I was up and at it very early this morning, and was one of the first customers at the Kona Farmers Market. One of the joys of visiting island destinations is enjoying fresh fruit. I got my fair share on day one!
Our goal today was to drive to the point where the road ends. The drive along the coast, up north, was gorgeous. We passed through Kailua-Kona, and along the huge resort areas. Near Kawaihae, the road turns and the island changes. It is more lush, and you pass through several small villages.
We reached the village of Kapaau, and it so reminded me of villages on one of my favorite islands - Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. There is a statue and park for King Kamehameha. This is the kind of village I can see myself eventually living . . .
Several miles away, the road finally stops, at Poll Valley. There is a beautiful overlook, and a steep but manageable path down to the valley floor and oceanfront. We walked the path and took in the views of the pristine valley and rocky waterfront. Definitely a highlight of the day!
Next stop: Keokea Beach Park. Gorgeous waterfront park with crashing waves.
Back to Kapaau for lunch at a Hawaiian BBQ joint before heading to another waterfront area, Mahukona Beach Park.
From there, it was very close to visit Lapakahi State Historical Park. There is a wonderful walking path where you can see the remains of 700+ year old settlements, complete with Game Rocks, foundations of homes, and rocks that were used to harvest salt.
That's not all. On our way up north, we discovered the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. So, we had to stop by and hike around this massive temple ruins.
On our drive back towards Kona, we had read that there were several places to see petroglyphs. First stop was Puako Petroglyphs, located near the Fairmont resort. There is a small parking area, and signs pointing towards the area. In order get there, you had to hike through thick brush, under low hanging trees, and over may downed logs. Once we got to the open site, it was impressive, with lots of petroglyphs.
It has already been a long, tiring, and very hot day. But with the promise of more petroglyphs, we had to make one final stop at the Waikoloa Petroglyph Field, alongside the Mamalaoa Trail. This area had many hundreds of petroglyphs in the volcanic rock. What made it a bit surreal is that the path and the rocks are directly across from a golf course and luxury homes.
OK. We're done. Very hot. Very tired. Our swimming pool is calling to us. As is our evening cocktail and our waterfront seats to watch another amazing Hawaii sunset.
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