Interactions with birds on the patio were fun. I worked remotely from this location, especially after I rearranged the furniture. At one point, one of them walked in, so we learned to keep the screen door closed when we weren’t using it. In this video, the bird did NOT take the chip out of my hand, but a bird of this type often took it directly from me when I was not on camera.
On the day we flew out we had leftovers that had to be consumed or thrown out. I made sure that it was safe for the birds to eat, so they had a bonanza:
We made sure to watch as many Big Island sunsets with as much awareness and appreciation as we could, even though that meant Shea didn’t have a chance to hear the coqui frogs on the Hilo side the entire trip (maybe he’ll thank me when he hears what it would have been like online). I had told Shea that sunsets were a daily event that stopped traffic on the Kona side, and for good reason! Last night was one of the more brilliant ones with fractals and clouds on the horizon, making the water all the more brilliant and colorful. Obviously cameras can only capture so much, but it was worth the sand in the pants (and shoes).
We spent Harvest Day/Thanksgiving snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay in a Hawaiian town called Captain Cook. I could tell Shea was excited. He took some footage on the way there.
The best snorkeling is near a monument where Captain Cook was killed by a Hawaiian chieftain after the locals had welcomed his crew with food and gifts.
Cook and his crew apparently returned the favor by accusing the locals of stealing a boat and then trying to capture their chief. Shea calls it a story of thanks and giving, so he took the opportunity to “dance” on the grave of a colonizer.
I took a video of Shea diving from the boat waving back at me, although I honestly wasn’t sure if that was him when I shot it.
Shea later found a picture of the monument with highly hilarious graffiti which made me laugh very loudly when I first saw it posted by him, and he didn’t even realize what was written in. Read carefully!
Technically he was not allowed to get up on the land from the water access without a permit, but he is a very accomplished swimmer and snorkeler. I was impressed. I snorkeled, but I was much more about relaxing in the water and taking in the goats on the hill, the ancient caves that were made by indigenous Hawaiians on the side of the cliff, and the general serenity of the cove we were in.
Anyone who knows me knows that my whole life I have loved being on the water, in the water, and on boats.
After a long day on a boat and in the car, Shea took some more footage on the drive back.
Pictures of the cauldron from the rim of Volcano National Park, one of two active volcanoes on the Big Island.
Panorama of Western Crater Edge:
A nice couple offered to take pictures of us outside of the main lava tunnel.
These pictures are closer to where the lava of this active volcano meets the water. Some of the parts were inaccessible and we had to walk to them because the road is now closed. That’s the nature of volcanoes! I also call this the end of the world, since it’s terraforming and making the Big Island bigger regularly.
Driving to Hōnaunau Bay the first stop is the Painted Church.
This is still an active church with a congregation. It has interesting architecture which makes sense for this climate and has unique depictions of biblical history on the inner walls. I don’t know if we’re allowed to photograph them, but a violinist was playing at the time anyway. It’s pretty much an open-air church on amazing grounds on a hillside, which is the slope of a volcano.
This is one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to. The sand, water, and shade were just lovely, and the access to the beach while windy, was not treacherous. It was well-paved all the way down the hillside, even if the parking was a little bit hairy. There were nice bathrooms, but no commercial establishments. The water was calm and comfortably accessible with incredible views.
This beach was not accessible by car south of Kealakekua Bay. The road had long been unnavigable. I don’t think even with a 4-wheel drive vehicle it would be possible due to the road condition, which it didn’t appear anyone was in a rush to repair. That was surmountable because the walk was scenic. I just wish the GPS didn’t try to get us to keep driving to the actual beach that we ended up at.
In the distance for the first time, I saw the Captain Cook monument, not knowing for certain if we’d be near it to snorkel a few days later (but we did). There was almost no one else on the beach besides us and maybe four other tourists while we visited, and maybe a few locals with their homes nearby, although a few of them might have been vacation rentals. Either way, this was no tourist spot.
Here’s some open sea kayaking for you. I’m not sure if I’ll ever venture into open water like this myself.
While I had been to this park a few times before, knowing it was expected that one treat the grounds as sacred, I had never ventured quite as far into the park as I did this time. Researchers were studying the freshwater ponds that had been created, which makes sense for the indigenous populations that lived here as a place to store fish near this ocean spot, a woman weaving traditionally and explaining to visitors her process. Shea did not wish to be photographed here, although he might be in the background of a video.
After leaving the park, in other parts of Hōnaunau Bay we got to enjoy an accessible beach where people were snorkeling. We didn’t see a place to rent equipment so I just went in for a dip while Shea read on the beach. Between the cultural center and the beach, near the parking lot, I took a picture of some of the wild goats.
