Our favorite garden

Speaking of botanical gardens, our favorite garden is actually right here in South Kona.  There is a very special small garden, called the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, just up the road on the highway.  If you take a right off Napoopoo (our road) and head south, you'll see a small sign on your left less than a mile south (before Choice Mart supermarket).  I am a fan of botanical gardens and fell in love with this special place the first time I visited it.  Unlike other gardens, its focus is native and endemic species, and it highlights how the native Hawaiians farmed their land from mauka to makai (large trees like sandalwood grown up high, taro, ti, and turmeric down low, etc.) and how they used various plants and trees (for food, medicine, dying, carving, etc.).  The garden is obviously lovingly maintained and is a quiet, peaceful, beautiful place to learn and relax.  I have spent many a quiet moment there, resting on the grass under a softly rustling old tree.  For more information, check out their page on the Bishop Museum's website:

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/exhibits/greenwell/greenwell.html

A visit to the windward side

We just returned from a two-day mini break on the Hilo-side of the island. The green and damp, mist and rain, fragrant ginger and coqui frogs make for a relaxing change of scene for us.  

The first day, we went to Queen Liliuokalani Park and Coconut Island. It was a sunny clear day and both were gorgeous. Queen L Park is a great place to relax with a book and Coconut Island is a wonderful place for children (safe areas to get into the water, soft short grass and shade). We also visited the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens on this trip and were quite impressed. The gardens span a huge piece of property that unfolds down to the ocean’s edge, so it feels like you’re wandering through lush natural rainforest, rather than a manicured garden. We saw some extremely exotic plants including our new favorite, the white bat plant. We also made a visit to Akaka and Kahuna falls, both lovely (although almost overwhelmingly touristy and crowded) and marveled at the huge old mossy bamboo and all the different kinds of ginger. (We also like Rainbow Falls, which is less crowded and in a park with some huge old banyan trees.)

We didn’t stop at Kalopa Park this time, which is our favorite place on that side of the island. It is way up a winding farm road off the highway, about twenty minutes south of Honokaa. It has a park area with native hibiscus growing and a nature trail, as well as a longer hike through beautiful dense forest to misty cattle pasture, then back along a deep ravine through dripping damp eucalyptus and ginger. Kalopa is an off-the-beaten path sort of place, a beautiful hidden forest treasure.  

Although we wouldn't want to live on the east side, we do enjoy a visit now and then.  The rain does make for some outstandingly lush scenery. There’s something haunting and special about a dark, misty forest scented with yellow ginger flowers and damp earth. 

Snorkeling Snapshots - Two Step

The other afternoon my father and I went snorkeling at Two Step.  Two Step is one of the two most famous snorkeling spots here in South Kona (the second is at the Captain Cook monument). To get there from the Inn, we follow Napo'opo'o Road down to the water (about .8 mile), then stay on it until we reach the park (about a ten minute drive).  Napo'opo'o turns into Pu'uhonua Road, the road that leads to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau national park.  Two Step is just to the north of the park.  We parked in the park parking lot and walked back out, down to the water.  It was about three in the afternoon and there were a few people around, but it was pretty quiet.  The water was calm, warm, and clear as usual.  The afternoon was just a touch overcast and a misty rain fell part of the time we were down there.  We jumped in and swam out a bit, then spent about an hour just floating and observing the reef world below.  We saw all the normal, beautiful things: huge coral heads in lush yellow hues, brilliant-yellow tangs, vibrant rainbow parrotfish, darling little spotted box fish and shy puffers.  Then we happened upon a small group of threadfin butterflyfish.  These butterflies have grey cross-hatching on their sides and bright yellow on top.  One particularly inquisitive little fish swam right up to us from below and looked into our faces.  Neither of us had ever had this experience before.  Although tolerant of snorkelers and swimmers, reef fish are watchful and shy and usually keep a distance.  This little threadfin kept coming right up to us.  It came so close I got a good look at its delicate little face and flowing yellow top fin.  We eventually moved on, not wanting to bother it.  We weren't sure if it was just curious, or if we were infringing on its territory.  We exited the water feeling relaxed and refreshed as only the salt water can leave you.  We marveled at the fact that each session spent in the ocean is different, each provides something new, surprising, and beautifully mysterious.  It is always different, at different moments through the day, on different days, in different seasons; always filled with life, always wondrous.

Green Friends - the Stardust Gecko

When you eat breakfast in our dining room, you may be greeted by one of our "green friends", the stardust geckos. Although not native to Hawaii, these little geckos are quite at home here on the Big Island and can be spotted in gardens and homes and on lanais all over the place. If you've seen the Geico gecko on TV, you'll know what they look like: a gorgeous bright green with red, gold, and blue markings. There are native geckos on the island as well. They are tan or brown with dark markings and hunt at night. You may hear the native geckos “barking” as they hang out near lights in the evening, hunting moths. But it is the green geckos that charm most visitors. They are inquisitive little creatures, bravely hanging out near us on the walls or ceilings, waiting for a handout. They eat insects, nectar, and fruit. We have a couple "kitchen" geckos that wait around each morning for a piece of fruit. We give them their own little saucer of fruit. So please don't be alarmed if you see one of these gorgeous guys during your stay, they are harmless to humans and are very beautiful, helpful creatures.

Open water swimming, anyone?

Kealakekua Bay is known for its beauty, but it's hard to comprehend how truly beautiful it is until you're here. For many people, a morning dip at Manini Beach or a swim across the bay to the Captain Cook monument are weekly or daily rituals. The bay is normally quite calm, has tremendous clarity, and a healthy, gorgeous reef rich with sea life. In short, it is a fabulous place for swimming.

I'll never forget the first time my dad came to visit us here. Like many first-time visitors to the Inn, he didn't really realize how close we actually are to the bay, and how immensely beautiful this area is. We walked down to Manini Beach one morning and I could see him getting more excited by the second as we viewed the water. My dad happens to be a world-record-holding Masters Swimmer, and I could tell he was just about to jump out of his skin with excitement. He ended up diving in right at Manini and swimming over to Napoopoo Beach. Since that first visit he has come to see us many times and is now staying with us for the summer. He starts each day with a swim in the bay and is still in love with it.

It is difficult to express in a few paragraphs or photos, or even on a map how special this area is. If you love the water, whether for training as a triathlete, as a diver, or for a peaceful daily dip, you'll be in heaven. It is especially nice for athletes taking part in Honu, LavaMan, or IronMan because we are conveniently close to Kailua, while not stuck in the noise and hubbub of the town itself. We are a quiet refuge surrounded by sublime water and excellent roads for running and biking. What more can we say? Yellow tangs visible from the road, plumeria blossoms falling onto the pavement as you run…it’s just too beautiful for words!

Cultural Festival June 27 and June 28

Another wonderful thing to keep in mind about visiting the Big Island in the summer is that summer is the season for cultural festivals.  They happen all over the island, but the one that is closest to us here at Luana is the festival at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, the City of Refuge National Park.  This year it takes place over the weekend of June 27 and June 28.  The 27th will be the craft-day and the 28th will have Hawaiian food-tasting.  Usually the events open and close with a traditional ceremony, and there are lots of wonderful displays and activities to try like carving ipu (wooden gourds used like drums in hula), chanting, dancing, canoe rides, lei making, weaving, etc. Last year we were lucky enough to see children dance hula.  It is a very special opportunity to see master craftsmen and women doing what they love, and to experience some native Hawaiian traditions in an extremely beautiful setting.

Here is the press release from Pu'uhonua o Honaunau.  For more information, please visit their site: http://www.nps.gov/puho.

Pu`uhonua o Honaunau Celebrates
48th Annual Hawaiian Cultural Festival

Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park will be celebrating its 48th Anniversary and Annual Cultural Festival and on Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The theme is “Na Mea Hana Lima na Kupuna” -the working hands of our elders. Many activities are planned for both days including a royal court procession, cultural demonstrations and hula. Saturday features canoe rides and Sunday includes a hukilau and Hawaiian food tasting.

We welcome everyone to join us in experiencing the history and culture of Hawai`i and the unique Honaunau area. Bring your family and friends and spend a day in the park. Come prepared for hot weather; bring water, sturdy walking shoes, hat and sunscreen. Park fees are waived for the weekend of this special event.  

Why come to the Big Island in the summer?

Because so much of the mainland is nice in the summer, some people may wonder if it's worth traveling to Hawaii this time of year.  Well, it is!  The first thing to know about summertime on the Big Island is that the water is warmest and calmest now.  Where I'm writing from, here on the Kona Coast, the waves are minimal, the water is clear, and there's lots of sunshine.  Kealakekua Bay, Manini Beach, Keei Beach, and Two Step are often like a large bathtub this time of year. Walking down to Manini Beach, slipping into the gentle water, and floating on my back looking up at the blue sky is one of my greatest joys in life.  

The other important thing to note about the Inn is that because we're down near the water it never gets too hot here.  Our guests from Pheonix and Austin and L.A. remark on the comfortable climate here.  The temperature year-round down here in our little micro-climate never passes eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit.  We're lucky to have lots of sun tempered by the cooling ocean breeze.  Of course we're biased, but we think it's perfect!