Kohala Coast

Ahh. We are ending our trip in resort country. I’m hoping that finalizes our relaxation process. I don’t know if we will even leave the resort to be honest, but there are a few things around here to do if we feel up to it. Our hotel is actually located near a ancient fish ponds (read: birds) and a petroglyph field and there are free tours of it daily at 10:30, but we may be able to see this on our own schedule. Though we will be staying on a great beach for snorkeling etc, word is that Hapuna beach just up the way is the best beach on the island (and has been named by magazines as the best beach in the world), so we may want to drive up there for some of our fun in the surf. Doug said it has nice waves and to go early. I’ve also heard that it is really fun to visit all the resorts and see the grounds. The nearby Hilton has quite a lot of art and other cool stuff to see on the property. There’s a luau. Hmm. Honestly though, I am thinking of just camping at the resort beach these last precious few hours in Hawaii. Kiholo Bay is recommended for snorkeling. A water tour group is based at our hotel, so it won’t be too late to get on a boat tour. We can do a snorkel, sunset sail or rent a kayak from them.

The Puna District and the Lava Viewing Conundrum

Billed as the “real” Big Island, the Puna District offers a lot of great natural attractions and small town charm. I had planned on stopping here en route to Hilo, but given that this is where the lava flow is and that it is way off the beaten path, we may want to come here for the second half of our volcano day – or even most of our volcano day since we could also try again with the volcano when we are en route to our hotel in Hilo. The lava viewing site here is about an 1.5 from our hotel in South Point and we would want to try to see the lava in the evening. We could also drive here from our Hilo hotel if it comes to it, but there's a lot to do in that area too. Such problems for a girl to have.

The conundrum illustrated geographically:

What are the other cool things to do in Puna? Pahoa Town – a charming place to grab snacks or do a little shopping. People rave about the Mexican restaurant Luquin's here. Liloki margaritas for me and pigs raised by the restaurateur for the ultimate in locally grown for Charlie.

Lava Tree State Monument – dubbed "Pele’s sculpture garden," these are some cool petrified trees.

Mackenzie State Park – has an ironwood forest, therefore may have interesting birds.

Ahalanui Park – has a geothermically warmed pool for swimming.

Waiopae Ponds – awesome snorkeling at interconnected tide pools. Some of the best on the island.

Kahopo Pool – another geothermically warmed pool, way lesser known than the Ahalanui Park, couldn't even find a picture. Cape Kumukahi Light House - No picture of these either, but it's near the sea pool and is home to the world's freshest air.

Steam caves – naturally occurring saunas courtesy of the volcano. As cool as this sounds, it does kind of freak me out.

See all these things on the map: Another solution to our timing conundrum might be to just do the helicopter tour. People tell me it’s the best money you can spend on the island and it’s not as pricey as I would have thought. Flights leave every hour until 4:30 pm from Hilo. We miss out on the night viewing, but I don't know that we need it given we get so close to the lava. I'm still not sure how that would time out in our itinerary, but it would be cool. I also still kind of want to go kayaking and horseback riding too. And maybe on a catamaran. Yikes. No money for food on this trip! LOL.

Water Fun on the Kona Coast

Kona has a few great options for water fun - tiny White Sands Beach for boogie boarding or snorkeling at Kahaluu Beach Park, which is very popular and may require an early start to get a spot. If we opt for these DIY adventures, we might want to pick up Banh Mi in town at Ba-Le Sandwich Shop, before we hit the beach. Another from land option is further south near the place of refuge, called two-step beach.

From what I've read, there are quite few more snorkel options if you boat to the snorkel location. The Kealakekua Bay is supposedly awesome and full of fish, but only one company seems to go there daily and the boat is motorized and their website annoys me. Plus I don't know that we will want to go on another tour. The plus side to touring though is we don't have to pack our own gear, BYOGear would likely mean no carry-on luggage option for the flight.

Kayaking also seems like a super fun option. Aloha Kayak offers tours of Keahou Bay or the City of Refuge. These include lava tubes and caves as well as snorkel stops. Again this is another tour, but perhaps a bit more independent and no gear required.

Also intriguing are the night time Manta Ray snorkels. Hmm. That sounds rather unique, but how do you see at night and how close do the rays come? I know they aren't sting rays, but I worry a little since the death of the crocodile hunter. Yet, I don't want to pass up an opportunity to see something cool. It seems like several companies offer the night time snorkels at varying prices, but I can't tell if in the end you are going with the same dive shop on all of them. Kona Honu Divers is currently offering a package that you can use at different times, which includes both an evening manta ray snorkel and a morning dolphin snorkel. But this package doesn't time out as well as I'd like with our time in Kona.