One more sunrise in Kona...looking out from our lanai...
...the perspective from the open hallway through the front door of the condo
We wanted to document us all in our leis before they wilted away. They were so pretty and fragrant.
The girls found some coconuts to pose with.
The round pieces of coral rocks mixed with the smooth chunks of lava rock.
We enjoyed our west side of Kona immensely and we packed up and made our way south and east to explore more of the Big Island.
South of where we snorkeled, we explored the national park of Pu'uhonua o Honaunau which was stunning with its swaying coconut trees, views of the ocean and lava fields and beach. It is no wonder why this was a Place of Refuge on the island. In ancient times if there was a lawbreaker could make it here, he would be offered protection. He would have performed rituals with the priest here and then in turn would be "forgiven". As you can imagine, if you broke the rules and laws there were many forms of death to choose from (spear, fire, club, etc...)
The gods keeping watch near the Hale-O-Keawe which was originally a mausoleum.
Juliette keeping a precarious balance on the very sharp and rough lava fields. We also saw a few sea turtles having some lunch on the limu in the water.
Adding another Junior Ranger badge to their collection! The National park program of Junior Ranger that they offer the kids is special and really engages them into learning more about the park and area. It also teaches the grown-ups a thing or two!
Just around the southern tip of the island going east we drove to Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. It was truly a sight to behold and even more fun to play on. Above is the freshwater pond filled with lilies.
I read that this black sand is special in that it is the kind that is created when the lava known as 'a'a (chunky) meets the ocean and shatters. The ocean then breaks it up into sand particles. Truly special.
We had lunch that we had packed in the morning under some palm trees. The girls then could not wait to get into the ocean!
The water was actually cool and refreshing. It is always so much fun to be rewarded with some beach time after being in the car for a bit.
The consistency reminded me of damp coffee grounds.
It was not a packing sand but fun to scoop.
There were a few sea turtles eating by the rocks. It was fun to watch them (he or she is in the top left hand corner). They blend in well to the limu covered rocks.
Sandy toes!
I honestly could have stayed here for the day but we had to get to our new place by dusk as it was a hidden house off the gravel roads near Volcano.
The house we rented for a few days was magical outside...a jungle with its very own lava tube!
It was on about 3 acres and the sound of coqui frogs at night and the occasional patter of rain is what we heard before we went to sleep.
After we settled in, we drove to the Kilauea Crater in the Volcanoes National Park. What a sight!
You can see the steam rising from the Halema'uma'u Crater.
We made reservations at the Volcano House which had an amazing view of Kilauea Crater. The food and service were outstanding and even had live music. We started dining around 5:30 and when we were finished it was dusk and the crater started to glow...
We drove to the parking area (if you plan on not walking too far you would need to get to the Jagger Museum earlier then we did), and took the walk-way to the Jagger Museum to see the steam glow orange and red from the crater. It was a challenge to get the tripod set up in the dark and get the settings right, but we were rewarded with this view and stars upon stars.
It is said that the top of Mauna Kea could possibly be the best place in the world to observe stars, but we found amazing skies that evening.
On our next trip besides hiking more, we plan to do a helicopter trip to view the active lava flows and take a trip to Mauna Kea which is more then 13,000 feet above sea level to view the skies through the telescopes. Interestingly the base of Mauna Kea is 17,000 below sea level.
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