Whittington Beach Park

Today’s beach trip was to Whittington Beach, not really a beach but an old pier and harbor where the sugar cane from Ka’u was loaded onto ships. The dock is derelict and there are some tidepools to snorkel and swim in.

It is a pretty spot to look out over the vast ocean and up the rainy slopes of Mauna Loa, there is a big tree to sit under and climb and the shallow tidepools are fun for a swim

I enjoyed watching Jakobi and Eva Luna frolic in the water while Colleen and Ambiana played cards and Ben swam out in the channel. We had dinner out at Hana Hou, burgers and mudpie and then back to the shack. No stargazing as clouds rolled in and brought some rain with them.

South Point

My dreams are fleeting as the rain awakens me and Ambiana and I pull the sleeping bag back and forth between us and the rocky ground necessitates lots of shifting. We woke to Eva Luna and Avea amnng the chorus of roosters and dogs and lay awake as the rising sun gilds our tent. A fresh rain has washed the morning sky clear and after our run and some breakfast we headed out for South Point.

It is still super windy and we sat on the edge of the cliff and looked down into the clear blue sea, We could see yellow tang and a couple of big fish we took for sharks.

The swell was big so there was no cliff jumping this time.

Acorn appeared and we headed out towards Green Sand Beach but had no desire to hike into the sand-filled wind so we stopped at the boat ramp for a quick swim

We then drove to Broken Road which is what it sounds like a broken road that abrubply ends at a jumble of rocks tumbling into the sea. There was a tricky swell but we all (excpet Ambiana who volunteered to stay ashore in case we needed help) managed to get in and out and have a beautiful snorkel along the base of the cliffs. So blue and clear and great visibility beneath the surface

Jakobi tired first and Colleen got out first to show her hw it was done, you have to time the swell to lift you up and be quick not to be left hanging. Jakobi missed her mark and got swept up towards the rocks and panic gripped her face. She clung to a rock and the swell dropped away leaving her hanging but it came back and eased her off. She caught the next mark and scampered out without incident.

The girls all left and I jumped back in for another swim with Ben and Acorn.

Ho’okena

On the solstice we packed up early in Na’alehu and set off North for Ho’okena Beach. Four years ago this beach was closed because of an outbreak of Dengue Fever on the island and we didn’t get to go there which was tragic because 8 years ago we spent a most wonderful week camping on the beach so we were excited to be going there.

There were no tents on the beach because camping was closed due to the high winds. The dolphins were in the bay though and I had two awesome swims with them again. Jakobi Ambiana and Eva Luna also got a chance to swim with them

Ben and his family came later and joined us on the beach for awhile. We played in the surf, snorkeled, rode some waves, read our books and munched on food, all wonderful things to do on a beautiful sunny beach

Solstice Party above Kealakekua Bay

Our friends from AK, Shannon and Skyler who live here now had a solstice party at there house way up the slopes of Mauna Loa over looking Kealakekua Bay. We drove up there with Ben and family for a beautiful expansive sunset over the Pacific. My friend Shubie from Girdwood was there and it was good to see him after 15 years! Shannon built a fire and we had a potluck meal and sat around talking and watching the stars come out after watching the kids frolic on the green green lawn. We set up our tent next to the car and slept there nestled in our sleeping bags and dreams

2 Step

We spent the following morning with Shannon and Skyler and then drove into Kona to get Ambiana a new mask and a new book at the used book store. We then drove South to the new Napo’opo’o intersection then down to Kealekakua Bay and the heiau where we cut across the lava flow to 2 Step to meet up with Ben and family for some snorkeling,

The lava shore was crowded with people and the water full of snorkelers and yellow tang. We went for a snorkel but it was cut short when Eva Luna & Jakobi got stung by jellyfish.

I stayed in and swam laps over the coral heads and colorful reef fish. 2 step abuts aPlace of Refuge where in re-contact times Hawaiians accused of an offense ( like stepping on the shadow of an ali’i) could seek sanctuary. There is a National Point of Interest there with a reconstruction of what it may have been like and I swam in its direction, towards the lava peninsula with a pal, tree palisade and steep palm thatched roofs reaching above the wall I imagined around me the Hawaiians who actually swam this way seeking sanctuary. I also followed a humuhumu that had yellow lips and a blue ridge between its eyes and was bigger with white stripes. I looked it up in Colleen’s reef fish book and it is a Lagoon Trigger fish same Hawai’ian name as the other humu

Back at the ai’na Ben and I walked the lot next to us which he bought a couple of years ago and this spring cut some trail though the Christmas Berry. We walked the lava stone wall at the south end of the lot back to our land. Not sure what plans Ben has for it, Someday I would like to live here for 1/2 a year or so and build a small hut on the land to sleep in while we are here. We cooked steak and potatoes for dinner and the girls went into the tent to read while I laid back on stargazing rock and listened to a playlist of songs from the last year and thought about the itinerary for the rest of our Big Island trip, Not so sure we will hike into Halape anymore: It’s a 9 miles out and back on exposed lava fields with no water along the way and the beach at the destination may not be worth that effort when we could just spend another night at Ho’okena.

Volcano is tomorrow, do we hike Mauna Lau if the weather is good and then do Puna, (Pahoa, the new lava flows, kalani & kehena beach)or vise versa? Then Ho’okena, Captain Cook, Hapuna and then onto Waipio and the big hike in Wai’manu Valley.