We were all up bright and early around 4:00 am this morning!!! We ate pineapple, drank coffee and watched the skies become pink and blue as the sun rose in the east.
We arrived early to the gorgeous Mauna Kea Beach, about 40 minutes north of where we are staying. There is limited parking at the Mauna Kea Resort so we wanted to get there at a good time to get a spot! The water was turquoise and warm. We all had fun swimming and playing. I am not sure what was in the water, but the girls all got stung at least once by something. There was itching and pain and we couldn't identify what it was. Eventually the sensation went away and they happily resumed what they were doing.
There was a bunch of rocks teeming with all kinds of tropical fish. We rented snorkel gear and all were amazed to view so many things in these clear, blue waters.
too cute...
This was all of our first time with officially snorkeling. I admittedly had to constantly remind myself to breathe through the snorkel and not hyperventilate! The girls were naturals!
We had lunch on the beach and then packed up our things to get a little shade and to explore a little more.
Driving the Big Island was a treat. We would encounter fields of lava everywhere with the ocean in our sight on one side and then the volcano mountains in the distance. It was truly memorable.
We visited the coffee plantation of Hula Daddy on our way back to our condo. It was nestled high in the hills.
The plants, flowers and trees were all so stunning! A pineapple plant...
More then 1/3 of the world's commercial supply of pineapple comes from the state of Hawaii.
More then 1/3 of the world's commercial supply of pineapple comes from the state of Hawaii.
...and Juliette exploring a beautiful gigantic flower on the tree
flowers were so abundant on the ground
We took a great, short tour around the Hula Daddy and learned about Kona coffee.
Here is the coffee plant with green and red "berries". The beans are the seeds inside the berry. The berries are hand picked when they are ripe and red.
Only coffee from the Kona Districts can name themselves "Kona Coffee". It also is one of the most expensive coffees. Coffee can be grown here due to the climate with sun, plenty of rain and the rich volcanic soil.
Hawaii is also the only U.S. state that grows coffee!
Hawaii is also the only U.S. state that grows coffee!
Hula Daddy roasts small batches at a time in this roaster. Since Jamie and I are big coffee drinkers, we enjoyed learning about it!
It was time for dinner and we ate at "Jackie Rey's". It was fantastic and had "da best Mai Tai"! The meal was delicious. The girls were feeling pretty tired and a little sick from the coffee sampling and couldn't wait to get back to the condo to rest.
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