Buoyed on the excitement of Luke and Amanda wedding, we took the opportunity to share and explore the amazing sights and experiences of Hawaii with family and friends.
We stayed at the Keauhou Surf and Racquet Club with Peter's sister, Julie. From our lanai we overlooked the ocean and spent pleasant evenings watching the sunset and enjoying our dinner and wine! Very relaxing and pleasant!
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| View from out lanai |
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| Sunset from out lanai |
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| Food and wine on the lanai each evening was very nice! |
The Big Island of Hawaii is famous for its volcanoes and lava, its rain forests and waterfalls, its beaches and canyons, its flowers and sea life, and of course its Kona coffee. We saw it all on our many excursions exploring this incredible island.
LIFE'S A BEACH!
Kahalu'u Beach Park was conveniently next door to where we were staying, so snorkelling visits to this black sand beach with its reef, sea turtles, colourful fish and corals was a very popular morning activity.
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Maureen and Gary Snowsill, Peter and his sister, Julie enjoying
a morning swim and bake at "Turtle Beach" |
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Gary and Maureen watching one of the many sea turtles that
frequent this beach |
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| Sea Turtle grazing for food on the lava rocks |
OUR IRONMAN BIKE RIDE!
It is always an interesting experience to drive the 90 klms from Kailua-Kona to Hawi on the northern tip of the island - the bike leg of the Hawaiian Ironman race. You really appreciated why these races are called "ironman" races when you see the difficulty of the course, but it is also provides an opportunity to experience the eerie moonscape fields of lava which have spilled from the volcanos, Hualalai (elevation 8275 and sits broodingly behind Kona), Mauna Loa (elevation 13,679) and Mauna Kea (the highest Hawaiian volcano at 13,796). These black lava fields contrast with the golden sand and palm fringed beaches that sit along the Kohala Coast which is home to many of the big name hotels. After taking in the stunning view from Pololu Valley Overlook, enjoying a Kona Coffee in one of the cafes in the quaint arts and crafts village of Hawi and passing the proud statue of King Kamehameha 1's statue which marks his birthsite, we headed back the 90klms to Kona, but not before swimming and snorkelling at beautiful Hapuna Beach and viewing the impressive hotels and shops at Waikoloa. I'm sure our ride along "the pain trail" is a much more pleasant experience than the ironman triathletes!
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| View from the Pololo Valley Lookout |
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| Pololo Valley Beach - only accessible by hiking in. |
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| The quiet town of Hawi |
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| Julie and Peter relax on Hapuna Beach |
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| The lava fields behind the beach. |
IRONMAN TOWN
Kailua-Kona hosts the Ironman every year and as you walk around the town you come across the iconic street names of Ali'i Drive, Palani Road and Kuakini Hwy (the intersection here known as "hot corner" as it becomes the hub of the bike and run legs of the race) and of course the famous Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway - affectionately known as the Queen K by the triathletes. These paths have made and broken many an Ironman triathlete! and seen thousands of spectators crowd their footpaths to cheer on their friends, family and heroes in the most gruelling and challenging race in the world! Of course you have to catch an obligatory coffee, a meal or snack at the legendary Lava Java and it is a great vantage point to watch the famous Hawaiian sunsets. They always have a very interesting menu during Ironman week! The famous shaved ice is a necessary thirst quencher in the hot, humid weather - flavours and colours you wouldn't believe! The "party" at the ironman finish line is one to behold and experience, with hundreds of ironman supporters lining the road leading to the finish shute and all enjoying the singing, dancing and entertainment as they cheer the finishers across the line. The constant praise from the "voice of ironman", Mike Reilly - "You are an Ironman!" is a great reward for all the ironman participants and a real buzz for all the spectators.
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The swim start near the Kailua Pier. The Royal Kona resort and
the voggy slopes of Hualalai in the background. |
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| The bikes fly around at "Hot Corner" after descending Palani. |
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| Hot Corner |
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| Stephen Ryan and Peter get a vantage point on the lava wall at "Hot Corner" |
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| Craig Alexander blitzes the run course cheered on by Luke |
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| Meals in IM week are named after the athletes - the McKenzie Stack was nice! |
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| Julie and Maureen enjoy a Snow Cone |
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| Gary getting into the dancing action at the finish line. |
HAWAII'S STORY
The Hawaiian Kings and their people's history, heritage and culture are very important to them and is very evident in everyday life in Hawaii - it is preserved, respected and practised. You are constantly reminded of its importance as you sightsee around the island and it is not uncommon to find an archeological site or sacred burial ground in the grounds of your resort ( the remains of one of the King's Palaces took pride of place beside the tennis courts at our resort) or beside the beach you are swimming at, or even a Hawaiian singing at the ocean edge. Remains of Heiau's (sacred temples) and petroglyphs (drawings on rocks- ki'i pohaku - were used for communication) are throughout the island. Today Churches abound - the one below is the smallest church on the Big Island and has become an important landmark for the IM triathletes - it is the turnaround point along Ali'i Drive on their run leg.
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| A sacred burial site. |
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| Remains of a kings palace in the grounds of the Racquet Club |
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| Paying the guitar and singing at the ocean edge. |
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| The smallest church on the island |
THE ISLAND CIRCLE
The trip around the Big Island is a spectacular day's outing. We headed off from Kona, traversed the face of the volcano Hualalai on Hway 190 to take in the spectacular views along the coast, to the mountain town of Waimea (sitting at 2,700 elevation) which is famous for its horse ranches, the largest and oldest one being Parker Ranch, founded in 1847 and spreading across 150,000 acres of rolling green pastures. As such Waimea is home to Hawaii's paniola (cowboy). The contrast of scenery and weather is stunning as you pass from the hot, humid lava flats of Kona to the cool, verdant uplands of Waimea. The locals tell us that Waimea is even more beautiful when the cherry trees are in full bloom. Continuing on from there we reach Honoka'a, a quaint old sugar plantation town perched on the edge of the north east coast of the island. Just out of town the views of the Waipi'o Valley (Valley of the Kings) are breathtaking.
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| Julie filming the spectacular view of the Waipi'o Valley and the dramatic cliffs and coastline. |
THE HAMAKUA COAST AND HILO
From the Waipi'o Valley Lookout we headed off down the Hamakua Coast on the east side of the island to Hilo. This side of the island is a contrast to the west side. here you have coastal cliffs, gulches, waterfalls and very lush vegetation.We detoured off Hway 19 to look at the spectacular cascading Akaka Falls in the State Park. The walk to the falls is on a 1klm round trip path which takes you through the tranquil setting of a natural tropical rainforest where you can appreciate the beauty of the different species of flowers, plants and palms. The ginger plants were magnificent.
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| The lush State Park and Akaka Falls |
Hilo is a busy, commercial town being the main business centre on the island and its colonial buildings give it a lot of character and the seashore is lined with parks and gardens, one with a Japanese influence. Rainbow Falls is nestled in the mountainside behind Hilo and is beautiful in its tranquil setting.
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| Rainbow Falls |
Continuing on from Hilo we headed into the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ($10 entry per car), with the most active volcano in the world taking pride of place - Kilauea. In the park the road runs around the rim of the volcano's caldera (Crater Rime Drive) giving you a great vantage point to view the ash and sulphur which the volcano continually emits from the Halema'uma'u vent. Lava continually flows into the ocean through the volcano's extensive network of lava tubes - this can be viewed from the end of The Chain of Craters Road. Viewing and experiencing Kilauea is not to be missed. Unlike other active volcanoes it is approachable - people refer to it as "the drive up volcano" because of the ease of access to many of its active areas, especially the summit caldera which can be viewed from many points around the rim. There are good views from Volcano House and the Visitor Information Centre. The Visitors Centre has an excellent display of information concerning the park and the volcanoes, and there are park rangers on hand to answer questions and conduct tours from their daily program.
It truly is an awesome feeling to be standing on the rim of the most active volcano in the world with the constantly spewing steam vents surrounding you!
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| Kilauea |
The museum in the Information Centre is really interesting and very informative. We learnt a lot! Did you know there are two types of lava? That the Big Island is the youngest island? How do you know?That the chain of islands is still forming? and we only have to wait another 100,000 years for the next island to appear above the surface of the sea! (America has already claimed it and named it Lo'ihi ) How were the Hawaiian Islands formed? Which is the oldest island? All very fascinating!
The Hawaiian's believe this area is the home of Madame Pele, the powerful Hawaiian goddess.
Walking through Thurston's Lava Tube is another interesting experience in the park.
Amazing how these lava tubes are formed
Lava Flows
Liquid lava spreads out from a vent but quickly crusts over. The crust can be smooth and wrinkly (Pahoehoe or Ropy lava) or if the lava is stiffer it may break into jagged fragments (Aa lava).
Liquid lava continues to flow beneath the crusted surface, inflating it and pushing out in front as lobes of pahoehoe or walls of rubbley aa.
Behind the advancing front the liquid flow becomes concentrated into linear streams: either surface channels or in tubes and chambers beneath the crust. The surface channels may later crust over to form tubes.
Draining of the liquid lava from these tubes will leave open caves. Most tubes never drain and become blocked with solid basalt.
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| The entrance to the Thurston Lava Tube |
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| Inside the lava tube |
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| The roof of the lava tube |
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| Thurston Lava Tube exit |
From the Volcano National park we headed back to Kona to finish the circling of the island - it is a long day but well worth it. Just before you reach Kona below the township of Captain Cook on the shores of Kealakekua Bay is the monument to Captain Cook who perished there after a disagreement with the local hawaiian people. While you can see the memorial from the shores of the bay the only way to get to the memorial is by boat or hike to it. The memorial area of the bay is a popular snorkeling spots.
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| Kealakekua Bay |
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| Captain Cook Monument |
MAGNIFICENT MAUI
After leaving the Big Island we headed for a 4 day escape in magnificent Maui with Julie, and Garry and Maureen Snowsill. We stayed in the beautiful OutriggerAinu Nalu at Lahaina which is a great little town and a good location to explore the rest of the island from. Lahaina means "cruel sun" but we loved the sun and the beautiful weather there and took advantage of it by doing lots swimming and snorkelling! Lahaina is also a very lively town boasting nightlife, restaurants, art galleries, great shops and historic landmarks It has great character with it's colonial Hawaiian architecture and brightly coloured wooden facades on the shops. The huge, huge Banyan Tree near the courthouse and the boat harbour are focal points in the town.
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The giant Banyan Tree - it takes up a whole block.
Sunday markets in progress beneath the spreading branches, |
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| The colourful shop fronts |
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| Beautiful colonial architecture, buildings and treelined streets |
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| Hawaiian colonial architecture give the town lots of character |
We took full advantage of the Outrigger's fantastic facilities to relax and enjoy our tropical environment and surrounds.
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| Pool 1 |
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| Peter enjoying a swim in pool 2 - our favourite |
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| Day bed! This place was made for relaxing! |
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| Peter and Gary cooling off. |
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| The well equipped pool - house |
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| The pool- house lounge area |
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| Beautiful tropical gardens |
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| Palms and water features abound |
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| Water features tinkling everywhere in the grounds and gardens |
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| Stunning backdrop of the Outrigger Ainu Nalu |
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| Julie and Maureen homeward bound after a shopping expedition |
What a fabulous and exciting day we had snorkelling at Lana'i. The beautiful coloured tropical fish, the flying fish, the sea turtles, the bottle nosed dolphin and her baby who played around our Zodiac and rode
the bow wave, and the huge pod of 300-400 spinner dolphins who we swam with in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean, made it an exhilarating and very memorable day.
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| Our Zodiac and crew for the day. |
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| Heading out of the harbour at sunrise |
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Lana'i, once covered in pineapple plantations is now a private
island owned by the Murdocks and has only one resort.
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| Th spinner dolphins enjoyed playing around and swimming with the Zodiac |
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| A Spinner dolphin at play |
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| Pod of 300-400 Spinner dolphins - magic! |
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| Julie's smile says it all - fabulous day! |
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| Add caption |
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| Maureen takes the plunge to do some snorkelling |
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| Beautiful in here! |
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| Julie prepared for her snorkel |
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| In she goes |
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| Great! |
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| Gary heads in - he's watching for the dolphin pod! |
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| Pete prepares for his plunge. |
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| In he goes! |
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Spinner dophins
We had a fabulous afternoon and evening enjoying Wailea and the surrounding coastline and resorts. We strolled around the palatial Grand Wailea Resort - a must see!; walked along the scenic coastal track taking in the stunning sights, including Molokini - a volcanic crater off the coast which is a fabulous snorkelling spot; relaxed on the patio of the Four Reasons Resort and watched another magnificent sunset while waiting to go into dinner. A fantastic afternoon and evening to end our stay in Maui!
On our last day in Maui, after a sumptuous breakfast at the wharf, we took off to look at the amazing Ka'anapai, Kahana, Napili and Kapalua Coastline which offers some of Maui's most beautiful beaches, resorts, golf courses and scenery.
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| Beautiful Napili Bay - a great place to stay! |
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The Ritz-Carlton set amid the Kapalua Golf Courses overlooking Oneloa Bay.
A golfer's dream at this part of the coast |
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| Fleming Beach Park |
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Honokahua Bay
What's a trip to Hawaii without soaking up a bit of the famous Waikiki lifestyle! That's what we did on our last evening in the beautiful Hawaiian Islands! |
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| Surfboards and Outrigger Canoes, symbols of the fun in the sun! |
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Julie, Peter, Vicki and Gary.
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| A spectacular sunset |
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| Night street concert - hawaiian singing and dancing - the famous hula! |
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| The famous Waikiki as we wing out of beautiful Hawaii - until next year! |
