Aloha, A Hui Hou...

Since we're taking the red eye back to the mainland tonight, we got almost an entire day as a bonus to our time on the Big Island. Rather than finding another spot to snorkel and having to pack wet swim stuff in our suitcases, we decided to hike out to Kīholo Bay instead. The scenic viewpoint just off Highway 19 gave us a great view of the bay...

Find Your Beach

No rush to get out the door this morning since our only plans were to go to the beach. Instead of breakfast at the hotel, we went to 808 Grindz Cafe. There was a bit of wait to get seated, but it was worth it! R was the only one who ordered something we hadn't already eaten on the island.

Macadamia nut pancakes

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