Ring Around the Island

There was no need to get breakfast after we checked out of the hotel because R's cousin gave us a big bag of "made in Hawaii" snacks last night. Maebo's One-Ton Chips are my new favorite!

Kona Chips were a big hit, too!

Before leaving Hilo, we stopped at Big Island Candies to buy some of their signature dipped shortbread cookies to bring home. Added bonus - free samples!

Last stop - Two Ladies Kitchen to fetch more mochi. Pre-ordering is definitely the way to go, since we could skip to the front of long line that had already started forming this morning. Their strawberry mochi is so good!

Another Day in Paradise

Our itinerary for today included a couple of popular tourist spots, so we were out the door early to beat the crowds. Since our hotel stay didn't include breakfast, our first stop was Hawaiian Style Cafe. Two of us had boring run-of-the-mill dishes, but the other two ordered more local fare: Kalua hash (left) and Hawaiian sweet bread french toast with, what else, SPAM!

Lava, Lava Everywhere

We got another early start this morning, because we were moving to another hotel on the Hilo side of the island and spending the day at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park along the way. 

But in reality we were late. Eleven months late, to be exact. Erupting nearly continuously since 1983, the last time Kīlauea actively emitted lava at the surface was in early September 2018. How cool would it have been to see molten lava?! From a very safe distance, of course. Bummer.

Sleeping with the Fishes

Of all of the things we wanted to do during our time on the Big Island, night snorkeling with manta rays was at the top of our list. R's cousin and her family were on the Big Island a couple of weeks before and had a great time doing this, so we decided to use the same tour company, SunLight on Water.

📸: J

Kohala Coast

In planning our trip to Hawaii, our friends recommended that we download the Shaka Guide app for the Big Island. It is an audio tour guide that uses your phone's GPS to automatically play the segment that corresponds to where you are, complete with turn-by-turn directions, suggestions for places to stop, and even music for traveling in between points of interest. There were five tours covering different parts of the island, so we bought the whole bundle for $9.99. 

Our destination this morning was Pololū Valley on the northern tip of the island. The drive along Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway was gorgeous! The Kohala Coast tour audio kicked in once we passed by the resorts at Waikoloa. The tour narration was really interesting, and the app worked well (offline, so no cellular data needed) - totally worth the price paid!

City of Refuge

After our paddling (mis)adventure, it took awhile for my seasickness to subside. So as I waited to get my land legs back, the guys loaded our stuff into the car. Then we left Nāpōʻopoʻo and continued south to Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau NHP.

☑ Park #153 for me, #151 for R, and #148 for the boys