Yes! Back in Hawaii. Any old excuse to go will do. Daughter Melissa and her girlfriend Kayla had never been. So, what a great opportunity to go back. Will and I headed out a week early to the Big Island.
This time we really decided we would kick back and not drive all over the place. Our place in Waikoloa was right across from the complex’s pool and activity center. So, the following morning we were up early and did the yoga class.
And because we couldn’t sit around the rest of the day, we drove down the highway to do a nice little hike. You park right off the highway and the trail takes you down to a beach. We saw some goats along the way and some pretty views once you reach the coast.
Made it back just in time for the opening of the shave ice place. I do enjoy a good shave ice. We then decided to spend the rest of the day just hanging at the pool.
Rinse and repeat. Yep, the next morning another yoga class was offered, so, we went again. And then yet another hike. This time we headed to the east side of the island to the Kalōpā State Park. We initially thought that we would do the perimeter trail. We pulled up to the trail head and noticed all the hunting signs. They also had changed the hunting regulations to allow for daily hunting of goats and pigs. So, we changed our mind drove on into the park a little further and found the nature trail with many other non-hunters. We also did most of the Jeep trail as well. Such a different landscape on the rainy side of the island.
The following day decided to snorkel. We hadn’t been to the Hapuna Beach State Park before and decided to try it. There is a parking charge for non-residents of $10 and a $5 per person charge as well. The lady at the ticket booth recommended better snorkeling at Beach 69 about a mile down the road. So, after checking out the beach for a little bit and getting sandblasted; we took her advice and headed to Beach 69. Our parking/entrance fee worked at both beaches. We enjoyed snorkeling there. It is pretty well protected from the waves and has some rocks that the fish like to hang out around. The waves picked up and so it was back to the hotel for a little pool time.
The wind the following morning was supposed to be up pretty high, so we opted for yet another hike. We drove down to the Kekaha Kai State Park. It really isn’t much of a trail, but more of a road. The road however is currently really only accessible by four-wheel drive. So, we just parked and walked. They are doing a lot of work on the road and the facilities. In the future it might be an easy drive down to the two beach areas.
After we grabbed lunch at a local restaurant as we had a gift card to use. And then back to the hotel to hang at the pool. See, we’re gradually embracing a more laid-back beach vacation.
And a walk to the other hotel for a view of the sunset.
The following day was a tour of Volcano National Park. We had always done the park on our own before, but this time we had the opportunity to take a tour with Hawaii Geo Tours. They took care of the driving, and you get insights from the guide who is a geologist. Our guide Erik was great. It’s about a two-hour drive to the park. Our first stop was Rainbow Falls. We’ve stopped at this waterfall before and still haven’t managed to catch the rainbow. Well, maybe another time.
Next was lunch at the Lava Rock Cafe and then to a wine tasting at Volcano Winery, the southernmost winery in the U.S.
Then it was finally on to the main event Mt Kilauea. She has been sporadically erupting, but unfortunately, she was not cooperating the day we were there. Our guide had some great video of the lava fountain just a week prior to our visit.
Our last full day on the Big Island we just spent lounging poolside. For dinner we decided to head over to Waimea and tried the Fish and Hog Restaurant. We had tried to check this place out the last time we were on the Big Island, but there was a power outage, and they were closed. We got the BBQ pork nachos, the deep fried brussel sprouts and the Reuben Spring Rolls. Glad we got to give this restaurant another shot. It was really good and much less expensive than eating in the resort area.
Again, we were island hopping. We made our way over to Kauai and met Melissa and Kayla. We got in about 10 minutes before their flight arrived. They met us at the car rental place as it took about an hour and a half to get the car. Finally, got our car and went on our way. Lunch and then the Costco. Food is even more expensive on Kauai then the Big Island. So, shopping at Costco really helps.
We made it to check-in just in time for the free Mai Tais at the hotel. So, I guess our timing was great.
The girls had booked a Waterfall Rappelling activity for the following morning.
Will and I dropped them off and headed to Poipu Beach. I did a little snorkeling. We were also watching one turtle on the small island near the shore. After a bit we went looking for some shade and we were quite surprised to see a number of turtles basking on the beach just about 50 yards from us. Don’t know how we never noticed them before. But we were glad we finally paid attention.
Went to pick up the girls and took them to the Spouting Horn. They had gotten engaged while doing their waterfall adventure. Yes, we are gaining another daughter! Woo Hoo!
We drove around the south shore for a bit and went for a short hike to Shipwreck beach.
On the way back, we stopped at JoJo’s Shave Ice. Melissa thought the ice cream underneath the shave ice was a nice surprise. Got back to the hotel and took a walk around the golf course to check out the sunset.
The next day, we put on the Shaka Guide and did their Waimea Canyon Tour. We opted not to go too far on one of the hikes as the trail was really muddy from the rain the night before. So, at the steep section, we decided to just turn around. The viewpoints of the Napili coast cooperated for us. Third times a charm on that one. The lookouts have always been covered by clouds, and we had never gotten to see the coast from the top.
This time we also made it to the little town of Hanapeepee. Will didn’t like the looks of the town’s swinging bridge, so he opted not to cross. The rest of us did, but waited until there were only a couple other people on the bridge. We didn’t want to test the 15-person maximum.
The girls and I went to the Spot in Princeville for breakfast the following morning. The acai bowl was really good. The Spot is only open from 7:30-11:30 or until they sell out. There was a constant line, so I would say go early.
After we drove over to Hanalei Bay and the pier. The snorkeling isn’t good, but it’s a cool beach to relax and get in the water.
We did want to do some snorkeling, so we left to go try Tunnels Beach. Well, apparently, we weren’t the only ones, and we couldn’t get parking. So, decided to drive back to Hanalei. On the way back decided just to stop at Lumaha’i Beach. Not really a swimming spot either, but a stream does feed into the ocean there. So, that was an easy spot to wade into the water. The girls took a walk on top of the nearby rocks and checked out the tide pools. They found an interesting looking sea urchin.
We were getting hungry so made our way back to Hanalei for lunch and a little souvenir shopping.
Got back to our place to cleanup for that night’s luau. We went to the Smith Family Luau. I know, not a very Hawaiian sounding name, is it? It’s a family-owned business which was started by the current owners’ grandparents. The grandfather had come from the UK and worked a as postal carrier and fell in love with a Hawaiin women. The rest is history. Although the location of the luau is not along the coast, the grounds were beautiful. The food was pretty good, and I did like the setup of their show. They have an amphitheater for the show rather than just sitting at the banquet tables where you had dinner.
We really wanted to actually snorkel so the next morning we headed to Anini beach. We had good luck there last year with the turtles and this year they did not disappoint. It really was amazing to be swimming along and have one swim right by you.
We planned a kayaking adventure for the next morning. I had been wanting to do this particular activity, but it had always been booked up. You kayak about 2.5 miles down the only navigable river in Hawaii, the Wailua River. Then it’s about a mile hike to the Uluwehi (Secret) Falls. The hike was really muddy from the rain the night before and really slippery. I slipped and ended up trying to do the splits and got a little muddy. The falls were beautiful, and it was good place to get the mud off and have our picnic lunch. We kayaked back and were for some reason still hungry. So, we stopped in Kapaa for a little shopping and lunch at one of the food trucks.
Then took the girls to two of Kauai’s most visited waterfalls Wailua Falls and ‘Opeaka’a Falls.
Will and I kicked back at the hotel while the girls hit up the nearby bar.
We left the next morning for our orchard tour at the Kilohana Plantation. It was normally taking us around 45-50 minutes to drive to that area. But of course, that morning it took us more like 75 minutes. There were a number of traffic delays for tree and grass trimming. So, we knew we were cutting it really close or would be a few minutes late. Melissa called ahead and let them know our issue. We got there about 3 minutes late and they held the little train for us. So, that was fantastic! Kudos to Kilohana Plantation, we were very grateful. The train took us back into the orchard where we met our guide Lexi. She took us around the orchard where we got to sample various fruit straight from the tree and learn a bit as well. They provided lunch on the farm and then we got to feed some of the animals.
The train then picked us back up for the continuation of the train tour.
They also have a rum tasting room to show off their Koloa rums. So, we opted to stay and do the rum tasting as well. We really enjoyed the coconut rum.
Unfortunately, our island time was up, and we had to pack up and fly home. Meanwhile, we were already thinking, when can we make it back.