Hawaii - Big island

Our lei's on arrival outside our Hale
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Then we are off to the Big Island for 9 days.  Staying at a fantastic sounding place called Kona Village Resort (www.konavillage.com) for those that want to check it out and get jealous!  From here the main plan is to relax by the sea, with occasional breaks for snorkeling, scuba diving, drinking of cocktails, etc.

We will also plan to go and see the world's most active volcano - Kilauea.

Now for some relaxation! Well we had the plan here to sunbathe, read books, snorkel, scuba dive, eat and drink. You will no doubt all be happy to hear that we managed to accomplish all of our goals!

Home for the next week
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We arrived on the Sunday and were shown to our Hale, which was our own little thatched cottage for the next week and a bit. Obviously we had to run the gauntlet of being presented with the flowered lei's on our arrival, but since we also got a rum punch, it wasn't so bad!

It had sounded from the description of the place that we might get to see turtles there, but we hadn't expected quite so many of them, every day coming up on the beach to lie in the sun - a bit like us in fact, but without the books and cocktails!

You know we have to keep moving these in line with the sun!
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Andy got signed up for some diving, including getting the final bit of the PADI open water certification out of the way. Managed 6 dives in total, and got to see and swim with turtles, white tip reef sharks, octopus (they were busy fornicating at the time - octopus porn, who would have thought it?), and the fantastically named Humuhumunukunukuapua'a - Hawaii's unofficial state fish!

In the meantime, Kirstine managed both a massage, and an aloe wrap (not something you eat, but a nice pamper session involving a body wrap) whilst Andy was off playing with the fish. All in all, we managed to keep ourselves busy in between drinking cocktails and watching sunsets!

Can you never get away from the paparazzi?
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On top of this, we arranged a Helicopter trip to go and see the island, and also to see Mauna Kilauea - the world's most active volcano. This was a pretty impressive trip, and the pilot got the helicopter right over the active lava flow, before then flying up to the North part of the island and into some valleys that are completely inaccessible by land, for looking at waterfalls.

We also found time to go for a drive and visited an interesting historical site known as the Place of Refuge. This was a place where people accused of terrible crimes a few hundred years ago could try and escape to and have their crimes forgiven if they managed to get there past the guards. Typical crimes punishable by death included stepping on the chief's shadow, a woman eating a banana, etc. (you know, the usual stuff).

Look, an Octopus voyeur!
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It took us a bit of getting used to - all the eating in the hotel, but after a while we got accustomed to the 3 enormous meals a day that were provided! Plenty of nice fresh seafood, and a fair bit of wine to wash it all down with of course! On one night we also went to a L'uau, which is a typical Hawaiian feast, involving a whole pig cooked in a hole in the ground, plus plenty of entertainment (Hula dancers shaking their coconuts, half naked men dancing with fire, that sort of thing). Nowhere near as cheesy as it sounds, it was actually a great night, and the one at our resort is noted as being the most authentic on the islands.

They look very cool when swimming
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Unfortunately these things have to come to an end, and this is now our last night in Hawaii. We are back on Waikiki Beach on O'ahu Island, and tomorrow will be heading to Washington DC. We know you will all sympathise with us that we will be leaving this sunshine and 30 degrees to go to Washington which is currently a good 10 degrees colder than here, but on the bright side, at least it is sunny there too. It will no doubt be a good way to allow us to acclimatise before returning to London's weather (but without the rain).