Ten Days in Hawaii - Day 4: Early Morning Snorkeling

The plan for this morning was to return to the snorkeling spot that Doug and Cathy went to yesterday morning.  Cathy and Heather decided not to go so it was just Doug, Ev, Val and myself.  It was a place called Two Step and was just to the north of The Place of Refuge we visited yesterday.  We were on the road just before 7:00 AM and were at Two Step within 20 minutes.  There were already a lot more people there since it was Saturday and many of the locals were there to enjoy the day.  A large group of people were launching large, outrigger canoes and others were just setting up in the picnic areas for a day at the beach.

The shoreline here was not a true beach, but covered in volcanic rock so it was a bit of a challenge getting to the beach.  Walking on the rocks wasn’t too bad, but there were spots that were wet and very slippery so you had to watch yourself.  Ev slipped and fell and got a few scrapes, but luckily nothing serious.  The reason this place is called Two Step is that there is a rock shelf which is made up of two steps and is the easiest place to get in the water.

The "two-step" entry spot with the Place of Refuge in the background.

The water was much rougher this morning than yesterday morning so it was a bit more of a challenge getting in the water as the shelf steps were slippery and the waves were hitting it.  Val and I managed to get into the water without incident although I slipped and made an awkward entry, but made it without problems.  The snorkeling was OK and we saw quite a few fish, but as the waves came in and receded it created a bit of a strong current and you had to keep track of where you were.  The rough water was also stirring up more sediment so the water wasn’t as clear as it could have been.  After about 30 minutes Val and I decided we had enough and decided to call it quits. 

The water was not nearly as calm as it was when we snorkeled near the Captain Cook Monument.

 

Getting out of the water was a little more difficult than getting in as you had to time the waves so they lifted you onto the steps and then get stable before they washed you back out.  I was successful, but a wave caught Val and she hit the rocks back first, but other than it being a little painful, she came out fine.  Doug stayed out quite a bit longer and told us if we swam a little further northward there were calmer spots with clearer water and more fish.  It's a shame the water wasn't calmer and also that Val and I weren't a little more patient because Two Step is suppose to be one of the best snorkeling spots on the Big Island.

Val enjoying the morning after snorkeling.

Lots of people already here considering it's not even 8:00 yet.

 

Ev decided not to snorkel so we joined her onshore and spent the rest of the time enjoying the great view and wonderful weather.  When Doug was done snorkeling we packed up and headed back to the house taking a different route along the coast.  We ended up at the small residential area along the bay we see below us from the lanai of our house.  There was a small park there called Kaelakekua Bay State Historical Park that looked across the bay to the Captain Cook Memorial and the place we snorkeled the other day.

You can't really see the Captain Cook Monument from the view, but we snorkeled right out by the point two days ago.

From the park it was back to the house where we spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house and enjoying the day.  I have mentioned relaxing quite a bit during this trip so maybe it’s time to talk about that.  When I say relaxing it might mean relaxing around the pool with palms trees overhead and a beautiful view of the coast.  It might mean sitting out on the lanai reading or talking with gentle winds blowing in to cool things off and enjoying the ever prevalent view of the coast.  It also might mean finding a secluded spot somewhere on the grounds and just spending some quiet time alone.  There are so many ways to relax here that it’s a wonder we find time to actually get out.

Heather and Cathy had decided to take the other car and explore on their own today and didn’t get back until late in the afternoon.  They went north to the town of Waimea and down the east coast of the island to Hilo and then back over the backbone road across the center of the island.  They had a great time and particularly liked the Waimea area.  We hope to visit that area ourselves before the end of our trip.

Tomorrow we are heading south to the Black Sand Beach and South Point, which is the southern-most point in the United States.

Ten Days in Hawaii - Day 3: We Visit the Place of Refuge

When we got up this morning Doug and Cathy had already gone to their snorkeling spot and the rest of us had no plans for the day.  They got back around 9:30 AM and said they’d had a great time.  We all decided to have an early lunch and go to Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park.  All six of us climbed into the van and off we went. The park is a sacred site where if you had broken any laws (the penalty for breaking a law in ancient Hawaii was death) and if you could reach this place you were safe, which is why it is called The Place of Refuge.  The place where Doug and Cathy snorkeled is right next to the park and is not too far south or our house.

 

We drove down to the park and checked out the snorkeling location before exploring the park.  Val and I had visited here on a previous visit to the Island and really liked it, but I don’t think everyone else thought it was as interesting as we did.  After visiting the park, we drove back, stopping at the Painted Church.

The Painted Church.  The name is not obvious until you go inside.

 

Doug, Cathy and Heather are ready to go in.

You can see where it got its name.

We also visited the Paleaku Botanical Gardens which was also the home of Kona Lisa Coffee.

Ev and Doug.

Val had heard of a chocolate covered macadamia nut called Donkey Balls (which of course made for a lot of humorous comments and laughs), and wanted to get some so we went in search of them.  Someone told us they were located in Captain Cook, but we couldn’t find them, but we did find a small farmer’s market so we decided to stop there and look around.  There wasn’t much there, but I did buy some really good coconut macaroons and Val picked up a very tasty jar of chocolate syrup.   

Doug at the Farmer's Market.  Val bought some delicious chocolate sauce from this friendly vendor.

Deciding not to give up on the Donkey Ball search (by now the whole van was on a mission) we drove further north towards Kona and there it was in the town of Kealakelua.  We found a place to park and made our way to the Original Donkey Ball shop and sampled some of the different types they had and naturally we had to buy some.

The Donkey Balls are made here.  The nuts are tumbled and chocolate is added to make a thick coating.

Doug, Cathy, Heather and Val.

By the time we finished at the Original Donkey Factory and Shop. it was late afternoon so we headed back home.  We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing while Heather prepared a delicious lasagna for dinner.  The lasagna was great and for dessert we sampled the coconut macaroon cookies dipped in some of the chocolate sauce we bought, which also proved to be very tasty.  The rest of the evening was spent reading or playing games.  One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned is that every afternoon or evening we have been having rain showers and today’s showers occurred during dinner and then again later.  They haven’t interfered with anything we’ve been doing, the temperature stays wonderfully perfect, and the sound of the rain beating on the roof is actually quite pleasant.

The rest of the night was spent reading for some and playing games for others.  The plan for tomorrow is to get up early and return to the snorkeling site Doug and Cathy were at this morning.  Hopefully the rain will have stopped and the sun will be out as usual.

Ten Days in Hawaii - Day 2: We go Snorkeling

Our activity for today was a morning snorkel and BBQ cruise that we booked with Four Wind Cruises.  We left the house at 8:00 AM and drove back towards Kona to Keauhou Bay where our trip would start.  We got there just before 8:30, checked in, and got in line to get on the boat.  The large number of people we saw waiting made us wonder if it would be too crowded, but it was a large boat and accommodated everyone without feeling crowded.  When everyone was aboard we started the one hour journey north to Kealakekua Bay where we would do our snorkeling.  We look down at the bay from our house, but the only access to the snorkeling spot is by boat or a long, arduous hike – obviously, we chose the boat.

Myself, Val, Doug, Heather and Cathy wait to board the Fair Wind II for our snorkel and BBQ cruise (from Ev's cell phone).

We enjoyed the cruise north as the weather was clear and warm and the shoreline scenery was beautiful.  As we cruised along we were served a continental breakfast by the crew consisting of tropical fruits, breads, egg fajitas and juices; it hit the spot.  We soon reached our snorkeling spot, which was near the Captain Cook Monument at the northern end of Kealakekua Bay.  The Bay is a marine sanctuary with some rules about snorkeling there which the crew outlined to us before we were allowed to go in the water. The guide books called it one of the best snorkeling spots in Hawaii so we were all excited about getting in the water.  As we entered the bay, we were welcomed by dolphins swimming and jumping in front of the boat.

We leave Keauhou Bay.

 

We were greeted by dolphins as we entered the bay.

This is the area where we will do our snorkeling.

When we arrived, there were already several smaller boats there and as the morning wore on, a few more showed up; this is a popular snorkeling area.  You could see a few people on shore at the monument, but it was obvious that most people chose to arrive by boat.  Interestingly enough, if you arrived by boat you were not allowed to go ashore.  I don’t know why, but it was part of the licensing agreement that a business had to get to operate a commercial service.  They were also very strict about protecting the coral and you weren’t allowed to let your feet touch it.

There were already some other boats in the area when we arrived.

This is where we'll do our snorkeling.

That's the Captain Cook Memorial.  You are only allowed to be out of the water here if you hike down to it, but if you arrive by boat you have to stay in the water.

Our group before we start our snorkeling.

Heather and Cathy try out their snorkeling gear (a selfie from Heather's cell phone).

After the boat was anchored and we were given the rules and safety instructions, it was finally time to go snorkeling.  The boat was set up for all levels of expertise and physical ability.  Besides just jumping off the side, they had two sets of stairs that went from the lower deck right into the water; getting in was a piece of cake.  Even weak swimmers or people who couldn’t swim at all as they had paddle boards and all sorts of floatation devices. The snorkeling was wonderful and we had a great time.  The types of fish weren't as varied as what we saw in the South Pacific, but there were plenty and the coral was beautiful.

Val and I each had an underwater camera.  She had an Nikon AW100 for still pictures and I had a GoPro for shooting video.  Unfortunately we had a problem with the Nikon (it's an old camera) so many of the pictures aren't sharp and the pictures I extracted from the video weren't very sharp either, but these pictures will at least give an idea of what we saw.

Val's in the water.  The boat had two sets of stairs the led right down into the water, which made it very easy to get in and out, very important for us old people.

Cathy and Heather join us in the water.

 

The Captain Cook Memorial from the water.

 

Look at the big smile on this fish.

Doug was still snorkeling after the rest of us had gotten out for lunch.

After an hour of snorkeling, we got back on the boat and they were serving a lunch of bbq’d hamburgers and hot dogs, salads, chips and drinks.  It really hit the sport and tasted great.  They also had two water slides and high and low dive spots on the boat.  Doug and I tried the water slide which was surprisingly fun as it was a pretty good drop to the water and you hit startling hard.

That splash is me going into the water after going down the water slide (from Ev's cell phone).

No high dive for me, but I did try the low dive as I had just gotten a new GoPro camera for the trip and I wanted to put it through its paces.  My results from the slide and dive were a little disappointing as my camera angle could have been a little better.

After our lunch break it was back in the water for another 45 minutes of snorkeling before we had to head back.  We hated to leave, but we were pretty snorkeled out by that time.  Just before we turned back into Keauhou Bay and the dock, a group of dolphins appeared before us and the captain circled the boat around them so we got a good view of them jumping and swimming around the boat.  After that it was back to the dock and the end of our trip.

One last look as we start our trip back to Keauhou Bay.

A happy group, what a great time we had.

 

A group of dolphins cavorting just outside of Keauhou Bay when we returned.

 

It's difficult to get a picture of a dolphin jumping because you never know where they're going to come up, but Val got this one.

Back at the dock, our trip is over.

This was a great trip that we all really enjoyed and the crew was great.  They were very personable, friendly and helpful and made everyone feel comfortable no matter what their skill level was.  We would certainly recommend them to anyone wanting to go on a snorkel trip.

It was mid-afternoon before we got back to the house and everyone immediately headed for the showers to get the salt off.  The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing until dinner.  We ended up eating late, and soon after that people started drifting off to bed.  Nothing has been planned for tomorrow except for Doug and Cathy who are leaving early to try another snorkeling spot to the south.