When we first stepped out on our balcony this morning we were greeted with a playful dolphin in the water just below. What a nice way to begin a day! The ship was anchored in the bay off the town of Kona on the west side of Hawaii. Kona is known as the home of Kona coffee that all the islanders rave about and also King Kamehameha, a very important figure in Hawaiian history. Because our cruise ship was too big to dock at the harbor we were tendered in life boats over to shore.
As we gathered on the pier we looked around us at the dozens of people, trying to imagine how they would be trekking through the rain forest with us. For starters, some had inappropriate footwear and others looked like they'd be more comfortable staying close to the buffet! I'm sorry, that was mean of me! And I'm one to talk since I've been making plenty of trips to that bottomless buffet myself!
Thankfully a lot of them split off into another group leaving just 8 of us for this excursion. We boarded the tour bus and headed north towards the little town of Kohala. The road hugged the coastline the whole way so we enjoyed views of the beautiful blue Pacific as we went.
Once we arrived in Kohala we switched vehicles - the next part of the trip would be in a 6WD Pinzgauer, an Austrian military vehicle. Not much suspension but fabulous air conditioning, i.e. no windows! We set off on the paved roads winding through the town and wondered why we needed a 6WD. Well after we pulled off the road and into a private field we soon realized why we'd need the hand straps hanging from the roof! We bounced along the dirt tracks, being thrown this way and that, as we climbed the rugged terrain towards the trailhead. The sign at the entrance mentioned wild bulls and packs of wild dogs so our eyes were peeled!
We set off on foot to hike through the rain forest, crossing over streams and bridges and encountering waterfalls along the way. The water was quite brown because of the recent rains in the mountains that was now flowing downstream. The scenery was beautiful but I have to say we are so lucky because back home in the mountains of western NC we have the most wonderful streams and waterfalls that would rival these any day. As we walked there were guava trees everywhere with an abundance of fruit so we picked them straight off the trees and ate them. I don't think I've ever had one and I thought it was delicious!
After finishing our hike we sat at some picnic tables overlooking the ocean and enjoyed a picnic lunch. Not a bad little lunch spot! We could see the splashes of water in the distance made by the whales. Ok, that's something our mountains back home can't quite match!
Then it was back into the Pinzgauer, then the Mercedes bus (little better suspension!) then back to the town of Kona to reboard the ship. I would have loved to have had more time to explore this quaint little town, since it was bustling and more reminiscent of the Caribbean islands that we're more used to, but all we had time for was a Kona Passion cocktail before getting back on the tender boat. Once back in our cabin we were able to watch the tender boats being hoisted back onto the ship.
That was a long day of activity and now we'll enjoy dinner and a show tonight. It's a tribute to the Jersey Boys so I'm really excited! Sailing off to Kaua'i tonight to spend our final two days on that island.
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