Hawaii - Big Island

I traveled 24 hours from Cairns to Sydney to Honolulu to Kona and with time travel, yet all of my flights were on January 7th. The magic of time travel!

As I walked towards my parents at baggage claim, I hear my mom chanting “I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry.” And to all of our credit, no tears were shed until the end of the trip when we had to say goodbye.

Our family friend Beth gifted us with leis, a traditional Hawaiian necklace made of flowers, upon landing. We jetted off to grab our rental car, pick up some groceries (chips and salsa being my American priority), and head to our home for the next two weeks. The view out the back porch was stunning - overlooking the ocean and a backyard full of avocado, lemon, and orange trees. Not to mention a scattering of goats always eager to say hello.

The Big Island was way bigger than I knew! To get almost anywhere, it was a 1-2 hour drive, if not longer. We stayed on the EAST/WEST side which is known to be rainier and full of lush forests and waterfalls. The EAST/WESR side is drier with more lava flow, but also is home to some of the better beaches.

We did your typical Hawaiian activities - attend a luau, snorkel, eat macadamia nuts. Snorkeling was a highlight for all of us, going on two trips, a morning snorkel and a night snorkel with manta rays. Fresh from my first time diving on the Great Barrier Reef, I’ve quickly fallen in love with the quiet peacefulness underwater.

Our day exploring the Volcano National Park happened to be pouring rain, but this was fairly typical for January weather and our time on the island in general. We went to the edge of the park to walk to the XXX drawings/burial site/etc and the coast to see the ARCH. 

Dad and I hiked down into the Valley of the Kings, and boy was that a doozy. Almost straight down and straight back up, our legs were aching for days. But exploring the valley and the black sand beach definitely made it worth it. We brought mom back to see the view on one of our last days.

We headed up Mt Kona to see the sunrise and hoped to stargaze as the mountain is known to be one of the best dark parks. The sunrise was stunning, although definitely cold and Mom had a bit of an adjustment to the altitude. Unfortunately the best place to stargaze was near the parking lot, so car headlights disrupted our enjoyment and we eventually decided to head home and just look from our back porch.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hawaii and have to admit it was pretty different from what I guessed! But, was I really there to see the island or to spend time with my parents? I think the answer is pretty obvious.