It is a small road weaving through the trees and opening up every so often to see water roaring down the hills on it's way to the ocean. The road is only a little over 4 miles in length and soon we are back on the main highway.Our destination is the Akaka Falls State Park. There is a brief break in the rain as we enter the park and switch to our water shoes for the 1/2 mile loop walk to the falls.
The vegetation is fascinating to us and we see such a variety of colors and shapes in the fruit and seeds of the plants along the path.
We can hear the falls as we are walking and the mist in the air can be felt on our faces.
There is a break in the vegetation and wow --- the view is beautiful. The amount of rainfall for the past few weeks has caused the river to swell and the falls are spilling over onto the rocks at the side at the entry point making them twice as wide as normal. They are 442 feet high and simply breathtaking.
The loop takes us to an intricate group of banyan trees and once again I am simply astonished at their size. Yep -- that's a fashion statement for sure. The pockets are bulging with gloves. Yes, I need to lose weight, but not quite as much as this makes it appear.
A short distance later, we come to the lookout for Kahuna Falls. This waterfall is also around 400 feet high, but because of our distance away does not seem as impressive. The brown water flow also gives some indication as to how much rain has occurred and that everything is high, high, high.
Finishing out the loop, we see this stand of yellow bamboo and are struck with how pretty it is. We have bamboo in Dallas as well and if this type will grow there, I want to plant some. Lovely.
Drying off, we hop back into the car and retrace our route back into Honomu. Mister spots a fresh fruit stand along the way that might help stifle the grumbling noises emanating from our tummies. We try Longan fruit, commonly referred to as "dragon eyes" and Rambutan. We also sample several bananas and purchase some of the latter to keep in the car with us.Oh -- and we buy some delightfully wonderful sugar cane/ginger juice. What a yummy drink.
I had read about a temple in Honomu and want to check it out so we stop by only to discover that it is closed. So sad. We peek into the windows anyway. It is the Honomu Henjoji Mission and I wish we could learn a little more about it.
After a brief visit about the items grown on the farm, we finish our drinks, say our good-byes, and continue on along the Hamakua Coast. The views of the ocean below these cliffs are beautiful but we don't have many chances to pull to the side of the road. The only shot we are able to get is at the Laupahoehoe Point overlook and it is pretty bad, but shows some of the depth we were seeing. Notice the colors in the water -- the different blues AND the muddy brown flowing from the tremendous amount of runoff in the mountains.
Honoka'a is the next small town we encounter. I think I remember something about a company called Bad Ass Macadamia Nuts here and that they do tours. We do a quick Google search and locate an address that looks promising. It doesn't even take us off the path we are on and we decide to give it a shot. We do manage to locate the trees, but are unable to find the plant. Oh dang. I guess we will have to settle for the one in Hilo when we return there.
At the end of the road we come to the Waipi'o Valley Overlook. The only way down is with a 4-wheel drive, which we do not have. We walked down as far as we could, visited with other tourists, and enjoyed the view as long as we could between rain showers.
Waipi'o is also called the Valley of the Kings. It is an enormous amphitheater valley that measures a mile wide at the six and goes about 6 miles inland. There are only a few inhabitants who grow taro, lotus, avocado and assorted citrus.
Crossing the island now to reach the west side, we come to the terrific community of Waimea. Mister and I both agree that we love it here. It is still lush and green, but we are slightly out of the rainforest and so it has a more temperate climate. We have been going a long time today and it is definitely time for lunch and as luck would have it, one of the islands few breweries happens to be located here. It is time for a stop at the Big Island Brewhaus. This is a great little brewery and I go straight in while Mister checks out the brewing facility in the back and meets Daniel, the brewer. After a short visit, he joins me inside where I have been talking with Tasha. We order a sampler and some great mexican food. For all beer lovers: this is indeed a little gem hidden up here in the north.
As we leave Waimea, instantly the landscape changes. It is now an arid, treeless, lava area with minimal vegetation. We are reminded of the landscape in many places of Iceland as there is lava on both sides of the highway and down to the ocean. Upon reaching the west side, Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site is our first destination. This temple was built in 1790 by Kamehameha I and has an interesting story to tell. There are 3 temples on site, but only this one remains intact.
About 8 miles down the road is Holoholokai Beach Park and the entrance to The Puako Petroglyphs, our reason for stopping here. We find the path and discover that it is .07 miles in and back. Well, walking shoes on and let's go. At the entrance to the path, we see a few examples carved into rock. They are well preserved and I am excited to see the main display. Mister takes the lead and is soon swallowed by the brambles. I am laughing as I feel a bit like Br'er Rabbit. You have to be very careful as I discovered with several scratches on my arms.
The brambles open up and we come to an open viewing area. There are over 3,000 petroglyphs carved into red lava plates between AD 1000 and 1800. They start at one end and work their way to the left telling story after story. What a great history to have and these are remarkably well preserved for being out in the elements without any protection.
After a quick stop at 'Anaeho'omalu Bay to discover that the tide was in, leaving the tidepools inaccessible, we continued on to Captain Cook, our hotel at Halemalu, and a most gracious host, Eric. Please check out the link if you have any plans for visiting the Big Island. You will be pleasantly surprised at both the facility and the price.
It has been a long day and we are finished. Time to climb into bed and enjoy some much needed zzzzzz's.
Good morning! Are we in Anquilla again? The sound of roosters crowing wakes us on this beautiful day. I guess it is time to rise and explore again. At the bottom of the hill we come across our alarm clock and are laughing at the sight. There are at least 8 roosters having a meeting in the middle of the street and I am pretty sure that there is some disagreement among them at the sound. Mister says that it is a meeting of the crosswalk guards. Way too funny. By the time we get out of the way of other cars, they have scattered and only a few remain in each direction.Where do they all belong?
First stop is Kekaha Kai State Park and apparently Lady has not done her homework well as it is 8:00 and they do not open until 9. A State Park? Wow. Okay, moving right along. Next up is Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Park and this sign greets us when we arrive. Not sure this is going to be our day. At least now our wait is only about 10 minutes and we spend it bird watching. We are treated to several beautiful birds - two of which were very busily collecting for their nest.
After parking, we walk down to the beach and are rewarded with a great place to get out in the water. Once we get our water shoes on, let the fun begin. I spot a turtle and my day is made. Woohoo. I am able to watch it for quite awhile as it feeds on the algae on the rocks. The tidepools are full of life as well and the anemones are abundant. I think I have lost all track of what this park is about -- for me it is about turtles. Yay. Check the link if you want to know more about this history here -- I blew it.
I hate to leave, but we have reserved a spot on a tour that I am very excited about. It is at Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm and we do not want to be late. Armed with our GPS, we make short work of the trip and are checked in and washed up quickly. 
Jake, our tour guide, makes us feel welcome and starts right in catching brine shrimp to feed the seahorses. This is a great tour and I cannot believe how much I am learning. 
The finale is to actually hold these magical creatures and what a treat this is. Mister and I each have a turn and keep them attached as long as we are allowed.
That was so much fun and I hate to leave, but apparently they have a business to run and another tour group was arriving. Onward. Searching for a coffee tour to take while preparing for this trip was quite a feat. There are over 600 coffee growers on this island and Kona coffee is well known around the globe as a superior type. We chose Mountain Thunder and are driving up, up, up the mountain to the Kaloko Cloud Forest plantation at over 3,200 feet. We are instantly greeted by Judy Guthrie and offered samples and a place to sit and wait for the tour to begin. It is a lovely lanai (patio) and has television screens showing different shows that Mountain Thunder has been highlighted on. One that we remember watching is a Dirty Jobs episode. After a short wait, it is time to start the tour. 
Little white blossoms are the beginning of the process.The fruit are called cherries and are red when ready to be picked.
Once picked, the coffee is milled to separate the flesh from the hard, parchment covered bean and then left to dry. A second milling removes the two outer layers from the hard beans and a sorting which allows for the best beans to be separated and graded. Finally it is off to the roaster and then bagged. We were fortunate to have the roasters going while there and for someone who doesn't really like the smell of coffee all that much -- it was divine.
It is definitely time for some food and a walkabout. Back down to sea level -- yep ears popping all the way down -- and into Kailua Kona for a snack and to explore a little. Mister has a place in mind that he wants to try and so we search it out. Kanaka Kava is a cute little shop dealing with organic and fresh foods. Mister orders two of the kava juice from Jenna and it is served in hollowed out coconuts. It looks like dirty water and much to my dismay, tastes like it too. I am not a lover, but Mister drinks all of his and finishes mine as well. He also orders a taro leave/squid/octopus mixture that looks like green mush and breadfruit with a coconut milk/cream over it. All in all -- not mu cup of tea, but he enjoyed it. I guess I am just not as adventurous. So be it.
A walk along the shoreline takes us to the Moku'aikaua Church, Hawai'i's first church. The present building dates from 1837 and once we are inside, we are given fantastic information by a volunteer that I wish I had gotten a name from. He is so good -- all historic churches should have something like this. This church is still in use today and had a very active membership.The exterior is made from lava rocks brought from the temple site and crushed coral is used in the grout. The gate out front was added in around 1900.
Across the street is Hulihe'e Palace, built at the same time in the same rough-stone construction. As I enter the grounds, I really have to chuckle at the sign in the front yard. Obviously it has merit, but still tickled my funny bone.
The museum (palace) is not open so we wander around back and come across a small dance group being given instruction. The coach is very particular and they repeat the same moves several times before moving on. While at Kanaka Kava, we were told about a beach nearby that supposedly has turtles right in the water swimming with people all the time. I cannot turn that down, so on our way back to the hotel, we stop and check it out. We have snorkels and masks with us, so with a quick change in the car, we are in the water in no time. It is absolutely incredible. We don't see any turtles, but I am not the least bit disappointed as the fish are so colorful and plentiful. We do not have the waterproof camera with us, but vow to return again before we leave. We spend over an hour and are so fascinated with the fish and coral in the reefs that we have not gone but maybe 100 feet off shore. This is way cool.
At last, we are exhausted as the waves make you work in order to avoid being thrown into the reef. It is time to carry our weary bodies to the car and back to the hotel. After a nice hot shower, we decide on a local place, Manago Hotel & Restaurant, for dinner. This is indeed a step back in time.Everything is served family style, with the only items being ordered are your entree and something to drink.
I have the Butterfish and it is so very good. Mister has the Ono and is enjoying it as well. The sides are rice, cold lima beans (and however they are made -- keep doing it - they are excellent and I dislike lima beans), pumpkin, and potato salad.
The staff is excellent and since they locked the doors 1/2 hour after we sat down, we were able to talk with them for awhile as they prepared for the next day. Oh -- it was 7:30 when they closed. Yep -- gotta be on your toes around here if you want to eat locally. Love it.
Once again. Bedtime. Remember, we are old people. Night.
Looks and sounds fantastic!
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