The view from Lapakahi State Historical Park, site of an ancient fishing village
This is the second page covering our 2023 trip to Hawaii. Click here for page 1.
On March 22, 2023, we flew from Honolulu to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. We picked up our rental car at the airport and Eric and Steph took us on a carefully prepared circuit that began by driving up Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway, less prosaically known as Route 19. We followed an itinerary outlined in a travel podcast that, thanks to the iPhone's GPS, knew exactly where we were and was thus able to direct us and give us options regarding where to stop and what to see. In the process, we learned a great deal about Hawaiian history, not one of the finest hours of the United States.
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The view from Lapakahi State Historical Park, site of an ancient fishing village |
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A beautiful tree by the parking lot |
A place to sit down and admire the view |
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Taking a look at the intricate bark |
We had much more to see, so we didn't walk to the sea shore |
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The view from the Pololū Valley Lookout |
Zooming in for a closer look |
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The ocean appears to seamlessly blend into the sky in this view from a lookout on Kohala Mountain Road |
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Landscapes like this looked more... |
...Irish than Hawaiian to me. |
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Traces of black volcanic rock bring us back to Hawaii |
Photo taken from the passenger seat driving on Kohala Mountain Road |
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Waimea landscape photographed through low clouds... |
...from another Kohala Mountain Road lookout. |
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The view from the Waipi‘o Valley Lookout. Once again, we are reminded of the Irish coast, perhaps by the Cliffs of Moher |
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Taking a closer look at the black sand beach |
It's easy to miss the thin waterfall in the distance... |
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...so we zoom in a little bit. |
The lookout is a popular photo spot |
A last look before heading back to the car |
We spent the night in a hotel in Captain Cook and had a fantastic breakfast at a place called The Coffee Shack. Tripling the size of this establishment would reduce, but probably not eliminate the wait: it looked as though everybody wanted to eat there! We eventually got a table, and all I can say is that what we were served was well worth the wait. We then went to a smaller, harder to find, and therefore much less busy place called Sacred Grounds for another delicious cup of local coffee before driving to our next destination, the Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.
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The view from the Sacred Grounds coffee farm |
Bill, the owner of the coffee farm, was a charming host |
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Sacred Grounds is the perfect place... |
...to relax with a cup of great Kona coffee... |
...and admire Bill's pottery. |
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Visiting the Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park |
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We were able to visit several hale (houses) |
A reconstruction of the Hale o Keawe |
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Black volcanic rocks by the sea shore |
Inner Court Ki‘i (images) at Hale o Keawe |
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A closer look at some "images" |
Protectors of the Gods at the Place of Refuge |
Smaller carved statues |
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Inside one of the hale |
Statue outside the structure |
In another hale |
Our final stop before driving back to the airport was the Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historic Park. There, we saw a few young green sea turtles and were disgusted that despite the signs to keep several feet away from them, some people looked as if they were trying to ram their cell phones into the animals' heads to get a better picture. Fortunately, the majority of the few people who were there respected the signs and left the animals, an endangered species, alone. This park is fairly new, but the setting is beautiful. We spent some time there before walking the short distance back to the car.
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At the Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historic Park |
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Looking from Honokōhau Beach to the Aiopio Fishtrap |
A green sea turtle breeding ground, so people are asked to stay away |
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Reconstruction of an ancient beach shelter |
Honokōhau Beach scene |
Heading back to the car—and Kona airport |
The Big Island photos on this page were taken on March 22 and 23, 2023.
Together with the Oahu photos, they are also available in a gallery.
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