10 Days in Hawaii - Day Two: First full day in Kona

May 2

10 Days In Hawaii - Day Two

Sweet conversations of 20 birds outside our window woke us up, fully refreshed, at 7am. I have always wanted to get up early but could never do it! Whether it was still being set to our normal time zones or if it was Hawaii’s magic... who knew?! I didn't really care. I was just excited to be up this early so I signed up for a yoga class at (1)The Yoga Nest from 8:30-9:30am while Jake took a walk around downtown Kona. After class I learned that he had a fun date with himself, drinking smoothies and walking along the ocean all while I struggled.

The yoga class was for all levels with challenging aspects among an atmosphere that was meditative and light-hearted. Our instructor Chad kept the class lively and while our muscles were aching and shaking, smiles remained on our faces from the jokes he had to offer. Chad, who remembered me by name from signing up, was a wonderful instructor and the other students were welcoming. Masks weren't mandatory when working on our mats so it was nice to witness everyone's smiles as we all said good morning. I truly felt part of the Yoga Nest ohana. 

After class, I met up with Jake and we drove up to Kiloho Bay, enjoying a scenic view along the way of lava rocks, lush wilderness, and playful clouds in the sky teasing us with rain and sun. We pulled up to Kiholo Bay on a narrow road as cars pulled over to let us through. The road we were going to take straight to the beach was blocked off, so we parked our car, and took a walk along the black sands. Kiholo Bay was peaceful and the water at first was chilly, but that quickly changed once we got used to it. The sand massaged our feet as we walked along the shore. Unfortunately, no turtles or whales, but we did see some really cute wild billy goats! Apparently, the whole island is full of wild goats roaming the lands and I should've picked one up for my sister! She's always wanted one. :P

Following Kiholo Bay, Jake and I made our way to some small villages. We had three on the itinerary but decided not to stop in Puako to save some time. We still visited Kawaihae and Waimea. We stopped in the port of Kawaihae for some (2)burgers and tacos and to walk around the Pu’ukolo Heiau National Historic Site. This site preserved the last major Ancient Hawaiian temple as well as other historic sites. It was fascinating envisioning what had once occupied this space of the Hawaiin islands. There was a spot that served as a "throne" for a leader who sat there as he watched sharks devour the offerings they made to them. Part of the throne still stood. I recommend this site(3) to those who enjoy history and taking in what came before us.

Next up was Waimea and because Jake loves beer (and wasn't able to go to Kona Brewing) we couldn’t leave a reputable brewery(4) untouched by Jake’s palette! He ordered the Coconut Cream Ale, and wouldn’t shut up about how good it was. I let him have his fun, but deep down I wanted to try it too. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to beer. And tropical fruit. And tree nuts. [why god, why?!] Tacos also graced our table and in my opinion, they were mediocre. We also found the waitress to be anything but personable until we had a chance to bring her to a complete stop at our table for more than 25 seconds. She ended up being super sweet and helpful. Reminder: first impressions are rarely correct! 

One 56 minute drive later, we ended up in Akaka Falls National Park(5). We pulled up to a dead-end street where we read we shouldn't park inside the parking lot, so we pulled over to the side of the road and walked the rest of the way. However, whether or not you park in the lot, people are still charging $5/person to enter. As we fiddled with our phones to pay, one of the ladies was kind and let us in for free! We decided that we would donate $10 to their cause anyways later. Once we got in, the entire path was paved and had steps to easily climb. The whole forest was mind-blowingly beautiful. It was incredibly lush and smelled so good because for once, my allergies decided to not act up. On our way out after taking a dozen pictures, Jake and I heard tree frogs! We thought that it may have been birds at first, but peaking through the leaves, Jake spotted one to show me.

On our way home, it started to pour rain but we couldn't help from stopping at (6)Mana’s fruit stand. This is a must-see if you're ever on the Big Island. Many visitors and locals stop by here, but because of the rain, not many people had stopped by. The stand itself is so quaint but loaded with whatever tropical fruit goodies you could want! The man who helped us (will update once I find his name!) kept thanking us for supporting locally and took great care of us showing us all these tricks for an even better fruit-eating experience. He cut open a coconut and I may have taken a sip of it, risking congestion for the rest of the day. Thankfully, nothing terrible happened. He shared with us a trick of mixing the meat of the coconut with pineapple slices and Jake couldn't pass it up. Later in the car, he ate most of the bag making me feel better with words of distaste, "This is terrible!" with a smirk on his face. The stand is owned by two brothers who live on a 25-acre land. There were about 15 chickens running around and one was named Godzilla. Plus, there was a beautiful peacock named Mana. Because of the rain, all the birds sought protection underneath the tent and were very people-friendly. Highly recommend!

Our plan to end the evening was to travel to Hilo for dinner, but we were both pretty tired. We’ve been nonstop since 7am and it was close to 5pm with Kona being almost 2 hrs away. We decided to head home to the Airbnb and prepare for another full day tomorrow. Our first day in Kona was a success!

(1)Yoga Nest: https://www.theyoganesthi.com/

(2)Burgers in Kawakae: Kohala Burger and Taco

(3)Temple Site: https://www.nps.gov/puhe/index.htm

(4)Big Island Brewhaus: https://bigislandbrewhaus.com/

(5)Akaka Nation Falls: https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/hawaii-big-island/regions/hilo/akaka-falls-state-park

(6)Fruit Stand: https://www.restaurantji.com/hi/pepeekeo/manas-aloha-fruit-stand-/