Our Favorite Places

I was recently updating our guest activities list and was haunted by two main thoughts.  First, I was thinking again about how important it is to not over-plan a vacation, especially here on the Big Island where the languid pace of life is one of its most seductive qualities.  Second, I realized that I needed to put together a list of our favorite activities/places, since we’re asked all the time anyway.  I’ve compiled a list here, and will attempt to address them one by one in greater detail in later posts.

First off, when planning a trip please keep in mind that there’s nothing wrong with doing nothing.  We’ve had loads of guests enjoy themselves immensely simply spending time down at Manini Beach communing peacefully with the wildlife, picnicking at Pu’uhonua, taking long walks out Painted Church Road, and lounging on the lanai drinking wine and watching the sun set. 

Of all activities available, we would highly recommend spending time in the water here in our neighborhood, considered the most beautiful snorkeling water in Hawaii.  For exploration of the rest of the island, perhaps devote one full day to the Volcano, one day driving east (through Hilo up the Hamakua Coast and back down through Waimea), one day driving north (up the Kohala Coast to the big sand beaches like Kua, Hapuna, Beach 69, and Mauna Kea), and the other days resting and relaxing locally.  Drink some local coffee or enjoy a farm tour, watch the glorious sun sets from the lanai, sunbathe at Keei Beach, BBQ at least one night, and take things slowly…

Here are our favorite places:

From Captain Cook counter clockwise around the island:

Manini Beach

Captain Cook trail

Keei Beach

Pu’uhonua O Honaunau (City of Refuge)

(Specifically the picnic area and 1871 trail)

Two Step

Painted Church Road

(for walking/running)

Hookena Beach

Manuka trail

South Point

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

Wood Valley Temple

Volcano – Kilauea Iki

Queen Liliuokanlai Park and Coconut Island

(in Hilo, when it’s sunny)

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens

(and the connecting scenic loop)

Kalopa Forest

(nature walk and Ironwood trail)

Honoka’a

Driving along the Hamakua Coast, then down through Waimea is beautiful.

 

From South Kona, north:

Kua Bay

Beach 69

Hawi town

Pololu Valley

A Visit to Honolulu

Last week we spent a few days in Honolulu.  We’d been to the city many times before (Ken’s family is from Honolulu) and it was great to be there again.  Here are the things we love (and sometimes miss) about the big city: food and shopping.  We stuffed our faces at Shirokiya (a Japanese department store in Ala Moana mall) with sushi and ramen and fresh gyoza and other nostalgic Japanese delights you just can’t get here, with dim sum in China Town, and with our favorite Korean BBQ (Kaneohe’s TastyBBQ which has the most amazing vegetable bar we’ve ever seen).  I was able to purchase hula supplies from a little old hole-in-the-wall hula supply store, and we temporarily satiated our consumerism by wandering Ala Moana Mall (a truly beautiful open-air mall).  We spent an afternoon at Kailua Beach, one of the world’s finest beaches (white sand, purple-blue water), and would have stopped by the Valley of the Temples but ran out of time.  We took Conlan to Honolulu Zoo (he enjoyed the meerkats the most) and walked all over Ala Moana Park and through Waikiki.  It’s undeniably fun to be in the city.  Restaurant service is friendly and helpful, the restaurant scene is so competitive that most places have to be good, and stuff is open late (our quiet farming island goes to bed early and rises early). 

But we were also reminded of all the not-so-nice things, too, and were glad to come home.  For example, the most jarring thing was simply the noise.  The day after we got home I was doing maid service in our cottage and paused momentarily, taking in the silence.  I could here absolutely nothing.  The coffee mill wasn’t roasting, the birds weren’t even chirping.  There was no one here, no cars, no people-sounds.  There was only a faint sigh from the trees as the wind blew through.  The city is LOUD: jack hammers, garbage trucks at five am, scooters and motorcycles and huge buses and loads of cars roaring by.  And drivers are impatient!  I know it’s not Boston-impatient but we’ve been spoiled by the laid-back attitude of our kind Big-Island drivers who let you in and don’t tail gate or cut you off or honk a milli-second after the light turns.

We’ll probably return to Honolulu in a few years to once again eat and shop at Shirokiya and share Ken’s city with our babies and get our big-city fix.  But for now we’re loving the quiet life here at home.  For visitors to the islands, I would suggest doing your homework and choosing the place that’s the right fit.  For shoppers, Waikiki offers up Coach and Rolex and Armani and Tiffany’s and all the other big names seen in all America’s cities.  It’s filled with resorts and you can walk easily for miles.  Stuff is open late and there is always something to do.  The Big Island always gets low marks on Trip Advisor for “nightlife”, which makes us laugh.  If you want a hoppin’ nightlife, go to the city!  Like all fabulous cities, there’s plenty of music and food and entertainment.  For guests who seek a respite from city noise and pace, the Big Island will be the better fit.

 

Tsunami

On Saturday morning I awoke to the phone ringing at 5 am.  It was our guests, worried about what they’d seen on the news about a possible tsunami coming to Hawaii following the massive earthquake in Chile.  At six o’clock the tsunami siren sounded.  I got out of bed quietly and crept out into our living room.  The room was still shrouded in darkness and I could hear the surf pounding.  A siren by nature is a harrowing sound and it filled me with fear.  The sirens are tested once a month, but we’ve never actually heard one used for-real.  Both Ken and I did some quick research online and found that indeed Hawaii was under tsunami warning status, and that a tsunami was expected to hit the islands at around eleven a.m. 

We already knew that, were a tsunami to hit our shore, we would not need to evacuate, being that we are perched on a hill at 300 feet above sea level.  The best plan of action, seconded by the civil defense, is for people above shoreline areas to stay put.  Their concern is people panicking, leaving their homes unnecessarily, clogging up roads and not allowing the folks who really do need to leave, to leave in a timely fashion.  We planned to stay put, watch the news, and keep our eyes on the water. 

As the morning unfolded, the sun came out, the siren continued to sound hourly, and we checked in with the local news.  I served breakfast to our guests, we did maid service, answered the phone, and proceeded with our normal work.  Eleven am came and went, as did twelve, as did one and two and three.  We have a massive view of the coastline stretched out before us and watched the ocean constantly throughout the day.  There was no discernable shift (on our side) in current, color, level, or wave pattern.  The Kona winds picked up and the afternoon was sunny and clear.  In Honolulu, people panicked and flooded grocery stores and gas stations, but here, it was an extraordinarily quiet Saturday afternoon.

By evening the warning status had been lifted and there was an almost palpable feeling of relief in the air.  We could hear a stream of traffic heading down the road as the folks who live along the water returned home.  I heard people out on their lanais laughing and playing music loudly.  The sirens stopped, the threat was gone, and the islands endured no damage – thankfully.