Hawai'i Part II: The Big Island Part II

 Our first day in the Big Island had been so non-stop that one would think that we would take it a little easier the next day.  But, the reality is that we only had three days to explore a massive island to which we don't know when/if we will ever return.  Our second morning there we started off with a morning prayer as usual, and I gave Justin a good pinch in the arm as soon as he was done.  Not because he deserved it, but because he was wearing red, and it was St. Patrick's day, and I liked seeing the bewildered look on his face as he demanded an explanation for why I had just pinched him.  For the record, I wasn't wearing green either, but my husband is enough of a gentleman to not return the favor.  Anyhow, we again headed out early, stopping for breakfast at the cafeteria, and then drove back down near the coast to take a short walk/hike through some Hawaiian petroglyphs.  We stopped to stare at these Hawaiian pheasants along the way.  That's not the official name, but they're pheasants, and they live in Hawaii.

We also stopped at a viewpoint to see the land that has been added to the island by recent volcanic eruptions.

Apparently that dark streak is a more recent flow.  Currently nothing is flowing into the ocean.

We finally arrived at the petroglyphs.  The signs there said that native Hawaiians used to bury the umbilical cords in each of the little holes drilled in the rocks,  The idea was that the child would then have a long life.  I'm always a little skeptical of this sort of thing, but that is the explanation that was given.

The holes look way too small to be burying an umbilical cord in them.  Maybe they were shriveled up or something when they buried them?  No idea.

My little backpack

After that we drove up and did another hike/walk called Devastation Trail.

You are asked to not go past the sign because it's hazardous.  Presumably because of the poisonous gases.

After Devastation Trail we felt like we had hit all the highlights in the park.  We stopped for lunch back at the cafeteria, and then left to start driving to Akaka Falls State Park.  Akaka Falls is the second highest waterfall in Hawaii, or at least I think that's what I read.  Either way, it's a very big waterfall.  We were driving along, and saw a little sign for a scenic byway.  Our favorite thing!  Justin was already starting to turn the car off the road as he asked me "do you think that we should?"   I am so glad that we did.  It was a four mile detour and it took us hours.  We were driving through some river bottoms that were absolutely gorgeous, and finally Justin pulled over and parked so that we could explore a beach area on foot.

At first we were just looking at the beach from up above, but then we spotted this sea turtle and knew that we were going to have to go down there to get a closer look.  Unfortunately you couldn't see any turtles from the beach.

We had to wade across this little stream to get to the second beach area.

The first beach

The second beach which was not at all visible from the road, but beautiful.

A little peninsula that separated the two beaches, but was weirdly kind of obscured from view while at the first beach.

Another shot at the second beach area.

There were signs all over these beaches about dangerous riptides, and unpredictable waves.  They were also very rocky, so we didn't even bother getting close to the water, but they were definitely picturesque.  We hiked back up and then continued on for a mile or so before we pulled over again to get a few shots of this area: 

Underneath those tree branches is actually a short little lava tube.

We finally got back on track and made our way out to Akaka Falls, which we ultimately felt was actually less spectacular than the things we'd seen on our little side trip.  Although, that is not to say that Akaka Falls was not beautiful as well, because it is.  We certainly weren't sorry that we took the trip out there to see it. 

A little stream on the way to Akaka Falls

Kahuna Falls, a less spectacular waterfall you pass on the way to Akaka.

Akaka Falls.

Akaka falls from a distance.

Akaka Falls actually probably took less time than the scenic byway on the way out there.  On the way back we wanted to stop at the Mauna Loa macadamia nut factory tour, but we got there only a few minutes before closing, and decided we wouldn't put the employees there through waiting for us to finish before they could go home.  By that time we were starting to feel a little rundown anyway, so the St. Patrick's day feast of cabbage and corned beef back at the cafeteria was a welcome sight.  

The next morning was our last day of vacation.  We packed up, checked out, and left the park for the last time.  We drove straight out to a beach we had read about where, by all accounts you can see a ton of sea turtles.  It was also a black sand beach, which we thought was beautiful, but in a very odd kind of way.  Even Vivian couldn't stop staring at the ground while we were walking around.  The sand is of course, black because it is made from little bits of lava rock, which also makes it sparkle.  There were signs there asking you not to remove sand, so I guess we aren't the only ones who like it.  

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach

Vivian seemed quite wary of actually touching the black sand, but after a few moments of deliberation couldn't resist.

There were in fact a lot of sea turtles at that beach.  We probably saw 7 or 8, but none of them came to shore.  We were there for a couple of hours, and though a few of them got very close to shore, they stayed in the shallow water.

After multiple failed attempts, Justin finally got a good shot of one surfacing for air.

Interestingly enough, to us anyway, the crabs on that beach were also black, to blend into the black rocks and sand.

I think the black makes them look even creepier.

When we were done exploring the beach in it's entirety, checking out all the little tide pools for the different little fishes and and such we decided it was time to leave.  We needed to get lunch, and we wanted to find another beach somewhere closer to the ocean where we could take a final swim.  

On the other side of the beach, was this pond, that I thought was very pretty.

We drove back to Kona, ate lunch, and began our hunt for a swimming beach.  Our first few attempts landed us in a boat harbor, and then in the middle of a tourist district where there was plenty of shoreline, but no beach.  We were running out of time, but finally found a beach.  We changed into swimsuits in the car, and somehow managed to avoid being exhibitionists, but that was luck more than skill.  If anyone had ventured closer to the car, it would have been a very interesting experience for them.  Who knows, maybe they did and we just didn't see them.

At the beach we had found the water was warm, the waves were calm enough, but about three feet in it became horribly rocky.  We swam in a couple of times and then gave up on it.  We moved down that beach to the next lifeguard tower, and there were big pools of water with sandy bottoms in the shallow water.  We took Vivian in and the three of us sort of bobbed around in there for an hour or so and then rushed to the airport.  We had rinsed off, but in a hurry, so we both ended up with big patches of skin crusted up in salt, and my hair, of course looked even more lovely than usual.  All the same, we arrived on time, got checked in and made it through security without incident.  We really liked the Kona airport, it's tiny, and everything is outdoors.  These pictures were taken waiting at our gate, and they are our last from the vacation. 

Vivian showing off her little pedicure that she received while sleeping.  It was the only way to get them painted.

The return flight connected back in Honolulu, and because everything in that city seems to be a hassle, we once again spent an entire layover walking from the far end of one terminal to the far end of the other.  There is a shuttle, but it was unclear whether or not you had to go back through security if you used it.  We determined that we didn't have enough time to take the risk.  Once again we showed up at our gate tired, sweaty, and frazzled, with an energetic baby.  Thankfully, she slept almost the entire flight home, and we arrived back in Salt Lake 8 days after departure, grateful to see that spring seems to have finally made it's arrival.  Now if only we could figure out how to get Vivian back on Utah time...