On the way to the lookouts we stopped in a small town called Hawi. It's a quaint little place with old buildings full of shops and cafes. We also got photos of these strange trees that look like they have sausages hanging from them. From Polulu you drive on highway 250 to the town of Waimea. The highway goes up to an elevation over 3500 feet. It offers spectacular views. This area of the island is ranch and cowboy country. We passed by green meadows full of cattle, horses and sheep. On the way up north we got to see a view of Mauna Kea. As we were driving in between the two lookouts … [Read more...]
Markets, Restaurants and Shopping
Grocery Stores and Markets for Self Catering We picked up this huge piece of fresh tuna at one of the markets for $15! We would pay that much at home for two small tuna steaks. We seared it up on the BBQ with nothing but a little black pepper, it was delicious. We just loved trying all kinds of different fruits, some of them were very strange looking. Nothing cools you off better than a fruit smooth blended with ice! There are tons of places to buy groceries in Kona. KTA, Safeway and Costco just to name a few. In the same complex as Safeway there's a large health food store with an … [Read more...]
Stuff To See In and Around Kona
Temple Of King Kamehameha This Heiau is a replica of the original temple that stood in this area. It is located at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel near the pier. This is where King Kamehameha spent his final years from 1812 to 1819. It was a 4 acre homestead with several houses and religious sites. Downtown Kona The next set of pictures are of the main road going through Kona called Ali'i Drive. During the beginning of our stay there was a storm, as you can see the surf is washing right over the seawall downtown. The town is a nice area to hang out. You can go for a … [Read more...]
Our Arrival, Accommodation And Car Rental
Aloha everyone. We are on our way to Hawaii. We will be gone for 5 weeks, spending one month on the Big Island and one week on the island of Oahu before returning home. We are two days away from leaving and can not wait to get out of here considering what we are leaving behind! As the plane flew away from Seattle we got an incredible view of what we think is Mount Baker. The weather in Hawaii was a bit of a surprise. The area was experiencing a major storm system. The flight between Honolulu to the Big Island of Hawaii was quite turbulent. When we landed we were shocked to see the … [Read more...]