Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024
Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Snorkeling at Kahalu'u Beach Park, Changing Units, and Maunakea Visitor Center - Wednesday/Thursday, March 13-14, 2024

Wednesday, March 13: Bob was hard at work again this morning! He's learning new things for one of his clients. For breakfast, Bob cooked his steel-cut oatmeal and also had papaya with pineapple chunks in it. He took it out on our lanai. It always tastes better outdoors. 

The view from our timeshare unit lanai.

When he wrapped up work for the day, we walked one-half mile to Kahalu'u Beach Park to snorkel. It was about 1:30 pm. Low tide was at 11:45 am, so the tide was coming in. The weather was 82 degrees and the water temperature was 75 degrees. It was lovely. 

We saw box pufferfish, cornetfish, parrotfish, yellow tang, Moorish idols, black triggerfish, and blackspot sergeants. It's interesting how the water temperature is warm in one spot, but if you swim a few feet, it's 10 degrees colder. This change in water temperature is due to the ingress of fresh spring water into the bay at that place.

The photos below at Kahalu'u Beach Park were taken on March 11. That's the day Bob snorkeled, but I didn't go in. It was cloudy, cold, rainy, and windy that day. I forgot to take photos today, so I used these instead.

Kahalu'u Beach Park. The area straight
out is where we snorkeled today.

Kahalu'u Beach Park.

Looking toward the surfers.
The snorkeling is to the left.

The water was so nice that we snorkeled for one-half hour. The bay was rough and the current was pulling us toward the surfers. It was time to swim to shore. 

While we dried off, the lifeguard announced on his bullhorn to the snorkelers in the water that the current was getting strong and choppy. He warned that strong swimmers could stay out in the water, but to beware of the current carrying them toward the surfers. He asked parents to keep an eye on their children.  

After returning to our timeshare unit and showering, we watched the news. Bob helped chop up the veggies and then I made veggie stir-fry. We ate it while we watched Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, the news, Wheel of Fortune, Survivor, and our favorite show, The Amazing Race.

Thursday, March 14: Today, we changed units at the timeshare. Ten o'clock am was the checkout time, but the check-in time for our new unit was 4 pm. The office staff assured us that the housekeepers would do their best to have our new unit ready quickly, but no guarantees about how quickly. 

Our grocery shopping expeditions to stock up for two weeks of meals was a good idea until it was time to move. We couldn't leave frozen berries, lettuce, milk, etc. in a hot car for hours. But, a storage room with a refrigerator/ freezer was available at the resort. We could store our luggage and food until our room was ready. 

That left the quandary of what we would do with ourselves. We had shopping to do. The Kailua Farmer's Market had a wonderful pineapple. We got a couple of items at Walmart and finished grocery shopping at the KTA. All we needed at the KTA were fruits and vegetables. Do you remember how expensive our first shopping day was? When I saw the receipt for only fruits and veggies, I was shocked. It was $92!!! Gaack! When we got to the car, Bob said, "Oh, it was only $19." I said, "What? It was $90!" He thought the cashier had said $19. Yes, Hawaii is expensive.

The resort had not called to say our room was ready. It was 1 pm. We were hungry, tired, hot, and thirsty. For an hour, we had killed time sitting in the rental car with the air conditioning on. Granted, we had a beautiful ocean view from the grocery store parking lot. But enough was enough. We went to the check-in desk at the resort and were told, "They just finished cleaning your room." We grabbed our things out of storage and went to the room.

For lunch, we had leftover salmon and veggie stir fry. I also had half a papaya. When I removed the garbage disposal cover to put the papaya seeds in, there were chunks of pineapple in it. I ran the garbage disposal and the pineapple did not go down. Also, our ice maker was making noise but there was no ice. 

I called the resort desk and reported the items that weren't working. Within ten minutes the maintenance guy was at our door. The ice maker did not have water going to it. He had that fixed in ten minutes. 

When he looked at the garbage disposal, he said it didn't have any blades in it! How could that be? Another maintenance employee delivered a new garbage disposal to our room and it was fixed in about 15 minutes. Yay!

Now, we could get on with our day. We drove 1-1/2 hours to the Maunakea Visitor Center at 9,000'. From there, you can go to the summit to view all the big telescopes with a tour group, or if you have a 4-wheel drive, you can go up on your own. We were amazed when we arrived at the visitor center. There was a line of 4x4 vehicles waiting to go to the summit.

Mauna Kea Visitor Center on the mountain
at 9,000' elevation.

We wanted to see the sunset from the 9,000' level. Unfortunately, clouds enveloped this elevation and we would not be able to see the sunset if we did the 15-20 minute hike to the viewpoint. We read the information signs outside the Visitor Center about the famous telescopes at the summit. Other signs give information on the challenging Mauna Kea Humu'ula Trail, Native Hawaiian beliefs, tools, and customs.

Wow! It was 51 degrees here this afternoon.
No sunset view today.

The photo below shows my layered look. I wore a T-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater, and a windbreaker. That wasn't quite warm enough. A nice warm scarf would have helped.

Mauna Kea Visitor Center.

Today's wildlife sightings were impressive: goats, sheep, turkeys, wild pigs, myna birds, yellow finches, Hawaiian cardinals, and cows (but not invisible cows).


Here are the informational signs about the Native Hawaiians and the observatories at the top of Mauna Kea.















The Humu'ula Trail goes from the Mauna Kea Visitor Center to the summit of Mauna Kea. This sounds like a very tough hike!

If you're looking for a challenging
hike, this is it!

The road down the mountain has a 17% grade. Our Nissan Altima's low gear did not keep the car at a low speed. I did my best not to ride the brakes. The SUV in front of me had smoke pouring out from its brakes. Their brakes smelled like they were burning. They didn't stop, they just kept going down the hill.

Once home, I cooked salmon steaks and Bob made a green salad. We were hungry and happy to eat. For dessert, I had fresh pineapple chunks. Bob is waiting until morning to eat his pineapple.

Tomorrow morning we will do the Walua Road Volksmarch in Kailua, Hawaii. Good night good people.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

A Day Trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Southwest Hawaii - Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Bob got up at 5 am to work with his clients in Texas (where it was 10 am). He is dedicated to getting the job done. 

After breakfast, we left our timeshare in Keahou, Hawaii, and drove two hours to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We made a stop at Naalehu for the Punalu'u Bake Shop. Anytime we go to this part of the island, the Bake Shop is de rigueur. Bob is doing a wellness program, so he skipped the bakery products and had a big green salad with chicken. I'm really proud of him for sticking to his guns. I had a Bismarck malasada (like a cream puff) with chocolate ganache frosting on top. For a snack later, I bought a pineapple/peach turnover.

The interior of Punalu'u Bake Shop, 
Naalehu, Hawaii.

The placid koi pond at Punalu'u Bake Shop.

The gazebos are for relaxing and eating.



Information on Punalu'u Bake Shop.

This bush had huge hibiscus!

From the bakery, we continued to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. At the Visitor Center, we watched two movies and made our way around the museum. 

This is a World Heritage Site.

We are at the Kilauea Visitor Center. Kilauea Volcano has its own vent. It is not part of Mauna Loa. Currently, there are no eruptions at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. That's fine with us. In 2016, we saw lava flowing into the ocean at night. We do not have to deal with vog (volcanic fog) on this trip.


Bob in front of a display at Hawaii Volcanoes
 National Park, Kilauea Visitor Center.

A diorama of rainforest birds
in the Kilauea Visitor Center.

Waves and wind carried some life to Hawaii.

Wings transported most life to Hawaii.

From the Visitor Center, we drove four miles to the Uekahuna parking lot. A short walk along the rim of the Halemaumau Crater revealed the destruction of the crater by the most recent eruptions. The crater used to be round, but now it's all broken up. No lava pool is visible at the bottom of the crater, but the steam vents are smokin'.

The volcanic landscape at Halemaumau Crater.

Halemaumau Crater...it smells like sulfur here!


The Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park brochure describes the park's volcanos:

"Volcanos are land builders - they created the Hawaiian Island chain. Kilauea and Mauna Loa, two of the world's most active volcanos, still add land to the island of Hawai'i. Mauna Loa is Earth's most massive mountain, with an estimated volume of 19,000 cubic miles.

"Today's summit of Mauna Loa volcano stands about 56,000 feet (17,000 m) above the depressed sea floor - over 27,000 feet (8,230 m) taller than Mt. Everest.

"Unlike explosive continental volcanoes, the more fluid and less gaseous eruptions of Kilauea and Mauna Loa produce fiery fountains and rivers of molten lava. Added layer upon layer, the flows created a barren volcanic landscape that became a foundation for life. Wind and water carried hundreds of species across the vast Pacific. Some survived, adapted, and prospered on the isolated archipelago, making it a showcase for evolution. Humans from other Polynesian islands, Europe, and elsewhere also introduced plants and animals, drastically altering the natural balance that once prevailed..."

We had limited time in the park because we wanted to stop at the Bake Shop, South Point, and check out a beach park we had never been to. Highway 11, part of the Hawaii Belt Road from the national park to Naalehu, runs the gamut of landscapes: new lava, old lava, native rainforest, grasslands, and small towns. This is Ka'u, the largest and southernmost district of the Big Island of Hawai'i. Ka'u is larger than the island of Oahu and less than 6,000 inhabitants are registered in the district.

The Punalu'u Bake Shop was the logical place to have lunch since we love it. I had a foot-long, smoked turkey sandwich on Hawaiian sweetbread. 

While Bob drove to South Point, I ate my sandwich. South Point is technically the second southernmost point in the United States. (The most southern point is the U.S. territory of Palmyra Island.)  It is the place where the first Polynesian settlers made landfall by sailing canoe in the Hawaiian Islands. 

The scenery is spectacular once you reach the end of the road at South Point. There are lava rocks and then the deep sapphire blue of the ocean. Rugged cliffs have been used for fishing and cliff diving. [Bob has jumped off the 44' cliffs multiple times in the past, but not today. Not me, ever!] The currents and wind typically are strong at this location. Swimming is not recommended. 

These wind turbines are on South Point.

The road to South Point, then the ocean.

The road to South Point.

The cliffs at South Point.


Bob on the lava rocks at South Point.

A view of the wind turbines with Mauna
Loa in the background.

We hung out at South Point for a half-hour, drove back to the Belt Road, and continued our journey on Hwy. 11, heading back toward Keahou. We stopped at a scenic viewpoint to look at the lava, the South Point peninsula, and the ocean.


South Point peninsula as seen from the scenic 
viewpoint. Note the newer and older lava flows.



Our last stop on the way back to our timeshare was a STEEP, five-mile paved road from the Hawaii Belt Road down to Miloli'i Beach Park. This is a completely new park to us. Snorkeling was on our mind, but the only snorkeling here is a small, shallow, crystal-clear pond that is 2-3' deep. We didn't see any fish at all from the lava rocks. Still, it's a gorgeous piece of coastline!


[*pono is a concept that encompasses a range of balanced, proper, and good actions that restore order and balance, even if it's a small action, i.e., picking up someone else's garbage. It's recognizing how personal actions impact everything as all is alive and interconnected.]

The pond and coastline at Miloli'i Beach Park


Here's a cute church by the Miloli'i Beach Park.
Early New England missionary wood construction.


This crazy yard art was next to a 
local farm stand.

Our day trip came to a close when we returned to our timeshare. It wasn't long until sunset and it looked like there weren't clouds on the horizon. We took a short walk to where we could clearly see the sunset. These were perfect conditions to see the "green flash." 

We watched as the sun dipped to the horizon line and, just as it went out of sight, we both saw the "green flash." We lived in Hawaii for five years and knew exactly what to look for and when. It's not something you see often, so we get excited when we see it!




Murals at Kona Coast Resort.

This is the building we're in.

For dinner, we had chicken stir fry and a mixed green salad. Later in the evening, I had hot chocolate with the pineapple/peach turnover. That was yummy!

That's it for today. TravelBug out.