I gotta say that this has not been the best trip. As much as I love Hawaii (and will still return), there have just been too many elements that I haven't liked. The long drives (again, due to poor planing on my part), the gray beaches, little water time, and this general sense of fatigue that has hung over me the entire time means that I'm not getting the usual island buzz. But, as this is my last day, I think I've finally rested enough to risk getting back in the car for more exploration.
After getting breakfast at this great place called Huggo's (another restaurant directly on the water with really great views and a waitress who kept thanking me for everything), I was headed north.
I had made plans to leave out of Kona Airport the previous day so I wanted to get a sense of how far away it was. There were also several beaches and communities up north left to see.
Getting onto Queen K Hwy, I found Kona pretty quickly. North of there were turnoffs to neighborhoods separated from the road by long roads wending through the middle of nowhere. Again, there were just huge stretches of nothing but piles of black rock and soil. Then, suddenly, civilization. One community I visited was huge; there were separate clusters of private homes, condos, and rental properties all surrounded by a golf course (had to be on the lookout for carts crossing the street) with a shopping center in the middle. There was a beach around there somewhere but I never found it. I stopped to take a look around and saw a shop where you can arrange for adventures. I had tried to get on a boat the day before but, just my luck, I ended up at one of those time share scams instead of an actual shop.
Traveler's Tip #4 -- When looking to book an island adventure, be it snorkeling, helicopter tour, surf lessons or whatever, always make sure you can clearly see a list of prices on display. If you see a kiosk and there are no prices visible anywhere, run the other way. Unless, of course, you're interested in a time share on the island. And make at least $75,000 a year.
I'd caught onto the time share sham a bit late in the pitch. The dude had already called the snorkeling boat and booked my 'free' seat. But by the time he tried to arrange for me to go to a certain place at a certain time and listen to a pitch, I realized that getting on a boat that day was not worth spending two hours of my Hawaii time, on my birthday, listening to some high-pressure pitch for deal I couldn't even afford. I got out of there in a hurry.
The disappointment continued on this day when I tried to book a last minute helicopter tour. I've never been on one and figured a birthday in Hawaii was an excellent chance. No luck though. The most popular tour that flew over the volcanoes and around the entire island before returning to Kona was all booked up. The only other available flight merely circled the northern part of the island which I was already doing by car so I passed.
Heading further north with no real goal in sight, I passed a sign for Hapuna State Park. Hey. I've heard of that beach. Might as well take a look. Paid $5 for parking, found a spot in the decent sized lot and started walking. Past the parking lot are picnic areas, restrooms and a path leading down to
arguably the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen in my life! Who says the Big Island doesn't have beaches? If I had done my homework beforehand I would have found out that Hapuna is considered one of the best beaches in the state. And when that state is Hawaii, that's really saying something.
If I'd found this place on my first day on the Big Island, I probably would have spent every day here. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, the beach wasn't too crowded, and the water was great.
And here I am without a bathing suit.
What an idiot I am!! Yeeeeeeshhhh!
As much as I wanted to get in the water, I had to settle (ha!) for walking along the shore and getting my pictures. Then I sat on the rocks for a while just looking at the water. Then I sat in one of the picnic areas where there was a nice breeze and just chilled out. Can you tell I didn't want to leave?
But there was more to explore on the Kohala Coast. I left Hapuna, thinking that I might be able to come back on the way to the airport the next day and went on to the beach at Mauna Kea. To get to this one, you have to go through a security guard. He asked me where I was going, warning me that there may not be much parking left but he'd let me in. Parking is really tight here as this beach is part of another community and only a small piece of land is given over to beach parking. But I managed to find a space and took the rather long path to the water. You can't even see sand from the parking lot or most of the trail but once you pass by the bathrooms the ocean comes into view.
Heading further north with no real goal in sight, I passed a sign for Hapuna State Park. Hey. I've heard of that beach. Might as well take a look. Paid $5 for parking, found a spot in the decent sized lot and started walking. Past the parking lot are picnic areas, restrooms and a path leading down to
arguably the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen in my life! Who says the Big Island doesn't have beaches? If I had done my homework beforehand I would have found out that Hapuna is considered one of the best beaches in the state. And when that state is Hawaii, that's really saying something.
And here I am without a bathing suit.
What an idiot I am!! Yeeeeeeshhhh!
As much as I wanted to get in the water, I had to settle (ha!) for walking along the shore and getting my pictures. Then I sat on the rocks for a while just looking at the water. Then I sat in one of the picnic areas where there was a nice breeze and just chilled out. Can you tell I didn't want to leave?
But there was more to explore on the Kohala Coast. I left Hapuna, thinking that I might be able to come back on the way to the airport the next day and went on to the beach at Mauna Kea. To get to this one, you have to go through a security guard. He asked me where I was going, warning me that there may not be much parking left but he'd let me in. Parking is really tight here as this beach is part of another community and only a small piece of land is given over to beach parking. But I managed to find a space and took the rather long path to the water. You can't even see sand from the parking lot or most of the trail but once you pass by the bathrooms the ocean comes into view.
This one is nice. But Hapuna has it beat.
Stayed for a little while before starting the trip back to Kona. On a whim, I followed a sign stating food and gas off of another side road. Let's just say the gas tank had better not be on E when hitting this road.
It's a least 3 miles of this before you even see the community. This is what gets me about driving on the island. It's not like I need to see a mini-mall or convenience store every few feet but so much of the terrain is completely barren. Being such a large island (every other island in Hawaii could fit inside this island with room to spare) and the youngest island in the state, it would make sense that much of it is just volcanic rock. Still doesn't make it any less depressing to drive through.
After taking a short tour around the community and getting back on Queen K, something finally occurred to me. I mentioned seeing the swimmers in the little bay where the Iron Man starts. I also saw several bikers on Queen K as this is the road where the 112 mile bike portion takes place. But all along my trip, I'd seen clusters of cars just parked in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing to see, no construction sites anywhere and no one around the cars. I couldn't understand what they were doing there until I figured out that these cars belonged to the bikers. It seemed they would just pick various areas along the road, unload their bikes and be gone. I've already mentioned how hard this road is to drive. I really can't imagine being on it on a bike. For a hundred miles. In the hot sun. If I didn't already admire triathletes ...
I ran into some traffic, a complete stop on this two-lane road that reminded me way too much of Atlanta, as I was heading back to Kona. Stopped off at Bubba Gump's again and had a lovely salad and multi-colored cocktail while watching the sunset then returned to the hotel.
Stayed for a little while before starting the trip back to Kona. On a whim, I followed a sign stating food and gas off of another side road. Let's just say the gas tank had better not be on E when hitting this road. It's a least 3 miles of this before you even see the community. This is what gets me about driving on the island. It's not like I need to see a mini-mall or convenience store every few feet but so much of the terrain is completely barren. Being such a large island (every other island in Hawaii could fit inside this island with room to spare) and the youngest island in the state, it would make sense that much of it is just volcanic rock. Still doesn't make it any less depressing to drive through.
After taking a short tour around the community and getting back on Queen K, something finally occurred to me. I mentioned seeing the swimmers in the little bay where the Iron Man starts. I also saw several bikers on Queen K as this is the road where the 112 mile bike portion takes place. But all along my trip, I'd seen clusters of cars just parked in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing to see, no construction sites anywhere and no one around the cars. I couldn't understand what they were doing there until I figured out that these cars belonged to the bikers. It seemed they would just pick various areas along the road, unload their bikes and be gone. I've already mentioned how hard this road is to drive. I really can't imagine being on it on a bike. For a hundred miles. In the hot sun. If I didn't already admire triathletes ...
I ran into some traffic, a complete stop on this two-lane road that reminded me way too much of Atlanta, as I was heading back to Kona. Stopped off at Bubba Gump's again and had a lovely salad and multi-colored cocktail while watching the sunset then returned to the hotel.
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