Hawaii Day 7 last day for me :-(

We ate at Ken's one last time before leaving Hilo.  Driving back to Kona we had to pass Tex Drive-in again so of course we stopped for more malasadas!  Our main goal for the day was to find a nice beach and sit for a bit... we really didn't have any beach time yet so it was due.  We stopped at Hapuna Beach State Park and walked around for a bit.  Beautiful Beach but it was a little windy.

We stopped at the Hilton Waikoloa Village.  It really is its own village in a resort.  They have a boat that goes around and a tram.  We rode the tram as the boat only runs in the afternoon.  They have shops, bars, pools, and dolphins there.... but no sandy beach which is disappointing. By the ocean, but no beach.  

We finally got to Kona and went to get coffee, of course.  :-)   I've never been to a Luau and my flight wasn't leaving until 10pm so we booked a luau.  My mom got VIP so we got lei and preferred seating in the front.  We played games, learned to hula, got tattoos, ate great food, and saw a great show!  Then had to cut out a few minutes early to go to the airport. 

  

I LOVED Hawaii!!!  I didn't want to leave and I can't wait to go back!  The weather is fantastic!  I can't say enough how much I loved it.  :-) 

Hawaii Day 6 - Wednesday, January 17th

This morning we explored downtown Hilo and the farmers market. They have a nice historic downtown with neat little shops.  We also saw some sort of school celebration at the park.  We didn't know what they were saying because it was Hawaiian but it was cute. 

 On our way out of town, we stopped at Starbucks only so I could get Hawaii mugs...

We went to Parker Ranch where I failed to take any pictures :-|  Parker Ranch was founded in 1847 and is one of the oldest ranches in the United States.  Spread across 250,000 acres, it is the largest cattle ranch.  We did stumble upon a boot though... It was one of Cheyenne's boots and commemorates the 1908 victory of four Waimea paniolo (cowboys) who reigned as World Champion steer ropers in the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming. 

We ended the day on top of Mauna Kea... well almost the top.  Needed 4WD to actually get to the top.  We were above the clouds though.  It was cold!!  and very windy!  Nice to see but glad to get back to sea level.  :-) 

Hawaii Day 5 - Tuesday, January 16th

I love this picture.... its funny because a lot of Hawaii really does look like Jurassic Park island.  Anyways, today we started our day at Ken's pancake house.  Your typical pancake house... that the Rock has been to many times.

Our ultimate destination for the day is Waipio Valley... but we had a few stops along the way.  We stopped at a popular surfing spot but not too many out surfing.

We stopped at this scenic pull-off and walked down to the bottom.  Watched the waves a minute and a fisherman.  This was next to the botanical gardens... which we did not go to.

We stopped at Akaka Falls State Park.  Akaka Falls is a 442 feet tall waterfall.  Also the area looks like Jurassic Park... my mom and I took this picture to insert T-rex behind us... lol.  

Finally making it to our destination, Waipio Valley.  Waipio means "curved water".  Waipio Valley is one mile wide and six miles deep. It is surrounded by 2,000 ft cliffs.  A steep road leads down into the valley from the lookout point.  The road gains 800 vertical feet in 0.6 miles at 25% average grade, with some sections at 40%.  It is the steepest road of its length in the United States.  We hiked it....  only a mile down but felt like 30 miles coming back up.  Was beautiful though! 

Lastly we stopped at World Famous Tex Drive-in for their wonderful Malasadas... which are Portuguese Fried Donuts with filling... and oh so good :-)

Hawaii Day 4 - Monday, January 15th

Another busy day!
We ventured down to Kalapana and Kaimu Beach Park.  In 1990, lava flow destroyed and partly buried Kalapana and Kaimu Bay, both of which now lie buried beneath more than 50 feet of lava.  Kaimu Bay was known for its black sand beach surrounded by shady palm trees. After the volcanic destruction, local residents started a crusade to replant the beautiful coconut groves destroyed by the lava flow.

Kehena Black Sand Beach... also a nude beach...had to go down a little cliff to get to it.  Was beautiful though.

Ahalanui Beach Park. This is a spring-fed, walled-in pool that is volcanically heated to a comfortable 90 degrees.

Kapoho Tide Pools.  Best snorkeling on the Hilo side.  This unusually large collection of tidepools and spring fed pools stretches almost a mile down the coast and extends up to 200 yards out into the ocean. 

We went to the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo.  Its a super small zoo with a few animals.  But it was free and a great day for a walk.  We ended up taking a bunch of pictures with all the benches they have everywhere... I only shared a few but I have a ton of them.