Before The Deluge: The Big Island 2018

Saturday, March 24, 2018

The Big Island 2018

We had a wonderful week this year in our return to the Big Island of Hawaii. We missed sharing the experience with our family and friends, but we made great use of our time.

On our first full morning, we went horseback riding at Dahana Ranch outside of Waimea. What a great experience! Our guide was terrific, and we had the ranch to ourselves for a couple hours. I am not a skilled rider, but I hope to do this again. Years ago, I went with family in Maui through a preserve--this was more of an open range type ride. My horse's name was Beachbum.

We stayed in Kona, and visited the farm market, beaches and restaurants. We cooked for ourselves mostly in our rented condo. One day, we took a tour of Greenwell Farms, a coffee farm established in the 1800s. We visited macadamia nut farms and the Big Island Bess honey operation. We also visited the town of Hawi on the north side.

Mid-week, we drove north, again through Waimea, and then went down the Hilo Coast to Hilo. We visited Akaka Falls and hiked the loop. Then, we visited the Wednesday Hilo Farmer's Market, which is fantastic. I ate a lot of varieties of poke on this trip, including at Hilo's Farmer's Market. We also visited the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens, outside of Hilo, which is spectacular. Plants from all over, of all sorts--cacao, orchids, bird of paradise, and so on. Very worthwhile--I could've spent all day there.

That evening, we went up to Mauna Kea, to the 9200 foot Visitor Center. The peak itself is above 13,000 feet, but was closed to private drivers due to 80 mph winds. I climbed a ridge above the Visitor Center, hoping to see the sunset, but the clouds were coming through strong. We were there to see the stars--this is one of the best places in the world for stargazing. Things didn't look promising, but once the sun set, the clouds dropped below us, and the stars and milky way came out. The Center turns off all white lights--using only red lights--and brings out some heavy duty telescopes. We saw Pleiades and the Orion Nebula through the telescope. Two astronomers then gave a star show, using a laser pointer to point out constellations and tell stories about them. This was a pretty special night.

We visited Pu'uhonua O Honohnau Nationa Park, a beautiful old Hawaiian village which served as a place of refuge for warriors during conflicts. Next door, some of the best snoring on the island is at the renowned "Two Step", so named because there is a two step ledge you use to launch into swim-only snorkeling. We then discovered another beach, Honolei, just cruising around. A great day was completed with island fresh smoothies at the South Kona Fruit Stand.

On the morning of our departure, I once again ran the Kona Brewer's Festival Run for the Hops. This year, I only did the 5k, because I wanted to get back quick to pack, but this is a terrific local race. The shirt has a manta ray on it--cool!---and the finish line had all sorts of fresh fruit.

Hopefully we get back soon! Mahalo, Big Island!