Pu'uhonua Cultural Festival

It's summer and time for island cultural festivals. The local cultural festival at the City of Refuge, Pu'uhonua O Honaunau is this weekend, June 24, 25, and 26th from nine to three. There is no fee to attend, and this year is extra special because it's the park's 50-year celebration. The theme this year is:

‘O ka Pu‘uhonua – E a‘o ana mai nā kūpuna mai no ke au hou e hiki mai ana. Pu‘uhonua –Learning from the kūpuna and guiding us into a new beginning.

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau is a definite must-see for visitors anyway (I ramble on and on about it here on the blog) and the cultural festival is fantastic. You have a chance to see traditional hula, taste Hawaiian foods, and observe/learn about/and often try many traditional Hawaiian crafts. For more information, check out the Pu'uhonua website and press release:

http://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm

Places we love: South Point

South Point is very famous and shows up in all the tourist literature. The thing is, it’s best to know a little bit about it before you decide to go. It’s not for everyone. We were there recently and as we headed out we ran into a couple who asked us if it was worth it. Chances are, if you have to ask this question, it’s not.

We LOVE South Point. It is one of our favorite places on the island. It is often extremely windy and is known for having extraordinarily clean air. The weather is changeable there, it can be sunny and bright enough to hurt the eyes and burn the skin, and it can also be so stormy you’re likely to be pelted with sideways-flying cold rain. The ocean is rough here, and crashes into the rocky shoreline. The trail to the beach is rough and rocky and runs through cattle pasture. Structures look worn and weather-beaten. It can seem a lonely, barren, isolated place. But I love this about it. It is gorgeous in its wildness.

When you drive south towards the tip of the island from Luana Inn you will pass through several microclimates. There are pockets of rain and green, and there are black desolate stretches of lava rock. The sky can be leaden or brilliant-blue. You reach the turn-off for South Point about forty-five minutes south from here, and then you drive South Point Road out another twenty minutes or so to the end of the road. This road is paved and slow, bordered by some homes, farms, and a wind farm. There are many broad fields and pastures, and lonely stretches of hearty grasses. When you get to the end of the road at the ocean, you park and walk. From here you walk about an hour and a half out the flat, rocky trail along the shore to the Green Sand beach. The beach is named for the olivine deposits that make it look velvety-green.

The hike is not hard, it just takes a little while. The trail is pretty flat and you can sometimes catch a ride with folks who cross it in trucks. There are some huge rocks and it’s rutted and worn so it’s not a good idea to take a rental car down it. You will hear birdsong and wind in the dry grasses, waves crashing, and perhaps the crash of a whale smacking its tail during whale-season. We’ve noticed that they sometimes congregate down here where they’re not harassed by boats. There are no hills nearby so you can see the sky forever. The sun can be so shiny-bright it can hurt. Everything feels clean and extra-bright down here, fresh and raw.

The Green Sand beach glints and shines in the sun. It looks like the result of a huge back hoe coming in and scooping a chunk out of the shore. You have to walk around behind the beach and climb down the back to get to it. (There used to be a ladder.) The water is rough here. You may see local kids playing here, but I don’t think I’d give it a try unless I was extremely comfortable in rough ocean water.

The thing about South Point and the Green Sand beach is that it is so gosh-darned gorgeous. It’s so clean and rough and raw and lots of our guests love this kind of thing. This describes so much of the Big Island, really: untouched, new, overwhelming in its true colors and silence and rawness. You will probably leave an afternoon of hiking at South Point feeling refreshed and very alive.

City of Refuge Walk

The City of Refuge, or Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, National Park, has also recovered from the tsunami and is now open as usual. In fact, Saturday, June 4 is National Trails day and there will be a guided walk along the gorgeous 1871 Trail. It will start at 9:30 from the visitor's center. Please wear good shoes and sunscreen.

The 1871 trail runs along the back or south side of the park and is one of my absolute favorite places to walk nearby. It is a short trail, taking only about twenty minutes each way, but extraordinarily beautiful. You are basically walking along a cliff which allows you amazing views down into the water and down the shoreline. It is very quiet and has a heavy, sacred feel. There's lots of lava rock and little shade so it is quite hot, but a definite to-do when staying here.

Looking on the Bright Side

As I'm sure everyone is aware, two months ago, the Sendai region of Japan was struck by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake. This caused a tsunami which devasted the area, and also caused damage here in the islands.

One of the hardest hit areas in Hawaii was Manini beach. Manini has long been one of our favorite spots, both for our own use and to send our guests. We went there two days after the tsunami struck, and while the damage was not remotely on the scale of what we'd seen of Japan, it was still quite jarring.

One house was swept completely out into the bay, and several others received substantial damage. The wave had reached up to nineteen feet high, and one hundred feet inland.

Two months later, the houses are being repaired (or torn down in one case), and volunteers have worked hard to restore Manini Beach. They've planted grass, new coconut palms, and put in new rock walls. But the most wondrous thing is that there is now a sandy beach! Apparently, the tsunami moved tons of sand around, and much of it ended up in Kealakekua Bay. Prior to the tsunami, the inlet was rocky, and a bit of a pain to bare feet. Just after the tsunami, it was an ugly mess, and we feared for its future. Now though, it's a lovely little sandy beach; just perfect for little ones.

Manini was always one of our favorites, but we hesitated to call it a beach. Now it can wear that name proudly. The rest of the park should be open again once the new grass has had a chance to take root.

Reef Update

Today is so beautiful it almost hurts. The air is perfectly clear and the horizon is a hard edge, seemingly forever away, between bright blue ocean and sky. The Kona wind is blowing softly, offering a cooling counterpoint to the hot sun. The sun is so bright and hot today that it’s heated up the rocks and the grass, leaving both warm to the touch. Our yard smells like summer.

It is the perfect kind of day to go snorkeling in the morning when the reef fish are all up and active and there’s lots of light, and then return to the Inn for an afternoon of sunbathing and pool-time, followed by a drink at sunset. The sunsets are always nice, but on these crystal-clear days they are spectacular.

Over the last week, we have had multiple couples go snorkeling at both the Captain Cook monument and at Two Step, and both areas seem to be perfectly alive and well, post-tsunami. Dolphins have been spotted in both areas, and around full moon-time were seen in the dozens at Two Step. Turtles, eels, loads of reef fish, and even a manta ray have also been spotted.

Kayak permits are being awarded, kayaks are being rented, and snorkel tours are up and running as normal. We had some guests hike the monument trail this week and comment on how well the trail was maintained. In short, all normal tourist activities in the bay have resumed and the reef appears to be healthy.

While the mainland edges into spring, Hawaii is already in the throes of summer: sun, soft wind, brilliant flowers, warmth, and gorgeous water. It is a particularly nice time to visit because ticket prices always seem to drop in April around tax-time. Check out amazingly cheap rates (I saw round trip tickets for $400 from San Francisco) at Hawaiian Air.

The island is waiting…

One week after the tsunami

Last Thursday night we were just getting settled for bed when the tsunami sirens sounded. We immediately got up to figure out what was going on. Although the sirens are tested each month, severe tsunamis are actually quite rare in Hawaii (the last one was in 1960). Ken turned on the television and I hopped online to check the USGS site and we quickly learned that the massive quake in Japan had caused a tsunami that was headed for the Hawaiian islands. The civil defense was recommending that all shoreline residents evacuate and move a half mile inland.

Luana Inn is not in the evacuation area. The evacuation area in our neighborhood runs along the shore at the bottom of Napo’opo’o Road, .8 mile away from us. The Inn is more than a safe distance away, and is located up a very steep hill on a cliff. In other words, we were in no danger here.

The tsunami was predicted to hit Hawaii at about three am, and apparently reached the Big Island at about five am. We watched the news for awhile, and then went to bed. The next morning, the reef was briefly visible in Kealakekua Bay, and there was some debris in the bay. On Saturday we drove up to Kailua and headed back down Alii Drive to survey damage. Although water did come up over the rock wall onto Alii Drive in town, there was surprisingly little visible damage. There was some sand on the road and part of the rock wall that runs along the shore had been broken, but there were tons of people out and about and it otherwise looked like a normal, bustling Saturday afternoon. Huggo’s, Lava Java, Bubba Gump Shrimp and the surrounding shopping area with Blue Water Fantasies Jewelry and Kaiso, and most of the shops on those portions of Alii Drive were open. The Kona Inn and the little shopping area that it is located in further north were closed. Kona Inn will re-open this weekend.

As we drove Alii Drive towards Keauhou and looked at the beaches and homes along the road it was clear that the water had risen and moved debris around. Rocks had been brought up onto Magic Sands Beach, but people were still out sunbathing and enjoying themselves. Homes looked fine. Some pole homes where lawn furniture or wood had been stored underneath clearly had had such items shifted around. Kahalu’u Beach in the Keauhou Resort area was closed and it looked like some rocks had been shifted there as well.

As far as the northeastern coast of the Big Island, we have learned that The Four Seasons Hualalai and the Kona Village have both endured damage.

The part of the island hardest hit was actually the Kealakekua Bay area down through Pu’uhonua O Honaunau. After surveying Alii Drive to Keauhou, we then drove to the Manini Beach area and discovered that Manini Beach has been transformed. Several homes on the water were severely damaged and the vacation rental right on Manini Beach was lifted off its foundation and washed out to sea. The DLNR and Coast Guard are still assessing damage and have put a plan into place to remove the house. A major neighborhood effort is being made to quickly clean up the area. We have seen a steady stream of kayak-tour traffic down our road and saw that kayaks were indeed still being rented as of Saturday. According to one of the most popular snorkel tour companies, the water had already cleared as of Saturday and it was business as usual. Parts of the City of Refuge National Park are closed temporarily for clean-up and damage assessment, but the Wednesday evening program is still on and the next one is set for March 23 at 6 pm and is called: “Coral Spawning this spring – the Life of the Reef”. Rangers plan to re-open the park completely within two weeks. We have heard that Two Step and Hookena are fine, but will post more information as we learn more.

We are extremely thankful that Hawaii endured such minimal damage. We never lost power, always had water and cable and phone service, no one was killed or seriously injured. Some homes did indeed experience severe damage, there are clearly businesses that have been effected in Kailua, and some of the natural shoreline has been visibly altered, but the major damage to the Big Island will be the drop in tourism if mainland people become fearful to travel here based on incorrect information.

People should not be afraid to come to Hawaii. Natural disasters can happen anywhere, and Hawaii is not an unusually dangerous place. The island is still breathtakingly beautiful, there are still amazing things to see here, the weather is perfect – none of this has changed. We are sitting here, in this stunning house, with its gorgeous guest rooms and glorious ocean view, the sun is shining, the ocean looks like blue satin, and the phone isn’t ringing. This is the most worrying thing in the aftermath of the tsunami for Hawaii.

We also need to turn our attention to Japan, which has endured major devastation. Hawaii has a very strong connection to Japan and it is to our Japanese brothers and sisters to whom we must now send our aid, or thoughts and our prayers. This is not a time to be fearful, but to move forward.

Our newest food-crush, Kaiso

Anyone for grilled meats? Juicy pork meatballs on a stick? Marinated chicken thighs? Pork belly ramen with a rich, homemade broth? Tofu salad with yuzu and local mesculun? Then welcome to Kaiso, our newest go-to spot in Kailua.

I have to admit that when we first peeked into this spot when it first opened I was suspicious. It has a weird entrance and didn't pull me in. It's right in downtown Kailua off Alii Drive, in the strange little shopping center that houses Bubba Gump Shrimp and Crazy Shirts and the outdoor jewelry vendor, Bluewater Fantasies (stellar jewelry, by the way). It's in the back of this space, so keep walking towards the back, past the jewelry, past the gallery and real estate office, past the espresso and ice cream stand (although stop back here for local-made ice cream on the way out). The restaurant has two doors, the first of which is locked and says, closed. But around the corner, you'll come to the second door. Bend under the Japanese noren and find yourself in a sweet little dining room with just a few tables, open to the outside with the sound of the waves in the background, cool jazz and the sizzle of meats on the grill in the foreground.

While Sushi Shiono is our favorite sushi place in Kailua town and provides an elegant, upscale dining experience, Kaiso provides an authentic Japanese pub experience. The food is fresh and excellent: it's high-calorie comfort/pub food that has been prepared with love and care. We have gone there several times now and have had a good experience each time. We have tried almost everything on the menu, too, from a variety of yakitori (grilled, skewered meat), to musubi, to salads, to agedashi tofu (one of my tests for Japanese restaurants), to Chinese-style fried eggplant to grilled veggies and steak...and it is all delicious. Even with two babies we feel at home in this lovely little space, so if it were just the two of us, on vacation, we would definitely enjoy it. This is a place to come and drink and listen to the waves and relax and sample multiple dishes. It will receive a definite five stars in our restaurant guide.

Vog Fog

If you’re ever out touring the island with your husband/wife/family/partner/friend and suddenly for no apparent reason find yourself bickering over something stupid like directions or the weather on an otherwise fantastic trip to Hawaii, blame the vog. Or if you find yourself staring into the refrigerator forgetting what you were looking for, or wandering around your room feeling confused, or just don’t have the energy to climb out of bed, blame the vog. You’re in a vog-fog, as we like to call it.

Vog is the word for the volcanic smog billowing out of Kilauea on a daily basis. It blows around the island pushed by the winds, and can settle anywhere. Of course it’s thickest closest to the Volcano itself, but can be blown as far north as Oahu. If you’re around Kona on a voggy day, you’ll see it settled along the coastline as you descend the hill into Kailua. If we get an ultra-pink sunset one night you can thank our “natural” pollution.

Luckily down here near the ocean we have a near-constant ocean wind blowing which keeps the vog at bay. You may see the vog lurking up the hill at higher altitudes, but down here the sky is almost always clear. During your visit it may not even be present. We’ve never had a guest be affected by it. Of course if you have asthma or allergies it’s best to be prepared when you go to visit the Volcano, but otherwise the island is safe. It won’t make you sick, but you may feel a little loopy.

Need to escape the Pacific Northwest?

As darkness presses down on the Pacific Northwest an escape to Hawaii can become necessary. The northwest is green and lush and gorgeous but the dark season can really get you down. (I know this for a fact because I grew up in northwest Washington.) Here's an alternative to workdays without sunlight and cold evenings spent sulking in front of the television with an alcoholic beverage in hand:

Alaska Airlines has begun new service between Bellingham, Washington and Honolulu. The Seattle-based carrier is offering introductory $149 one-way fares for tickets purchased by January 18 for flights taken between February 14 and June 9, and for travel from Honolulu to Bellingham between Monday and June 9.

The flight from Bellingham leaves at 5:20 pm and arrives at 9:40pm. The Honolulu leg to Bellingham leaves at 10:30 pm and arrives at 6:10 am. the next day. (Source: West Hawaii Today)

Storm Season

On Friday we had a fantastic storm.  It was my maid-service day (we alternate breakfast and maid service duties daily) so I took the boys out for a morning walk as usual.  At eight am it was already dark and balmy.  A warm wind whistled through the house and a soft rain began to fall.  There was an unusual quiet in the air: no birds, no insects, no ocean wind: an ominous sign of something moving towards us from the ocean. 

I absolutely love this weather.  I love the crazy winds, alternately warm and cold, the unusual cloud formations out over the ocean, the dark and cool.  It feels good to be cold, it feels cuddly to throw on a sweatshirt midday as the sky darkens.  We get so much sunshine (I know, poor us…) that a big rain or storm is a treat.

I took the boys out on our walk and watched clouds race across the sky, the morning sun shine enthusiastically, then quickly be swallowed by aggressive-looking storm clouds.  Huge sloppy warm rain drops fell now and then, as if the rain was warming up for a heavy fall – which indeed it was.  The uppermost branches of the breadfruit trees along the road swayed in the wind, their distinctive shape showing crisp and clean against the dark sky.  The eerie darkness that always resides under the thick old mac-nut trees was even darker than usual, a different perfume road the winds.

As soon as we returned home the rain began to fall in earnest.  It fell throughout the rest of the day, increasing and decreasing in tempo as the storm progressed.  The wind shifted from balmy to downright cold and darkness filled the house by noon.  We bundled up the boys and ate hot soup for lunch, enjoying a cold, dark winter day for once. 

The storm lashed the house and grounds through the night, but had moved on by daybreak the next day.  Our normal, sunny-bright weather had returned and the day was perfect: filled with sun and birdsong and our normal gentle ocean breezes.  The storm had cleaned the air and earth and the ocean was a pristine-blue, the horizon a hard, sharp line.  The sunset last night was fantastic, culminating in a burst of bright yellows, pinks, and blues burning clearly against the fresh sky. 

Summer is hurricane season in Hawaii, winter is thunderstorm season.  Kealakekua Bay is on the protected side of the Big Island in a generally very temperate location.  Storms blow down from Kauai, hitting that island first, or up and across from the windward side of the Big Island, hitting Hilo first. We don’t have to worry too much about being hit hard by storms.  Instead, we can enjoy them.

Autumn is here

There are really only two seasons in Hawaii, a wet season and a dry season.  The wet season generally includes spring and summer, and the dry includes fall and winter.  Of course there are variations depending on where in the state you are.  For us, down here by the water in South Kona, the transition from wet to dry is accompanied by many familiar shifts. 

We’ve been smelling coffee roasting next door at the big mill, and the fragrant smoke from the macadamia nut hulls that are burned to roast the beans.  It is a familiar, beautiful scent that reminds us coffee processing season has arrived.  The days are hotter and dryer, the ocean gets rougher, and the Trade winds pick up.  The red cardinals move down from the hills, and the citrus trees and some varieties of avocado begin to blossom.  Beautiful athletes descend upon Kailua to acclimate before the Iron Man triathlon.  Crowds amass and excitement crescendos as the race day draws near.

There will be a slight dip in tourism in November around Thanksgiving time, when many mainland people travel to family homes rather than to Hawaii, crowds are down and ticket prices drop temporarily to reflect this.  The days are hot and clear and bright, and the gentle rains that arrived so diligently each evening over the summer will subside.  We may be gifted with a thunder storm now and again, and watch with excitement as dark tropical clouds rush ominously over the ocean.  The ocean water will be colder, the whales will come.  It is a beautiful time of year, but then, it is always beautiful here.

The art of doing nothing

I was recently watching the second Sex and the City movie and a comment Miranda made stayed with me.  Their first morning in Abu Dhabi, Miranda announces at breakfast something to the effect that, due to her type-A, controlling, over-organized personality she’s scheduled a complete day of fun.  (Incidentally, their day does look pretty interesting, involving camel-back riding, lunch in the desert, and karaoke that night.)  But what struck me is the oxymoronic “planned fun”. 

Now of course when it comes to travel lots of planning IS involved.  It would be a waste of time, for instance, not to book a room Christmas week in Hawaii and then have to spend one of your precious vacation days driving around trying desperately to find a place to stay the night (this happens more frequently than you’d think).  Or, to travel to say, Abu Dhabi, and strut down the middle of the public market with revealing clothing (as Samantha does) because you didn’t do your homework and understand this to be highly disrespectful.  It’s important to crack a map open and get a feel for where you’re going, understand something about the local culture, weather, and sites, etc. 

This said, it’s also important to allow yourself the freedom to relax and have some unstructured/unorganized/unplanned time – especially in a place like Hawaii, which is so incredibly laid-back.   It’s hard to accept this for many travelers, especially mainland travelers who are used to living pretty faced-paced lives.  Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand this.  Before moving here when we came to visit, it took me several days to slow down, relax, realize my work-world wouldn’t come crashing down without me and that it was actually perfectly okay to turn off my phone and not sneak furtive glances at email.  We’ve had guests actually admit to us that they would feel guilty if they spent a day just lounging around on the lanai – even if they wanted to – because there’s so much pressure – from friends/family/guidebooks/so-called experts, etc. – to squeeze certain things into a visit to Hawaii. 

We had some guests earlier this year finally put a name to the guilt-free experience of relaxation: La dolce far niente.  Translation: the art of doing nothing.  Apparently there’s no shame in this in Italy, and we think this is fantastic and admirable.  So as you plan your visit to the Big Island, make sure you allow for some freedom and rest.  It’s the slow days, after all, that really are the most fun.  Here are our favorite – and our guests’ favorite – non-doing things to do:

• Sunbathing on the lanai
• Reading a book in the shade on the lanai
• Drinking beer and reading in the sun on the lanai
• Floating in the pool
• Sitting in the hot tub
• Spending the afternoon under a tree at Manini Beach reading and snacking
• Eating BBQ from Big Jake’s and sunbathing at Hookena
• Spending the day sunbathing and body-surfing at Kua Bay
• Pub-crawling Kailua (we suggest Kaiso and Bistro Yokohama)
• BBQ’ing on the lanai and watching the sun set
• Having an outdoor massage after a morning at the beach

Hawaii's winding roads

I was walking Painted Church Road again the other morning, admiring the flowering trees and birds, thinking how much I love this walk.  I’ve walked it for years, at all hours of the day, through all seasons, and just don’t tire of it.  It’s another winding farm road and it, like Napo’opo’o, or Manini Beach Road, are remarkably beautiful.

Sometimes we joke that Hawaii is a big pile of rocks in the middle of the ocean.  The thing about the big pile of rocks is that it is outrageously gorgeous.  But make no mistake about it, the nature of these volcanic islands is that they’re mountainous and feature dramatic rock formations, hills, and cliffs.  The older the island, the more dramatic these features are.  This is what makes for the variety of microclimates we have here, as well as the unmatched beauty.  However, this also means that there are plenty of windy mountain roads to navigate.  For some visitors, this is no big deal, for others, it can be a little nerve-wracking.

We have observed that the way you feel about the roads here will be based on what you’re used to.  If you come from a place with broad, flat roads, Hawaii’s winding, coastal roads may be a little nerve-wracking for you to drive.  If you come from a mountainous area, Napo’opo’o, or any of the island’s roads, will not be a big deal.  We’ve had guests lovingly count each bend and turn in our road, pining for a nice sporty little car rather than their rental, they found it so beautiful.  We’ve had others who found its turns exhausting and tiring.  Unfortunately it’s something that you have to get used to being in Hawaii.  With the sheer cliffs and steep mountains come the stunning views, the mind-blowing tropical foliage, and some of the island’s most spectacular spots.

Choice Mart Rocks

Last month our local supermarket, Choice Mart, celebrated it’s tenth anniversary.  Choice Mart is a fantastic little neighborhood market and I can’t imagine South Kona life without it.  Although not a huge market – like Times or KTA or Safeway – it has just about everything a guest could need.  If you’re arriving in Kona midday, don’t be tempted to stop at Safeway or Wallmart on the way down from the airport (Costco is the only exception because of it’s stellar cheap-wine selection and mega-portions of local fish and pre-packed sashimi plates).  Wait for Choice Mart.

Choice Mart is located in South Kona right off the highway, less than one mile south of the turnoff for Napo’opo’o Road (in other words, about fifteen minutes from the Inn).  They always have local produce, including lettuces – commercial and organic, cucumbers, tomatoes (including new local-grown heirloom), potatoes, papayas, bananas, and other exotic fruit, as well as fresh fish and local grass-fed beef.  One of our guests’ consistently favorite meals is local beef and/or fish and sweet potatoes from Choice Mart, grilled simply with salt and oil out on the lanai BBQ for a sunset dinner.  Choice Mart also has wine, beer, and liquor, as well as a small natural-foods section and a deli.  They have poke – raw tuna salad with soy sauce, red pepper, sesame oil – in both the seafood section and the deli, and laulau (meat steamed in taro or ti leaves) in the deli, if you’re in the mood for some local eats.  They also usually have one or two varieties of the local beers (there are two breweries on the island, Mehana in Hilo and Kona on this side).  If you see Kona Brewery’s kona-coffee brew, try it!  Choice Mart also sometimes has tuberose leis (amazing), exotic fruit posters, sunblock, and sand buckets and tools for kids.  Here’s to little, local supermarkets.

 

What to do on a rainy day in Hawaii

Although Kona is the dry side of the island, it still rains here.  That’s why it’s so green and lush and lovely.  Now that it’s spring and the drought appears to have ended, our normal wet-season weather has returned.  For the Kona side of the island, this generally means a soft rain shower in the afternoon or evening, with sun the rest of the time.  Some days we get a little shower in the morning, some days it’s clear and sunny all day long.   The rain, when it does come, is normally soft and warm and quite pleasant.  If it’s raining, try not to be bummed out.  Here are some things to do:

• Get in the water.  Unless it’s windy or the sky is very dark, visibility should still be good.  You’ll get wet anyway, so why not?
• Go to Volcano, it’s usually wet anyway. 
• Go to Pu’uhonua o Honaunua.  It is normally very hot and dry at this park, and it feels good to be down there when it’s a little overcast.  It’s always gorgeous, so it doesn’t matter when you go.
• Go coffee-tasting.  There are lots of farms in our South Kona neighborhood, so drive around and sample a few coffees.
• Go book-browsing: there are two nice bookstores in South Kona.  The Reading Garden is just south of us and has a vast inventory of used books, and there's a small new bookstore tucked into Mango Court next to the health food store just north of us.
• Sit in the hot tub.  There’s nothing like sitting in the hot tub on a drizzly day (especially after an ocean swim or dip in the pool). 
• Have a massage.  It’s pretty fantastic to have a luxurious in-room massage on a cool afternoon, and then go slip into the hot tub to watch the sun set.
• Visit botanical gardens: we have the Ethnobotanical Garden and Paleaku Peace Gardens close by which are both fantastically beautiful swathed in mist.
• Rest on the lanai with a book: because it's never cold, sitting outside on the covered portion of the lanai while watching the rain drops splash onto the surface of the pool is wonderfully pleasant.  From our lanai you have a massive view of both sky and ocean, and it is fascinating to watch a storm system pass overhead.

Cultural Festival June 26 and June 27

Speaking of Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Park, it's time for the summer cultural festival again!  This is an absolute must-see for visitors.  You may be lucky enough to see some hula, hear some chanting, try kava, make an ipu, or sample some Hawaiian food.  Bring water, wear sun block, and have a wonderful time!  Below is the announcement from our friend, Ranger Charlie Hua.  

For more details, check out the park website: http://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm

Aloha everyone,

Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park will be celebrating its 49^th Anniversary and Annual Cultural Festival on Saturday, June 26^th, and Sunday, June 27^th, from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Our theme for this year is, “Nā Hana Lima o nā Kūpuna”, The Working Hands of Our Elders.  Activities include the Royal court, Hula performances, Hukilau, Canoe Rides, Food Tasting, Hawaiian games for keiki and various Hawaiian crafts. Be sure to pack some sunscreen, water, and hats. There will be no lunch available, so pack snacks or a lunch if necessary. This event is free and park fees are waived for the weekend of this special event.

 

Mahalo,

Hope to see you all there.

Charles T. Hua

 

Places we love: Pu'uhonua O Honaunau and Two Step

The other morning my son’s preschool had their final class at Pu’uhonua o Honaunau in the water by Two Step.  Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, otherwise known as the City of Refuge, is a “must see” tourist destination in our neighborhood.  It is a historically important site, but also a stunningly beautiful national park.

The park is divided into three main areas.  First, there’s the main visitor area.  This is where the main historic sites and rangers are (if you happen to be there when ranger Charlie is, hit him up for historical info because he’s a fantastic local resource).  This is where the Wednesday evening talks take place, as well as the cultural festival in June.  If you continue down the dirt road at the back of the parking area you’ll arrive at the picnic area which runs along the rocky coast, an excellent place to explore tide pools and watch the sun set.  There’s a lovely short trail (the 1871 trail) that you can follow along the shore at the back of the picnic area.  It apparently stretches all the way to Hookena Beach, but only the part within the park is maintained.  The third spot to note is “Two Step” which is on the northern boundary of the park.  So, if you park in the parking lot and walk back out, follow the residential side street down to the water, you’ll get to one of the top two (the Captain Cook monument being the other) snorkeling spots on the Big Island.

The other day when I was there the preschoolers were playing in the shallow, sandy boat-launch area next to Two Step.  The sun was shining brightly and it was very hot, as it often is down there.  Although the park is only four miles south of the Inn, it is noticeably warmer and dryer.  This day, vog was visible up mauka skirting the hill tops, but the sky over the park was clear and blue.  I played in the water with the kids for a little while and cooled off, then was offered a massage by another mother.  We walked over to a shaded area under a large kukui nut tree where she’d set up her table.  As I lay there and relaxed and heard the kids’ laughter in the background and felt the ocean breeze on my bare back, I slipped into the beach-coma I often get at that park.

Pu’uhonua is certainly a special place.  It’s very peaceful, and I am seduced by its beauty each time I go.  The alii (Hawaiian royalty) definitely knew what they were doing in choosing such a fine spot to live.  If I were a visitor here, I would give this park at least one full afternoon.  If you plan on snorkeling at Two Step and exploring the park, you could easily give it more time.  Some visitors prefer Two Step to the Captain Cook monument for snorkeling.  For one, it’s easier to get to – you just drive up and jump in.  Second, because it’s immediately deep, it’s actually a little safer than a place like Manini (which is shallow and sometimes has a bit of a break) for the novice snorkeler.  It has all the same species of reef fish that you see throughout Kealakekua Bay (whether at the monument, Manini, or Keei beach), but arguably more varieties of coral.  There are more turtles in this area, and the local dolphins, eels, rays, young reef sharks, and occasionally an octopus or monk seal also sometimes make an appearance.

Besides getting in the water here, I am a fan of the 1871 trail.  I often used to take my dog along this trail, until he got too old and arthritic to handle the heat and the rocks.  The trail runs right along the shore, up along cliffs part of the way, and across lava.  It’s very quiet, and the views are spectacular.  The water is so consistently clear here that you can look down into it from the cliffs and see the coral.  The shades of water are unendingly varied and striking, and the view of the coastline is dramatic.  It takes only about twenty minutes each way to walk this short portion of the trail.  Footing is somewhat rough.  Walking is easy, running is more of a challenge. 

When I returned home the other day, I carried the warmth of the park with me throughout the rest of my work day.  You have to be careful down there at that beautiful park; you will soak up so much sun and warmth and peace that it may be hard to want to do anything else the rest of the day but lie around the lanai gazing at the ocean and slowly sipping a cool drink…

Where to hear local music

Recently, we had two guests alert us to a fantastic new opportunity to hear local music. The old Hualalai Theater in Kailua Town has been converted into the LEAD community center, which is hosting an ongoing Hawaiian music concert series, Live at the Lead. 
The LEAD Center is easy to find, located right in the heart of Kailua-Kona off the Kuakini Highway. Concerts are every other Friday evening.  To learn more about local artists and see the calendar of events, please check out: www.livehawaiianmusic.com. 
Another source for finding out about local entertainment is the Big Island Weekly: www.bigislandweekly.com.  Hawaii has some fantastic local musicians and we strongly recommend taking the opportunity to see some live music while here on vacation.

The Drought is done, Kona Snow has come

Last year the island suffered a drought that left many trees and plants dead.  Normally there is a wet season that spans late spring to early fall. This manifests differently across the island.  For us here down by the water, this means sunny days followed by a late afternoon or evening shower – perfect irrigation.  Last year we had month after month of dry sunny weather which was great as far as our guests were concerned, but very difficult for island plants and trees.  Each time the sky darkened and seemed to threaten rain residents would get excited and hopeful.  One afternoon while I was in Choice Mart it began to rain and the excitement in the air in the store was palpable.  A buzz of happy voices surrounded me and I overheard “it’s a blessing” echoed excitedly and with relief multiple times.  This is a farming island, after all, and adequate rainfall is critical.
I’ve been taking long walks out Painted Church Road and have been watching the coffee plants.  Many have looked brown and skeletal, with cherries that have gone from ripe-red to shriveled black on the tree.  However, over the last few weeks we have begun to receive soft evening showers, and the plant life has suddenly swung back to life.  So far this spring we have been experiencing a more normal weather pattern, and the land is become green again.  Last week as I walked I smelled the familiar, seductive jasmine-scent of coffee blossoms on the soft air, and was happy to see that the coffee plants are in bloom.  Spring has come, and with it, the soft, warm, nurturing island rains.

Damp, Pretty Hilo

It happened again the other day… We had two different sets of guests arrive within the same couple of days who’d started their trips in Hilo and were aching to see the sun.  This has happened so many times that whenever prospective guests ask us about splitting up their stay between Hilo and Kona, we try to clearly describe the two very different climates and what to expect.  It’s a difficult task.  We don’t want to sound like we’re just trying to sell more nights at our Inn, but we do want to be truthful about the weather patterns.  We’re always trying to help guests prepare and plan.  At the end of the day, we want them to be happy. 
The problem is that the drear and gray that define Hilo’s weather seem to catch many visitors unaware.  Especially if you’ve never been to the Big Island, it can be difficult to envision how its many mirco-climates can actually effect your experience, even when reading through tourist literature.
To get down to the point, Hilo is notoriously damp and overcast.  We’ve heard stories of mildewed clothes in closets and mold infestations and dripping wallpaper, etc.  Each island has a rainy side and a sunny side.  The rain makes for the dramatic waterfalls and beautiful botanical gardens, but it can also be a dreary backdrop for a vacation.  I can’t tell you how many visitors we’ve had who’ve stayed there first, often splitting a one week or two week stay between Hilo and Kona, and are desperate for sun once they arrive in Kona.  We’ve had more than one guest say that they wished they’d limited their time on the other side and spent the bulk of their stay here.
Everyone is different, of course.  We had some guests recently who were from Colorado and found the humidity of Hilo soothing in contrast to their cold, dry home.  For many of our guests who’ve come from Alaska or the Pacific Northwest, Hilo feels to be just another small, weather-beaten town, for other guests, it can feel charming and funky.  Even for guests who do spend their stay on the Kona side, we do suggest at least a day trip around the island to see Hawaii Botanical Gardens, perhaps Akaka and Kahuna and/or Rainbow Falls, and the lovely winding Hamakua Coastline.  If I had one week on the island, I’d spend my time in Kona and do a day trip to the other side.  If I had two weeks, I may spend a day or two on the other side (Hilo, Volcano, or Honokaa/Waipio), and the bulk of my time in Kona.