For our honeymoon, we went to the big island, Hawai'i, and stayed in a fabulous house in Kona (thank you again Cindi and Glen). Here is a picture looking from the living room out to the ocean. I could have stayed on the couch soaking up this view for weeks. But with perfect weather, we explored the island. Here are a just few of the many pictures we have from the trip.
The house was complete with a fabulous views, a pool and geckos :) The geckos were hard to photograph because they can hear the camera lens focus and they run before it captures the image . But I caught this gecko admiring himself in the mirror.
We did a few hikes, this on is on the North Kohala. This was my favorite area of the trip. The hike was beautiful and afterward we stopped in the historic town Hawi for lunch. Hawi is a small, but very cute town. The Bamboo Restaurant has the best pork I have ever tasted. A definite recommendation for anyone going to Hawaii and well worth the drive. The restaurant also has a gift shop with locally made gifts. Just wish we would have been able to go back a second time. Guess we'll have to get back to Hawaii soon!
We also hiked down the Waipi'o Valley. The hike was down a paved one way road--but it was extremely steep. I think it took us about an hour to walk down the one mile road. The views were breath taking. To the left is a dry waterfall. The water was being diverted to the farmers of the area. We recommend this hike for anyone who is up for an intense workout, has hiking boots or a solid pair of running/walking shoes, and is prepared to haul snacks and a lot of water with them. Believe it or not, we saw quite a few people in flip flops and no back packs.
This is a picture of Green Sand Beach, the most southern point in the U.S. It is a couple mile trek along the coast to reach this secluded spot (sturdy shoes required). As you can see it is beautiful. The sand was an olive green with gold specks, the water turquoise. What a sight to see!
A trip to the big island would not be complete without visiting the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Here are pictures of the Kilauea crater eruption. The gas you see is sulfur dioxide--it has caused a vog (volcanic fog) over many parts of the island. Before heading down to the coast to see the second eruption point, we ate at the Volcano House (hotel, restaurant, gift shop). We ate in front of a wall of windows looking directly at the crater. It was a spectacular sight when a second plume erupted.
After lunch, we drove through the park down to the ocean to see the second active eruption where lava is running into the ocean. Along the drive we went through many different lava flows. At the end of the road is the lava arch (shown to left). We parked the car and thought we would make the walk to the lava. Unfortunately, the sulfur dioxide was a bit too intense for us so we headed back up the road. It was really interesting to see vegetation slowly changing the lava scape.
Along with our island exploration, we also enjoyed the beaches of Kona. Kona has more lava exposed than I had imagined. At first it was a startling sight, but it really grows on you. When driving on the coastline roads, there is a unique form of graffiti. People take white rocks to form letters and symbols on the dark lava. We had a little fun with this on the beach.
We were lucky to be swimming in an area near the honu. They beached themselves right near us. It was awesome to see them while we were snorkeling and then on the beach.
I love this picture of Carl snorkeling. In the distance you can see Maui!
The vog has made its way over Kona. While we were there it reminded us of the San Diego marine layer--can be seen leaving in the morning and rolling in during early evening. It gave us some spectacular sunsets. This picture was taken from the house.We had a wonderful time in Hawai'i and can't wait to return. Hopefully when Elena is a little older we will be fortunate to return to paradise!
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