Hawaii - The Big Island

Hawaii - The Big Island

April 27 to May 5 1996

The following is my travel journal for our trip to Hawaii. We traveled around the entire island and stayed at 3 different bed & breakfasts while we were there. I've included references for some of the bed & breakfast's and also activities on the island.

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Sat. April 27

6:46am We left Quincy early2:50am. In Hannibal we grabbed some coffee and donuts then headed out. Outside of Troy, Missouri I saw two deer approaching the highway. I got "Deer, deer, deer, deer" out of my mouth and then the deer hit us. With a loud thud the deer apparently hit the passenger door and then got slammed into the rear panel. The car drove OK and we couldnt do anything more for the poor deer so we headed to St. Louis. Continuing onto I-70 we saw lights approaching us in our lane. They were heading right for us. Luckily we missed them by just a little bit. I guess some guy in a van drove up the exit ramp and was trying to find a way off. Yikes! That was two strikes and it wasnt even 5am yet. Finally we got to the parking area and waited for the parking van. It took forever to get the van guy to wake up and see us even though we were in the very front row. Par for the course today. We got to the airport and checked in right on time and soon were boarding. Of course, an announcement was made that there will be a "slight delay while the mechanic checks a small hydraulic fuel leak" Oh great. It took about 30 minutes but the flight attendants were cool and served coffee during the wait. We have almost a 3 hour wait in Chicago anyway so its not a big deal. Damn my notebook just feel apart. Is anyone surprised?

8:30am Looked all over OHare for a notebook but nothing. As always the airport is fun for watching people. Lots of characters running around here. Take for example carry-ons: Sensible sizes to the outrageous. Some lady just tripped over the carry-on size box and fell on her face. Shes OK though. 10:30am Were on the plane with a bunch of Shriners from Boston. They have their hat boxes with them for their fezs. The flight is very full and crowded. Well just sleep anyway. 1:00pm Hawaii time Flew into Honolulu to wait for another flight to Kona. Its 85 degrees here! 4:20pm Were here! Aloha airlines was really nice with leather seats that were comfortable. We grabbed a rental car and headed down to the bed and breakfast place in South Kona Let me describe our accommodations at PomaikaI Farm. Rustic would be a really good word for it. When we first found our place we could hardly believe how steep the driveway was. You sort of plummet down the hill after a hairpin curve. There is a room in the house itself, two nearly complete in the Greenhouse and the Coffee Barn. We are staying in the barn. I thought at first it was an old shed but it was our room. But being the adventurous types we are we kept an open mind. The South and West walls are just about all screen which allows you to feel you are right in the banana trees outside. A small enclosed lavatory is situated in one corner of the room. The shower is outside. There are hardly any lights which can be a bother. I small reading light and a trouble light with an orange bulb on a long cord is about all. Its unique to say the least. When we got here yesterday there was a guy named Dude who looked just like my brother in his wild days. He had a cool dog named Kona Boy that is part malamute part shepard. He showed us the place and then we headed out for pizza. We met the innkeeper Nita Isherwood later that evening.

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Sun. April 28

Busy day today!. We got up early for breakfast. The damn roosters were crowing all night! Nita made some great waffles with fruit and coffee. It was a terrific breakfast. We then headed out for a day on the road seeing the South part of the island. South Point was our destination and its located in the district of Kau. Its the southernmost spot in the USA and the Hawaiians call it Ka Lae. As we drove down the narrow road we came across rows of high tech windmills. The sound coming from them was sort of eerie. At South Point there are canoe mooring holes made by the ancient Hawaiians and some wooden platforms for the fishing boats. We didnt go all the way to the green sand beach but drove to the fishing docks. Continuing down the highway we passed numerous small towns and soon we were at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park . We stopped by the visitors center to get an update on the volcano then headed around the Crater Rim Drive. The steam vents were creating tons of steam billowing up from everywhere. We drove to the Halema uma u Crater overlook and walked to the craters edge. The Chain of Craters Road was our next drive and we headed down to look at the lava flow. The rain was falling quite hard at times so we didnt take off on any trails on the way. We parked the car and put on our rain gear for a hike out to the lave flow. We walked about 15 to 20 minutes until the roped off area. Really you cant see anything and we were mildly disappointed. At night you can see the red lava from the distant flows but all you see during the day is the steam and gas clouds created from the lava flowing into the ocean. We then headed out of the park and onto Hilo. It was about a 30 minute drive and first on the list was finding an ice cream place. We located Hilos Best Ice Cream (next to Hilo Tropical Gardens) and it was really good. I had a blue lagoon and Stan tried the jamocha. After coffee at the local McDonalds we visited Rainbow falls then PeePee falls. The falls were beautiful and the huge trees and vegetation looked like a Disney creation. Saw the local hospital and were glad we didnt need it. Tomorrow we are going to climb Mauna Kea so we drove the Saddle Road to check out the location. The weather got nasty but the road really wasnt bad. I think its on the rental car no-no list along with the South Point road. They didnt actually tell Stan that but he overheard the agent tell the guy in front of him that he wasnt to drive on them. The Saddle Road is really fun driving. On the west end it looked like Ireland with green pastures and rolling hills.

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Mon. April 29

Woke up at 3:50am. Stan asked "Are you up?". "I am now!" I said. We left at 4am for the mountain and stopped by the Texaco for coffee and rolls. Finally got to the visitors center parking lot at 6:15am and left soon after for the climb up Mauna Kea. (For a look at the mountain and references try the Mauna Kea page.)It was chilly but we were prepared with wind jackets, pants and light jackets. We decided to hike up the gravel and dirt road since the trail is not well marked. The road is longer but if we had trouble there was some traffic going up to the observatory. We saw lots of trucks and semi-trucks hauling equipment up to the summit. We were sucking wind by the time we hit the pavement again two miles from the observatories. They pave the last section to keep down the dust. Im glad I brought my wind pants and jacket since the wind was really strong. The visitors center is at 9,000 feet and the summit stands at around 13,800 feet. That is a lot of altitude in one hike. No wonder so many people suffer from altitude sickness. Most people take organized trips like the ones from Mauna Kea Summit Adventures . But we wanted to grab some altitude and do it ourselves. We saw an ambulance like vehicle scream down the mountain while we were hiking up. It took about 5 hours but we made it up. There are about 15 observatories built and many more in the building stages. Its like a little city up there. The summit is across from the University of Hawaiis place. We crossed the fence and hiked down the scree to a small col and then up some snow to reach the true summit. There is a survey spike but I didnt see any summit register. The wind was very strong up there probably around 40 mph with gusts to 60. We took many photos then headed back to get some shelter at one of the observatories. We have another summit for our goal of climbing the high points in all 50 states. Check out the Highpointers page for some great photos of the mountain and lists of all the peaks. I didnt feel too bad but Stan was feeling the altitude. We decided to get down quickly and try to hitch a ride if possible. We cut across some roads and down steep scree slopes. We walked about 2 miles down to the gravel and dirt part of the road before we hitched a ride with a man in a pickup. We saw a couple regular cars going up to the summit which we were told only 4-wheel drive vehicles were allowed. Even saw a group of 6 older men and women (one guy on oxygen) drive by. When we got down we cleaned up a bit in the rest room facilities at the visitors center and headed back. It would have been a nicer hike if they allowed camping around the center. Sleeping at 9,000 would definitely have helped acclimatize. The clouds made everything look really neat. We ran into a military convoy from the nearby base. They shoot artillery into the lava beds. There is also an air base which manly used helicopters. Through the mist we headed down to the highway. On the way back we located tomorrows B & B then drove home for a shower. It started raining and it was very nice sleeping in the barn listening to the rain on the tin roof. Now if only the damn roosters would shut-up we could sleep peacefully.

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Tue. April 30

Ate a big breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast. We looked around the "farm" at the various trees; coffee, mangos, bananas etc. Saw where Dude and Kona Boy lived in a tent down the hill. Really primitive but what the hell. I think he just hangs around planting stuff and does the general work around the place. I feed Kona Boy a cracker which he promptly buried for later. We left and drove down to the Mauna Loa factory outlet for coffee and nuts. I love the 100% Kona coffee! The 100% blend is around $16 to $20 a pound. Thats really expensive but its worth it. We then drove down to Puuhonua o Honaunau which is the Place of Refuge of Honaunau. It was a sanctuary that provided the people with a second chance for life. The park gives out a trail map with explanations of the sites as you walk through. Fascinating place to spend some time. We drove around to the picnic area and checked out the tide pools on the beach. Drove up to the Royal Aloha Coffee Mill and Museum afterwards and grabbed some more free Kona coffee. The place has a nice historical display of coffee and of Kona. Next we drove to Kealakekua Bay and visited Napoopoo Beach Park. From here you can view the Captain Cook monument across the bay. He was killed very near this place. I helped some guy get his kayak out of the water here. He said he saw lots of dolphin and turtles in the bay. It was time for Stan to get registered for his meeting so we drove up the highway to the Hilton Waikoloa. After a mild hassle with the parking guy out front we got the visitors lot and walked in. After arguing with a guy in a blue skirt I promised I would never stay at this hotel. We walked around and found the conference center where Stan registered for his emergency medicine meeting. The hotel is very large and unique. The locals all call it "Disneyland" which it resembles. There is a sleek train and a boat to take the guests around the grounds and to their outlying rooms. The huge lagoon has water falls and a sand beach. The people can snorkel and kayak in the sea water lagoon. There is also a Dolphin Quest pool where guest enter a lottery for a dolphin "experience". We saw a group of 16 children in the sand edged dolphin area waiting to pet them. We walked to the care and headed up to Waimea to check out the town. It started raining as we headed up in the mountains surrounding the area. The Parker ranch is there which is around 225,000 acres. They have all sorts of "Parker" stuff around the town. We then headed out to our next bed and breakfast which is "The Three Bears". Really a very cute place that is well thought out. Anne and Art are super nice. They have 2 units which have separate bathrooms. We have a TV, coffee maker and small refrigerator. Our meetings start early in the morning so we would have a chance to experience Annes breakfast. She placed rolls and fruit in our fridge for us to have in the morning.

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Wen. May 1

As we drove to the hotel this morning we saw the donkeys near the highway. They come down from the hills to drink spring water. They were descendants of the old coffee donkeys in the 50s and were replaced by jeeps. The locals just let them go and they wander the hills. I dropped Stan off at his meeting and headed back to Kona to find a coffee place. I bought a paper and had coffee at Lava Java on the shore. After some great coffee I drove back up to Anaehoomalu Beach near the hotel. The sky was overcast so it was a little cold for me. I put my light wet suit on and headed out to snorkel. Saw a few fish but it wasnt too great along the reef. I watched a family with a couple kids play in the water. The youngest had been swimming and decided to put on his mask and snorkel. He put on the gear and plopped in the water about 10 feet out. He immediately turned 180 degrees and paddled as fast as he could into the beach. I thought he was going to plow right into shore. He told his mom that he saw a "big ugly fish with wings!" Shortly after that I left to pick up Stan from the meeting and we drove up the coast to North Kohala. There were nice beaches along the way. There is a big commercial harbor at Kawikae where they filmed Waterworld. The coast drive is great. Beautiful view even from the road. We didnt stop at any of the beaches since we were short on time. At the northern point of the island there is the Upolu airport. The road is fair but interesting with cattle on each side. We then went to Mookini Heiah which is the oldest and most significant heiaus in Hawaii. It dates back to 480 AD. Nobody travels this dirt road much by the looks of things. The ocean crashes up right next to the road along most of the way. Kamehameha was born a short distance from the heiau and we drove to see it. Im sure this road is on the "do not drive on" list with the rental care agency. The waves were spectacular along the coast and we stopped and took many pictures. We drove up to the main highway and continued on through Hawi. We stopped here for lunch at Michaels. Wonderful little restaurant with all homemade items. We then continued through Kapaak and Makapala to get to the Polola Valley lookout. At the end of the highway is a small parking area overlooking a fantastic view of the valley and ocean below. We didnt venture down the trail but you can hike down to the black sand beach below. He headed back on the road and stopped at the Keokea Beach Park. The surf was unreal coming up on the rocks. From the rocks the waves looked like they were above us. We continued on and decided to stop for ice cream in Kapaau. The statue of Kamehameha is on the front lawn of the civic center and we ate our cones there. The entire town looks as if time forgot it here. An old lady was playing the piano inside the civic center and it was kind of nice hearing her plink out Amazing Grace. The car needed some fuel so we stopped in the local place where the gas was $1.73 a gallon. That was cheap on this side of the island. They even filled the car and washed the windows. We drove down Highway 250 to Waimea. Very scenic drive along the slopes of the Kohala mountains. Lucky for us the weather cleared and we got a great view of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa as we descended into Waimea. We called the Io helicopter place to make reservations for a trip around the island then headed back to the Hilton for a wine and cheese party.

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Thur. May 2

We headed to the Hilton early and I decided to sit in on the lectures. They were very good and quite informative. We decided to drive to the Hamakua coast today and grabbed lunch at McDonalds in Waimea. We drove to Honokaa and continued to the Waipio Valley lookout. Beautiful area looking down in the valley at the waterfalls and shoreline. We stopped for ice cream at Hilo Homemade ice cream in Honokaa then headed towards Hilo. The coastal drive is spectacular with many small towns along the way. We drove to Akaka falls where we took the hike around a short trail. There are many falls along the trail but Akaka drips 442 feet and is considered the highest in Hawaii. Others drop further but either dont have water in them continuously or have breaks in the total waterfall. The trail looked like the "Pirates of the Caribbean" with the lush rain forest and huge banyon trees. There were afternoon lectures so we had to hurry back to the Hilton. Later we grabbed some Chinese food and had dinner back at the bed and breakfast. Afterwards we enjoyed the hot tub out on the deck.

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Fri. May 3

After the morning meetings we drove around for lunch and decided to relax at the new bed and breakfast after we checked in at 3:30. The Puanani is simply spectacular. We stayed in the Plumeria room which is a large studio with full kitchen, private bath with tub/shower, cable TV, private entrance that opens onto the gardens. The 40 foot lap pool has a small water fall. On the deck nearby is a huge, very private hot tub. Near the pool is a pool house and grill for bar-b-ques. The owners are landscape architects and it shows. The gorgeous palms and other plants create a wonderful relaxing atmosphere. There is also an exercise/weight room right outside the guest rooms. The front entrance is complete with a Koi fish pond that is wonderful. Stan and I changed into our swimsuits and relaxed by the pool most of the afternoon. I drove in town later to pick up some spaghetti and beer. While I waited for the spaghetti at Basils, I wandered into a fantastic bookstore called Middle Earth. I bought three books in less than 10 minutes! The spaghetti was fantastic and is the hot tip if your in Kona. The servings are huge.

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Sat. May 4

Last day of meetings at the Hilton. I skipped one of the pediatric ones to go read in the giant hammocks by the lagoon. We decided to just kick back and totally relax near the pool back at the Puanani. I have to recommend this place to everyone who is spending any time in Kona. Simply wonderful. We packed up some of our stuff then headed out for an evening lecture at the Hilton.

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Sun. May 5

We scheduled a helicopter trip with 'Io Aviation Helicopters - Volcano Tours . They fly the Agusta A109 II helicopters that were in Jurassic Park. Very, very plush and perfect for the islands. Io Aviation is the only helicopter tour operators that can legally fly at 500 feet above the ground. I think the rest can only go to 1,500. They take 7 passengers and video tape the entire trip. The helicopter goes 200 mph and is relatively quite. All the passengers where the Bose noise canceling headsets with voice activated microphones. We have them in our planes and love them. The rolling take off was so smooth I barely knew we were off. First we flew up between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. The military was firing shells and we could see some smoke from the landings. The weather was wonderful and it was very clear out. We flew over part of Mauna Loa and looked at the lava patterns and weather stations. Over the mountain the tour headed towards Volcano National Park. The caldura was immense and quite awesome when seen from above. The best part was really seeing the lava in the erupting volcano. The helicopter hovered around it and watched the red hot lave flow into the lava tubes. The lava flowed into the ocean creating huge plumes hydrogen sulfate gas. We watched the lava explode as it hit the water. There were streams flowing in four different places. Next we looked at the devastation created from a recent flows covered a small town. The geothermal plant in the Puna district was next before flying into Hilo airport for fuel and snacks. We had a short break of juice and snacks before we headed out to see the northern coast area. Akaka falls seemed small from the helicopter and I didnt realize all the different waterfalls everywhere. The clouds were high enough that it didnt interfere with the view today. We really got lucky I think since the Hilo area usually gets rain 270 days out of the year and over 300 some inches. The valleys and shore line was unbelievable. We were flying off shore below the road in some areas. We entered a narrow valley between Waipio and Pololu valleys and flew up to a huge waterfall. Up even further we flew right up to the wall for a spectacular view. What a wild ride! We weaved in and out of the narrow canyons and then popped out over Waimea. Next we headed for the North Kohala coast area and down past the resorts before landing back in Kona. The helicopter ride indeed made this trip very special. I cant wait to show everyone the video tape.

We drove to the bed and breakfast to gather up everything and check out. Since our plane didnt leave until 7pm we had time to kill so we drove back to the South Kona area and stopped at Hookena Beach for lunch. Many of the locals come here and it was full of people. The sky was overcast so it was mostly kids running in the surf or playing with boogie boards. We looked around and we dropped by the bookstore again for a closer look. Really a fantastic store with tons of interesting books especially on travel. We got to the airport and checked in. Its going to be a long day since we have flights from Kona to Honolulu, Honolulu to Los Angeles, L.A. to Denver and finally Denver to St. Louis. If our bags make it, it will be a miracle.

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References

Bed & Breakfasts

PomaikaiI Farm

83-5465 Mamalahoa Hwy.

Captain Cook, HI 96704

(808) 328-2112

fax (808) 328-2255

Rates: $35 - $50

email: nitab+b@ilhawaii.net

Hawaii Island Ecotourist Getaway

Three Bears Bed & Breakfast

72-1001 Puukala Street

Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

tel & fax: (808)325-7583

Anne, Art and Nanette Stockel

http://www.virtualcities.com/~virtual/ons/hi/o/hi35o01.htm

Rates: $59 - $75 for two people plus tax.

They have 2 units:

Both rooms have private baths, color TV, coffemaker, microwave and a small refrigerator. One room has a private deck with ocean view. A breakfast is served each morning on the lanai. Croissants, muffins, cinnamon rolls and home baked breads along with assorted cold cuts, fruit juices, tea and 100% Kona Coffee are served. Complimentary beach chairs, towels, mats, coolers, boogie boards and snorkel gear are available.

Puanani Bed & Breakfast

74-4958 Kiwi Street

Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

tel: 808-324-1662

Rates: $75 - $95

Michael and Christina Raymond

They have 3 units:

The Palm Room which is a suite, has a kitchenette, queen bed, private bathroom with shower, separate entrance, color cable TV, antiques and a view of the ocean and gardens.

The Plumeria Room which is a verylarge and roomy studio with a full kitchen, separate entrance, private bath with tub/shower, color cable TV, quenn bed, opensonto the patio and gardens.

The Gardenia Room which is a separate 1 bedroom, 1 bath house, with a full kitchen, bathroom has tub/shower, queen bed, color cable TV, private deck with ocean view.

All units have use of the 40' lap pool with waterfall, cabana with bar, shower, bathroom and barbeque; washer and dryer, ocean view, hot tub.