Jan 31 was literally the longest day of my life; a true 47-hour day. Our flight out of New Zealand was at 11:55pm on Jan 31st… we arrived in Hawaii at 9am… on Jan 31st, a full 23 hour time change. So on Jan 31st, we hung out on the beaches of Auckland and the beaches and pools of Kona.
In Hawaii, we planned to sit on the beach and drink Pina Coladas… NOT. We packed our days with activity. After arriving, we did do a bit of relaxing and hanging by the pool with the little man. Day two, we visited the Captain Cook Monument which is a 2 mile hike each way through forest and then volcanic landscape to a monument and great snorkeling spot. While we were eating our lunch by the water, we were approached by ~10 rams with big horns. I threw Bryce onto my back and mentally prepared for what I would do if the rams charged… but the rams didn’t want a piece of me and quickly left back into the forest. To celebrate our victory over the wild rams, the Davis’s went to the Kona Brewing Company for delicious beers and a terribly unhealthy dinner.
The next day we headed to South Point Park, the most southern tip of Hawaii, to hike to the green sand beach (Papakolea beach), one of only 4 green sand beaches in the world. The hike was 2.5 miles along the shore where waves crashed against the volcanic rock. The sand was wild, a strange olive green. After an hour, the wind picked up and it was time to hike back.
Our 4th day in Kona was spent up north hiking in Waipi’o Valley. The hike was a 1000 ft steep road down to a windy beach. We didn’t love this hike due to the Jeeps that were allowed access and therefor kept passing us down and up the mountain, but the wild horses that we came across on the beach more than made up for the traffic. Neh! Neh! Was hear for the rest of the day.
On our final dull day in Kona, we visited the Hula Daddy coffee farm and tasted delicious coffees. I can now say I know what $100+ per pound coffee taste like… coffee! We then made our way north to Hapuna Beach for some relaxation and the largest shaved Ice Bryce might ever eat in his life. The next day we headed west to Hilo and Volcanoes National Park
