting didn't lend itself to many pictures.  It was quite a show with dances examples from many Polynesian islands--not just Hawaii.  I'm not sure how authentic it was, but the performances were good and they worked hard.

The food was good too.  I had the pork (of course) and turkey as well.  Also tried poi, which must be an acquired taste.

This is right outside the hotel.  I didn't give it much thought at first--thinking it was just a prop--but I later found out that this was where King Kamehameha I "retired" and eventually passed away.  So we've seen both his birthplace and final resting place here.

This was the "royal procession" before the luau began.

Tomorrow we say Aloha to Hawaii and we leave for home from Kona International Airport.

Did you know:  Mark Twain spent four months in Hawaii in 1866 as a reporter for the Sacremento Union.

Hawaii (The Big Island) Day 2, 10/31

Of the four islands we've been to, Hawaii is the one that has surprised me most.  It is described as the youngest of the islands, and with all the lava rocks around, I believe it.  Some are only now being reclaimed with vegetation.  I guess I also got used to smaller islands, but Hawaii is the size of Rhode Island.  It's also the only one I've seen cactus plants on, a well as rain forests.  The dry and wet sides of the island seem more pronounced, to me anyway.

We were scheduled today for a helicopter tour at 12:15 pm in Hilo.  We left our hotel at about 8:30 am and got to Hilo about 10:30.  We quickly stopped at a farmers' market in Waimea since I wanted to try breadfruit.  I found a stall that had it, but it was the whole fruit which he said needed cooked.  I said our hotel wouldn't let me do that.  I don't think they get many tourists there.

Our helicopter tour started out with a safety briefing and then all of six (there were four others in our group) filed into the aircraft.  I was lucky and got a window seat.

Our helicopter was on the right

I'll admit I was nervous about it, but I'm glad I did it.  There was no dramatic lava flows into the sea or visible eruptions, but we did see some lava bubbling in a crater and a good aerial view of some waterfalls that you can't see on the ground because they're on private/government property.

Views from the helicopter

We drove around to the northern part of the island along HI 270.

Lookout View

Made a quick stop at the Akaka Falls State Park.  It has a 400 ft tall waterfall--higher than Niagara Falls.

Along the trail in Akaka Falls State Park

The Akaka Falls

We didn't quite make it to the northern tip of the island, but we were close.  The last stop of the day was a little town called Kapaau.  The Kamehemeha statue in Honolulu is a copy.  This is the original which was found in a junk yard in the Falkland Islands.

King Kamehameha I, Kapaau

Right before sundown we hit the end of the road and Pololu Valley lookout.  We almost turned around earlier, but I'm glad we didn't.

Pololu Valley Lookout

Pololu Valley

Palms from Pololu Valley Lookout

Tomorrow is the last day we'll be able to travel on our own in Hawaii.  We'll explore the southern part of the island a bit.

Did you know:  Honolulu means "sheltered bay".

Hawaii--the Big Island

Today was a full day with the tour group. After landing at Hilo and boarding the bus, our first stop was the Mauna Loa macadamia factory.  I got a look at some of the production line.

Preparing the macadamias for chocolate 

Macadamias on the production line

Then it was on to Akatsuka Orchid Garden.  This place had some interesting flowers.

Orchid

Orchid

I like this one best.

Next up: the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  The first thing we saw here was the Thurston Lava Tube.

On the way to the lava tube.

Inside the lava tube.

Further up the mountain is the Halemaumau Crater, a pit crater within the much larger summit caldera (6 miles across) of Kilauea.

Halemaumau Crater

The summit caldera 

After lunch was a quick stop at the Punaluu black sand beach.  It would've been great to spend more time here, but we did get to see two sea turtles.

Punaluu Beach 

The sea turtles.  We had to stay 100 feet away.  They are not endangered anymore but they are still protected.

The last stop before our hotel was the Royal Kona Coffee Company.  They had free samples which were all good.   They had a great peaberry blend, but it was $49 for a half pound.  Fe will forgive a lot, but there's no need to intentionally test my luck.  So I just drank more samples.

View from the balcony 

Did you know:  there are five volcanoes on the island of Hawaii--three active, one dormant, and one extinct.

Maui Sights

Early start today when we picked up the rental car at 7 am.  Then it was off to Haleakala National Park.  It was quite a climb to the 10,023 ft summit.

A view of Kahoolawe from the start of the climb (about 2500ft)

Leleiwi Overlook (8640 ft)

Leleiwi Overlook

View from the summit

Haleakala Observatory

View from the summit.  That's the Big Island (Hawaii) in the background.   

After lunch--I'm a big fan of loco moco--it was a drive on the Road to Hana.  Lots of scenery, but the road itself had 54 single-lane bridges and 600 curves.  It wasn't too bad if you could follow someone.

Sugar cane field 

Waterfalls on the Road to Hana (HI 360)

Black sand beach at Hana Bay

Since we don't have any Jack in the Box restaurants in PA, we tried one here.  My dad and I both liked it--they serve breakfast all day like McDonald's, but I think they have more choices.  But those chickens from Kauai have also made it to

Maui.

Maui chickens 

Tomorrow we fly to Hilo at 7 am.

Did you know:  according to a local legend, the demigod Maui imprisoned the sun in Haleakala in order to lengthen the day.

Arrival in Maui

At 40 minutes, the flight from Kauai to Maui will be our longest.

We stayed with the tour today and the first stop was the Iao Valley State Park.  It was here that King Kamehameha--in his quest to unite the Hawaiian islands--clashed with Maui's chief.

Iao Valley

Iao Needle

Valley stream

The next stop was Lahaina--specifically "Historic Lahaina Town"--which used to be the capital of Hawaii as well as a major stop for whaling ships.  I've noticed on this trip that in towns described as historic tend to be far more heavy on the shopping instead of history.  This place was no exception, but I could tell that most of the buildings were original and have been repurposed.  

View of Molokai from Lahaina 

Indian Banyan Tree, the second largest in the US.

Lahaina street scene

After this, we arrived at the hotel, the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel.  It's pretty ritzy to me since I am used to Motel 6 or Holiday Inn.

Ka'anapali Beach Scene

Sunset over cloud-covered Molokai

Tomorrow we'll get the rental car for the drive around Maui.

Did you know:  all of Hawaii's beaches are public.