April 16, 2024 -- leaving LAX (photo by Angie)
Arriving in Hawaii.
Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport
Waiting for our shuttle to the rental car pickup. (photo by Angie)
photo by Angie
Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park
Our first sighting of green sea turtles.
Lunch at Papa Kona Restaurant & Bar in Kailua-Kona.
Angie tried the Ube Lemonade .(photo by Angie)
The restaurant is on the water and has great views.
Moku'aikaua Church, Hawaii's oldest Christian church.
Checking in at Holua Resort.
April 17 - Sunrise over the tennis/pickleball courts.
We enjoyed watching the mongooses running around.
Checking out a lava flow on Hawai'i Belt Road.
Gary, Debra, Angie, and Glenn.
Stopping for breakfast and goodies at Punalu'u Bake Shop. (photo by Angie)
They had a nice little garden area, complete with big spiders.
Stopping to check out Punalu'u Black Sand Beach
A couple of green sea turtles resting on the beach.
A Hawaiian monk seal.
Kīlauea Visitor Center. (photo by Angie)
Heading out on the first trail by the visitor center. (photo by Angie)
Checking out a steam vent hole (photo by Angie)
Looking across the Kīlauea Caldera.
I found lots of bamboo orchids! They aren't native, though.
There are lots of steam vents, though there was no eruption in progress.
Uluhe.
Mimosa pudica. Another non-native species.
Sulphur Banks, close to the visitor center.
Sulphur deposits along the vents.
Not an old stone carving, but an art display at the visitor center.
At Kīlauea Overlook.
Looking into the crater.
As we drove on, we stopped to check out a small crater, Luamanu Crater.
Approaching the coast.
We stopped at the end of Chain of Craters Road. The rest of the road was closed after an eruption.
Hōlei Sea Arch
Heading back, we stopped to check out the lava flow.
Interesting coloring in the lava.
Stopping to check out the Thurston Lava Tube (Nāhuku).
Hāpuʻu tree ferns.
This give you an idea how big the Hāpuʻu tree ferns are!
Entering the lava tube.
April 18 -- A morning walk around the resort. In the center is our villa.
Visiting Huliheʻe Palace in Kailua-Kona.
King Kamehameha I. (photo by Angie)
The view from the balcony.
Our helicopter for the tour of Kohala, by Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours.
Ready to go!
Heading up the coast. (photo by Angie)
Kīholo Bay. (photo by Angie)
Resorts and homes at Waikōloa Village.
Crossing over the mountains toward the North coast.
Glimpsing the valleys of Kohala, along the North coast.
Waipi'o Valley. (photo by Angie)
Looking along the coast at the seven valleys.
Looking back along the coast. (photo by Angie)
Crossing back over to the west side.
Turning the lava flow into a community.
Back on the ground. (photo by Angie)
Our pilot, Marco, was great. (photo by Angie)
Was it fun?
It was a hot and dry trail.
Petroglyphs!
Stopping in Hawi for dinner at a restaurant that came highly recommended.
April 19 -- Once again, mongooses amused us in the morning. Today we head to Hilo.
One of two nēnē (Hawaiian goose) that we saw, both at the zoo. There are road signs saying to watch for nēnē, but we never saw any outside of the zoo.
Kyle, Desi, Karyn, Debra, and Gary.
No, don't eat it!
Visiting Rainbow Falls in Hilo.
The whole gang.
At Couryard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel.
April 20, the day before we headed home. Checking in for our submarine tour.
Kamakahonu National Historic Landmark.
On the boat that will take us to the submarine.
A rather hazy view of a shark.
105 feet deep.
Mostly it was just sandy bottom with not much going on.
The view of Kailua-Kona as we headed back.
Hulihe'e Palace with Moku'aikaua Church behind it.
Back on land, looking at the beach and the Courtyard hotel.
Kailua Pier.
Walking along Kailua Bay.
Arriving at the Fairmont Orchid in Waimea.
Checking out the hotel while we wait for the luau.
Another sea turtle.
Arriving for the Hawai‘i Loa Lū‘au.
A nice way to end our Hawaiian vacation.
