Snorkeling and Sunsets

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. 

Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. 

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths. 

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 

Psalm 148: 2-5, 7, 13

The beauty of God’s creation never dulls. Never bores. Never disappoints. You can see that in the way that people flock to the coast to watch a sunrise or sunset. People save and spend big bucks to have an ocean view. And request outside seating when there is water or a mountainside to be seen. Our souls crave the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. And when we experience it, something deep within is satisfied. 

We ventured out to go snorkeling on the Big Island. We rented snorkels at Snorkel Bob’s (but didn’t meet Bob). We first went to Hapuna Beach State Park and drove down a dirt road to Waialea Bay where the trees overhung the beach, providing a beautiful, shady spot to put our belongings. The water was clear and blue and the rocks protruded up. We “geared” up, which is quite a scene for the 5 of us, ha! We were amazed to see and swim alongside a sea turtle, who was just gliding by in her calm, beautiful manner. Someone pointed out an octopus to us and we saw it camouflage into the reef and then turn it’s reddish color, too, when startled. We saw a few eels...two with stripes and one with spots. The fish were abundant... in number and color. Schools of yellow tang were plentiful. The parrotfish, wrasse, butterfly fish, moorish idols, sea urchins, and coral were mesmerizing. I agree with Sebastian in the Little Mermaid... that “under the sea, under the sea, darling it’s better, down where it’s wetter, take it from me!”

We also enjoyed snorkeling at the Mauna Lani Beach Club, a beach cove that also provided beautiful sunset views. The kids had fun playing on the beach together. Might I add that though they have had their share of arguments, hitting battles and mean words, these siblings have bonded more already, finding ways to enjoy each other and have fun. From playing in the water, the beach, and yes, on the iPad, nothing makes Mom & Dad happier than seeing them happy and showing kindness. 

To that end, we had the most delicious dinner at Merriman’s in Waimea (thanks to our expert friend, Paige). We dressed up (still pretty casual here) and drove up the mountain to this classic restaurant. The air became drastically cooler as we ascended in our topless Jeep. The kids ordered Shirley Temples and dinners from the Keiki menu while Cabell and I enjoyed wine and fresh fish prepared vegan. It was simply incredible! Kanpachi and Mahi Mahi. These were delectable after eating our share of PBJ’s and Amy’s organic bean burritos during the week. :) (Yes, this is how we do it.) After just a short while, Luke fell asleep in my lap. Sweet boy. It allowed for some great conversations with our big 2... as Luke typically takes over when he’s around. Ha! It was a special night with Lawson and Lilly. Luke slept the whole way home as well, except to cry out, “I’m cold”, to which his big brother took the shirt off his back to lay over him in the backseat of the Jeep. It’s these sweet, special moments that matter most. 

The Big Island was a fantastic adventure and we are so grateful! On to Maui next...as the paradise pace sets in.

A big day on the Big Island

We woke up early (that means 7:00 am!), ate a quick breakfast in the condo coupled with a cup of 100% Kona coffee, packed PBJ’s and got in the Jeep. We pulled out of Mauna Lani and headed north. Looking left, the black, lava rock desert had a backdrop of clear, turquoise water and an expanse of the deep blue Pacific Ocean. Looking right, the massive Mauna Kea mountain stood atop the clouds. The land was vast, unoccupied and mesmerizing. The sun beamed down through the windy ride and warmed our skin. Yet, it’s never a dull moment with this crew.

Our first stop was to check out Hapuna State Beach Park—a long, sandy beach that was stunning. We will definitely come back to enjoy this! Then we continued up the Kohala Coast and stopped at Lapakahi State Historical Park, which was a 14th century fishing village on the coast. We got a glimpse into how the ancients may have lived.

We continued on on up the coast, despite hearing Luke ask “how much longer??” HA! We had only just begun. We drove up to the town of Hawi, then took Route 250 through the North Kohala country as we aimed for Waimea. What a stunning view this gave us! We climbed up in altitude and reached 3500 ft. It was beautiful, cool, green and full of horses and cows along the roadside. 

Our next stop was the Waipio Valley Lookout....but as we were turning to head down that road, I noticed (as the passenger) that the tire light was on. Considering the fact that this was our second Jeep from Alamo (the first one also had a tire issue), Cabell was concerned and thankfully, pulled over to look at the tires. Welp. Problem. 

I mean, seriously?! It’s all part of the adventure, right? We quickly found a gas station to put air in the tire and then thanks to Google Maps, Yoneda’s Auto Body & Repair was just down the road! They were so friendly and helpful. Their shop was off the road behind their 2 story house. They fixed us up and were back on our way! Alamo will definitely be hearing about this....

The Waipio Valley Lookout was insanely gorgeous. We ate our PBJ’s and Maui chips at the picnic table overlooking this view and enjoyed a nice break. 

We took the Hawaii Belt Rd and headed towards Hilo where our next stops were going to involve waterfalls! Have I mentioned that Luke has continued to ask “how much longer?” And “can I play on the iPad?” Onward. We found the Akaka Falls State Park, parked the car, and walked through a trail in the rainforest, lined with bamboo stalks, incredible flowers and the largest leaves I’ve ever seen. As we walked along the path, the sound of water rushing kept getting louder and louder. You couldn’t see anything yet, but knew that the sight about to be seen would be breathtaking. And it was. A 442-foot waterfall plunged down a green cliff. Wow. 

We ventured on, passing by a fruit stand on the side of the road and thinking we could get a great deal on local fruit. She was asking $7 for a pineapple and $5 for 2 mangoes. The local Foodland charged less than that! But we still gave her business and enjoyed some fresh fruits. We drove through the town of Hilo and headed up to Rainbow Falls. It was crowded here, but an amazing sight to see 3 falls running off the cliff together. What is it about a waterfall that is so beautiful?! The mightiness of the water, yet the gentleness and serenity is such a perfect combination. 

We ventured up the road to see the Boiling Pots, a series of cascading pools, filling a riverbed created from lava. When the river rises from storm water, the water in the “lava pots” becomes turbulent and appears to be “boiling”. 

Finally, we were on the road to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The kids were so excited to see a volcano...even though there is no active lava anymore. (After 30 years!) As we got closer and closer, it began to cool off and the rain began. We arrived at the gate and were sopping wet! We managed to put the top on the Jeep (Mommy didn’t like being rained on) and headed into the park. Oh, and we got in for free because we had a 4th grader in the car! 

Despite being rained on at the Kīlauea Caldera, what an incredible sight to see! It felt like we were on the moon. The crater was huge, surrounded by black lava rock. Steam seeped through cracks in the rocks. There was steam everywhere. And it was warm, which felt good, given we were sopping wet with cold rain. Given the weather, we didn’t explore the park much, but felt like we saw what we came to see and it was quite memorable! But sweet Luke was not too impressed...he was expecting to see a tall mountain with the top blown off (we had him draw a picture of what he was envisioning). He just couldn’t understand that we were basically looking down into the crater from above. Said through tears, “I just want a lava rock!” You got it, kiddo. You’ve been a trooper. 

It took us 1 hour and 53 minutes to get back to our condo from the volcano. We drove across the island on Saddle Rd and it provided some incredible scenery! Particularly a close up view of the massive Mauna Kea. We got back to Mauna Lani at 7:00pm, so had a full 12 hour day exploring! The sun was getting ready to set, so we headed to the Beach Club to take in the finality of this big day. What a beautiful, fascinating, vast island this is and we are thankful that we have had the opportunity to explore it!