September 3, 2014 (Wednesday)
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| View from the plane |
It was time to pack up our luggage and get ready to head to
the Island of Hawaii, aka the Big Island. We headed down to the beach to snap a
few last photos and then headed to the airport. When shopping for airfare, I
came across Mokulele Air. It was a lot cheaper than many other airlines. Our
flight time got changed by an hour, which was not a big deal, since they gave
us a couple of day notice. The plane held twelve people, including the pilots. It was super great to fly with this island
hopping plane – no security check-ins, no lines, window seating…
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| Fishtrap at Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Site |
Landing in Kona, we were welcomed by a non-existing wait for
the rental car – hooray! First things
first we visited the visitor center, known as Hale Ho’okipa (House of Welcome),
at Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Site, which was just south of the airport
and is located on the Honokohau Bay. There was a short walking trail and that
was about it. There are two other units for this park. First the Kaloko
Fishpond, where we were able to see some Hawaiian green sea turtles (Honu).
There was some shade at the park and other than some park construction workers
the place was deserted. The road to get to the parking lot was very rough, but
provided nice views of the lava fields. Lastly, we visited the ‘Ai’opio
Fishtrap, which you can either hike to or park at the harbor. We parked at the
harbor since who really loves to hike in 90 degree heat over a lava field? The
beach was very popular at the area by the ‘Ai’opio Fishtrap.
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Lava field at
Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Site |
For lunch we went to Ultimate Burger, which has local grown
beef. The cheeseburger was $8 and fries were $4. The fries were yummy – I
believe they are fresh cut daily. After lunch, we headed to the hotel we were
going to be staying at – Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach
Hotel. Our room was not ready thus we just ventured on to our next destination.
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| Sample of the bracelet |
We visited Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site next, and
we arrived at a perfect time! We were able to participate in bracelet making
(checkerboard pattern). It was a lot of fun and we got a great souvenir. The
bracelets retailed for $20 in the gift shop. There are also other activities at
the park – canoe rides in the bay occur a couple of times a week, we missed out
on that.
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Canoe ride at
Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site |
The purpose of the park is to protect the temple of
Kamehameha the Great. Kamehameha was the most renowned king of Hawai’i. There
was also a temple turned fort at the site, it is called Mailekini Heiau. There
is a hiking trail that wraps around the temples and along the ocean. There were
some videos available for viewing at the visitor center.
Returning to the hotel, we were able to check-in. Our room
had a minor issue that was resolved within a few minutes of calling the front
desk. Dinner was a short walk away at the Kona Brewery. There was a coupon in a
visitor guide book for free garlic twists with a beer sampler, which of course
Mike was interested in trying. People raved about the pizza so we tried that,
half Hawaiian Lu’au and half Pepperoni Ali’i. There were many other interesting
varieties to choice from. The pizza was okay.
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