The day after the temple dedication we left for the big island of Hawaii to meet John and Cindy there. John had rented a lovely condo that we shared with them and graciously, they gave us the much larger master bedroom! Our "tour guide" (who is a native born Hawaiian) had a book - Hawaii Revealed and a plan for what we should see and do each day! No lying in the sun and reading a book or taking a long nap - John kept us on the move and we did see many old favorite spots and some beautiful sights we had never seen on previous trips to this island.
Our tour guide studying the book and planning our next adventure.
This shows a small peek at our condo at Mauna Lani and our host and hostess.
Hal and John enjoyed 5 rounds of golf alternating between Hapuna Beach Golf Course and Mauna Kea.
Hapuna Beach Golf course
Mauna Kea hole #11
The signature hole #3 at Mauna Kea
A beautiful panoramic view of Mauna Kea
Our first delicious meal out was at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary.
We were such babies way back then!
We feasted on fillet and lobster with sides of creamed spinach, mushrooms and mashed potatoes and bread pudding for dessert. It was all delicious!
This was all that was left of the lobster.
Our first travel adventure took us to the Waipio Valley Overlook on the north end of the island. It was a short hike to the overlook but well worth it.
The views were so beautiful!
We made a quick stop at a McDonalds for a snack and loved the coconut pies - only in Hawaii!
From Waipio Valley, we drove to the Akaka Falls State Park.
On the trail, we passed this interesting Banyan tree.
Akaka Falls drops 442 feet and the size of the waterfall varies according to the rainfall.
The hike through the rain forrest was filled with views of the lush green growth and many small waterfalls.
Our guide and photographer
After the falls, we headed to a small park on the ocean where the locals gather for picnics. The views of the sea were great.
I love watching and hearing the ocean waves as they crash against the rocks.
Our route also took us through the Parker Ranch country. Those cattle must be the most contented in the world!!
Our last stop that day was for dinner in Waimea at Merrimans - a restaurant featuring Hawaiian regional cuisine. We enjoyed local fish, beef, interesting salads and soup and yummy desserts.
John and Cindy had the molten chocolate purse with coconut ice cream and we shared kiwi creme brulee with pineapple macadamia nut cookies - YUM!
On another evening we went into Kona for dinner. First we walked through the shops and along the sea wall to return to the hotel (The Kona Hilton Resort) where we had all stayed when we went with Mom and Dad to Hawaii to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in February of 1994. It brought back sweet memories of this past trip and Mom and Dad.
These beautiful photos of the sunset were taken at what was known as the
Kona Hilton Resort.
We watched as the sun slowly dropped into the ocean and the beautiful light outlined the clouds.
Then we went to a Thai restaurant for dinner. The food was delicious!
On another day we headed to explore the volcano national park.
Views of the volcano steam
The valley showing the path of a long past lava flow
After our late lunch, we drove to the southernmost point of the USA.
During our day trips we saw many beautiful flowers, birds, sea life and plants. Here are some of the highlights.
Hawaii is truly a gorgeous island paradise!
On another day, we explored Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site built in 1790 by a 20 mile long chain of workers hand passing smooth lava rocks from the valley to this site. These rocks were stacked neatly to complete the structure. This project was done under King Kamehameha as part of his efforts to unite the Hawaiian islands and still stands as a symbol of Hawaiian unity. Today, the wild, local goats have chosen this special site to hang out!
Then, on to Kapaau to see the statue of King Kamehameha which had been beautifully decorated with flowers and leis to commemorate his birthday.
That evening we ate at Hapuna Beach Hotel's Hakone Restaurant and enjoyed the seafood buffet.
One day we traveled to Puuhonua National Historic Park (place of refuge)
Look what crawled out from under that rock!
This close up view shows the white obelisk that memorializes his death.
Our last stop that day was in South Kona at St. Benedict's painted church.
John and Cindy arrived and departed 1 1/2 days before us. We loved sharing this beautiful adventure with them!
Hal and I ended our visit to Hawaii much as we had begun - our last dinner was twin lobster tails!
