Hawaii 2014
Day 5 - August 27
Kathy at Pololu Lookout.
Pololu Valley Lookout - the hike down begins.
Pololu Valley Trail
We have to walk back UP this thing?
Pololu Valley from the trail.
Ah, the bottom…
Kathy, with a view up the Pololu Valley. This is the westernmost of 7 deep-cut valleys that ends on the east with Waipi'o Valley.
A panorama of Pololu Beach.
Pololu Beach.
The obligatory selfie…
Black sand.
Pololu Beach - driftwood, black sand, water worn rocks.
On the way back up…
You don’t see these in California!
King Kamehameha Statue in Kapa'au. The same statue is in Honolulu. But this was the first. Commissioned by the Hawaii Legislature in 1878, this statue was lost at sea. So another was made, which is the one in Honolulu. Subsequently, the original had been salvaged and was standing in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. It was purchased for $500 and shipped here.
Cute little Episcopalian church & cemetery in Kapa'au.
Kohala Coffee Mill in Hawi. Great sandwiches.
But Kohala Coffee Mill’s ice cream is killer! This one is strawberry-mango. Kathy had cinnamon swirl.
Heading back to the Mauna Lani. It’s amazing how fast the climate changes…
Puako Bay, just north of Mauna Lani. Pretty beach, lots of reefs.
Puako Bay.
Our ride…
Made it back to the condo in time to visit our friend.
The dinner we were originally scheduled to have in Waipi'o Valley!
Sunset - Day 5.
Day 5 - August 27
Since we had gone on a couple of adventures in the past couple of days, we had originally thought we’d kick back today. But we woke up to fabulous weather, and decided to drive up to Pololu Valley on the north shore.
Eight years ago, it was raining here. Ric walked the 400-foot descent trail, but Kathy waited at the car. This time she was determined to make the hike. It is a tough trail - rocky and steep, as the pictures hopefully show.
But it was worth it - the Pololu Valley is beautiful. The beach is black sand, rocky and full of driftwood. The surf is treacherous. The valley is deep-cut and lush.
The hike back up was tough. It was in the upper 80s, and somewhat humid. We were pretty heated when we made it to the lookout.
Stopped in Hawi, at the Kohala Coffee Mill, for sandwiches and ice cream cones, then made our way back to the condo for a nap. BBQ’d hot dogs for dinner!
Day 6 - August 28
Road to Mahai'ula Bay. This was the smooth part.
Alongside the road to Mahai'ula Bay. Looks like pretty new a'a (lava).
Lagoon at Mahai'ula Bay.
Mahai'ula Bay.
I’m no aeronautics expert, but I think this was a C-130 transport flying over Mahai'ula Bay.
Mahai'ula Bay. We didn’t stay long, but there would be much to explore here.
The Mahai'ula Bay beach is very salt and peppery.
Back at 49 Black Sand Beach. Kathy snorkeling.
Our condo across the bay from 49 Black Sand Beach.
Dinner at The Canoe House at Mauna Lani Hotel.
Kathy at The Canoe House.
The view from our table at The Canoe House.
Tenderloin for Kathy
Seared Ahi for Ric
Panorama of sunset at The Canoe House.
Sunset - Day 6. At The Canoe House.
Sunset - Day 6. At The Canoe House.
Day 6 - August 28
Once again, we intended to try the road to one of our favorite beaches from 8 years ago, Makalawena. We have the right road this time, but it looks very treacherous. While we were trying to decide if we should try it, a guy in a pickup comes by. Talking to him, he is the caretaker of the beach. The road is much worse, he says, than 8 years ago, mostly from offroaders trying to take the road too fast and chewing it up.
After watching him navigate the road, we decided it wasn’t worth the risk, so we went south a few miles to Mahai'ula Bay. Gorgeous - fairly fresh lava (Hawaiian for lava is “a'a”) right up to the shore. We wondered how old the lava flow was.
It would be a fun bay to explore sometime - perhaps we will come back and do just that. But we didn’t stay long, instead heading back to 49 Black Sand Beach for an afternoon of fish-watching.
Dinner tonight was at The Canoe House at Mauna Lani Hotel. Great food and a beautiful view of the ocean - and sunset, of course!