Hawaii Review - Standing on a Volcano! March 2006

Spending a Week with My Sisters on the Big Island

In March, 2006, I spent a week with my sisters in a condo on the Big Island of Hawaii.

This is my Hawaii Review - where we stayed, what we did, and what I liked or did not like about the trip.

There were 4 of us - myself, two sisters and a sister-in-law. The first of what, I hope, will become many "Girl's Weeks".

We snorkeled, visited the active volcano, and took a day trip to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor - among other things...

Kona Coast Resort at Keauhou

We stayed in a one-bedroom condo at the Kona Coast Resort at Keauhou, which is on the western coast of the Big Island and at the southern end of Kailua-Kona. My sister and I own a timeshare and exchanged for this resort. The one bedroom condo had 2 baths and a sofabed, so there was room for all 4 of us - with much more space to spread out than in a hotel room or two! Plus, we had a kitchen and washer/dryer, which is convenient and saves money.

The resort is very nice, the condos are comfortable, and it's right on a golf course on the rocky shores of the Pacific. The sunsets are spectacular!

Kona Coast resort is conveniently located, with a shopping center for groceries and essentials across the street, and easy access to the main roads to travel to other parts of the island. But it feels as if you are miles from anywhere - very relaxing!

I would definitely stay at the Kona Coast Resort again, but I would probably upgrade to a two-bedroom unit for 4 people.

Circle Tour and Kilauea Volcano

Since this was our first trip to the Big Island, we took the Circle Island Tour with Roberts Hawaii.

Our driver was friendly and knowledgeable (although one of my sisters was not comfortable with the speed of his driving); unfortunately, we took the tour on a Sunday, so some of the places we visited were closed. We were able to stop and look, but there were no tours of the macadamia nut farm, for example. So it's best not to take this tour on a Sunday.

And, there had been some heavy rains in the preceding weeks, so the roads in the southern portion of the island were closed. We could not circle the island; we went to Hilo and Volcano, then turned around and headed back. The eastern side of the island is always wetter than the west, and we had rain off and on all day. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was wetter than we had expected.

The problem with any tour of this sort is that you see so many things, you literally have only 10 minutes at most stops. We spent most of our time at Kilauea Volcano, thankfully, as that was the highlight of the tour. But we went through everything else so quickly, it seemed more of a waste of time. We could have spent even more time at the volcano and skipped the macadamia nut farm since it wasn't open (I hate to think how much time is cut from the volcano when the farm is open for tours).

The tour included a quick drive through Hilo, to larger town on the eastern coast, and a stop at Rainbow Falls, a lovely waterfall. Then on to the volcano!

It was quite foggy during lunch at Volcano House (which was typical of tours - adequate, but not great), but the fog lifted and we were able to view the crater. The tour continued around the perimeter of Kilauea crater, with stops at the museum and on the far side of the crater.

After a few stops in the rainforest and a walk through Thurston lava tube, we headed back to Kona.

It's not a bad way to get aquainted with the island, but it's so fast-paced at each stop (with a lot of driving in between) that I didn't feel I got much out of it. Next time, I would either spend a couple of days on the Hilo side, or just take a volcano tour and forget the rest.

Fairwinds Snorkel Cruise

One of our first activities was a snorkel cruise with Fair Winds Snorkel.

If you've read my story about snorkeling, you know that I'm not a swimmer, but I've learned to love snorkeling nonetheless.

The Fairwinds Snorkel Cruise to Kealakekua Bay was great fun. Kealakekua Bay is very calm so it's easy snorkeling for anyone. (Being terrified of putting my face in the water, I did my usual 10 minutes of hyperventilating before I could get started, but I was fine after that!)

The water is clear and there are plenty of fish to watch and follow around. I even saw an eel! I tried taking photos with one of those disposable underwater cameras, but they didn't turn out well.

On the shore of the bay, there is a monument to Captain Cook - the monument and immediate area is actually British soil, so you

We went on the morning cruise, and Fairwinds provided both a continental breakfast on the way to the bay, and served burgers and sandwiches for lunch before returning to Kona. The whole cruise was about 4 hours. It was well worth it - you can snorkel right from the beaches if you know where to go, but I prefer a cruise that takes you to the best places to see fish.

Fairwinds also provides prescription masks, for those of us with bad eyesight!

The Southern Coast and Place of Refuge

Since we were not able to complete the circle around the island due to bad weather during our "Circle Tour", we headed south on our own one day.

We were in search of beaches, but, as usual, got sidelined by other things - we ended up at one beach, and that was too late in the day to stay and enjoy it!

As we headed south from Kona, we stopped and shopped in some local craft and souvenir stores, then stopped at coffee plantation overlooking the ocean. We stayed there longer than we had planned, but we took a tour and it was really interesting - I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I learned a lot about coffee, how it should be stored and how it should be prepared (it should NOT be stored in the freezer - the oils separate and stick to the container, and the flavor is in the oils).

And, I discovered that 100% Kona coffee really is the best!! I find most coffee too bitter and harsh - Kona coffee is so smooth! But it has to be 100% Kona coffee - most of the "Kona coffee" we get on the mainland is a blend, and not nearly as good. We continued south, eventually going off the main road to reach the southernmost point of the island, which is also the southernmost point of the U.S.! OK, it's really not that interesting, but it's kind of cool to say you were there!

We stopped at a nice little bakery/cafe for lunch, then continued to a black sand beach.

Unlike Maui and Oahu, I found the beaches on the Big Island to be rather coarse, although the colors are amazing! The Big Island is the "newest" island, and of course is still being formed by Kiluea, so it's not surprising that the sand is not as fine as it is on the "older" islands.

We walked along the beach for awhile, and saw our first sea turtles.

We reached the beach about 4 pm, and planned on watching the sunset from the Place of Refuge, so we didn't stay long.

We headed back north, to find the Place of Refuge. The Place of Refuge is a sacred place, a sanctuary for those seeking safety and forgiveness for their transgressions. It was also the home of the ali'i, the tribal leaders of Hawaii.

The Place of Refuge was abandoned in the early 1800's, but has been a national park for decades. Much of the original site has fallen into disrepair, but a few buildings and monuments remain - and it is a wonderful place to watch the sunset!

Day Trip to Oahu

When you're in Hawaii, you really should visit Pearl Harbor to pay your respects to those who lost their lives on the USS Arizona.

Even if you're staying on another island, it's not that expensive to take a day trip to Oahu; if you get there early, you can do Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial in the morning and still have time for a bit more exploring.

This was my second visit to the Arizona Memorial, and it's still a very moving experience.

You get a ticket with a time on it, and that's the time that you start the tour. It begins with a movie of the attack (taken by Japanese soldiers), which brings tears every time I see it.

Then you are taken by boat to the Arizona. The ship is still there, just under the surface of the water. The memorial, built over the ship, has a wall with all of the names of the dead - again, it brings tears every time.

Many people bring leis or flowers to toss into the water.

After a few minutes, the next boat arrives and you return to Pearl Harbor.

Waiting for the time on the ticket may take awhile, but it's well worth it. Just be sure to get there when the park (Pearl Harbor is a National Park) opens, and it's best to go mid-week to avoid the largest crowds. It's easy to get to either by The Bus or car, and parking is free. You cannot bring ANY kind of bag into the park, however, even a purse, so be prepared and just take what you need in your pockets.

On our trip, we headed north to the Polynesian Cultural Center after Pearl Harbor. We drove up through the center of the island (we would have preferred to drive through Waikiki, but that road was closed in sections due to heavy rains). It takes a little over an hour.

The Polynesian Cultural Center was a bit of a disappointment. I was expecting a kind of outdoor, living history museum; it was more cultural amusement park.

While there were "villages" representing all of the cultures that make up Hawaii (Tahitian, Samoan, etc), the presentations put a little too much emphasis on entertainment. The presenters (mostly students at Brigham Young University in Hawaii), were very good - but they were encouraged to make it entertaining, so there were a lot of pretty lame jokes and "schtick".

We did take part in a demonstration of weaving palm fronds into a fish-shaped decoration (with varying results - it was a hoot!)

There was also a daily "parade" on a man-made river, with rafts representing each culture.

Each raft had musicians and dancers; I liked that part very much, and I did see the differences as well as the similarities between the various groups that populate Hawaii. But that alone wasn't worth the $40 basic admission.

We did not stay for the evening luau as we had to return to the Big Island - but I have heard that their luau is one of the best in Hawaii. I don't mind the schtick during a luau, so I would probably enjoy that more.

It was a full week - aside from a few hours at the resort pool, we hardly had any real "sun time"! It can be hard to balance the need for relaxation and the desire to "see it all" - especially after taking the time and spending the money on Hawaii!

I keep promising myself that, next time, I'll just relax and enjoy things on "island time" - I guess that means I'll just have to keep doing it until I get it right!

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