Oof, that was a long post yesterday. Props to you if you made it through. The formatting turned out a little jumbled (at least on my end) so I'm going to keep it simple.
So a guidebook I highly recommend getting for any trip to Hawaii is the Revealed series. They have an edition for each island with really great tips, reviews and hidden gems. The author(s) actually live(s) on the islands. That said, get the current edition. I figured a couple of years wouldn't make that big of a difference. WRONG. Evidently a road that was previously drivable for all cars has a bit rougher conditions these days. In the guidebook, it talks about a black sand beach north of Kona. 4WD is required for the second road that will take you within steps of the beach, but it said that if you don't have 4WD, to take the main road to the parking area, then it's about a 10 minute walk. Do-able, we thought. Except the main drivable road is no longer--er--paved very well or at all. The entire area is lava rock. The road is also lava rock. This makes for a very bumpy ride. I would be shocked if there was tread left on the tires after that and I'm pretty sure the alignment would need some tinkering. There were no fewer than 15 other rental cars making the trek that we saw. Moral of the story? Think twice about buying a previous rental car, particularly if there are treacherous terrains nearby. The car we got had 6 miles on it. We returned it with around 600(?) at least, we went to forbidden areas of the island, beat the crap out of it, and the interior was--well, we have a toddler. She's not exactly tidy with her snacks and food.
We weren't quite sure where we were in relation to the black sand beach by the time we pulled into the "parking" area. There was another beach with high reviews closeby so we ended up heading there with the couple from the other car who took the road with us. The beach was a total getaway with very few people in the morning. The waves were pretty rough though.
Kaelyn in her sandy home. She looks thrilled, doesn't she? We took this right before we left so poor girl was exhausted.
We went at the right time though since the "crowds" started to come in just as we were leaving and the tide was starting to take over the beach. Because the hike to the beach (with a toddler and all our beach toys, towels, etc.) was a little tiring, we opted against hiking down the 4WD only road to the black sand beach. So instead, we headed back out across the lava rock and wouldn't you know it? Kaelyn fell asleep. Figures, right?
So then we headed down toward South Kona and Captain Cook. We stopped to pick up some grub for the drive since Kaelyn was napping. Here's where the guidebook (even a 2 year old one) came in handy. We went to a place called Killer Tacos, which was in an industrial area, but did, in fact, have killer tacos and was pretty cheap at that. I would have to say the burritos were equally killer. (Shrimp, mahi mahi, chicken, beef, or kahlua pig I believe were the meat options.) I think the burritos would have made excellent hand weights. Actually, just thinking about them makes me crave them something awful.
Hmm, no photos of that excursion, haha I just had to share. Best Mexican food I can remember and they're in Hawaii. Go figure.
We did a scenic drive while the Little slept and discovered how trusting people in Hawaii can be. We came upon a roadside stand selling plumeria leis. They were only $3, which is ridiculously cheap so we made a U-turn and pulled alongside, but nobody was there. There was just a cooler filled with these beautiful leis and a locked box (cemented into the ground) with a slot for money. Huh. So we bought two and headed down the way to the bay known for dolphins. This is when Kaelyn awoke. Cranky and hungry. So we didn't get to stick around to watch for dolphins, but we did head back up the road toward Kona and decided to let Kaelyn run around Harold H again.
We stopped at the International Market in Kona on our drive up the coast. After doing a little shopping, Brady ran into a coffee place while Kaelyn and I loaded up in the car (or tried to). Kaelyn wanted to drive so when I set her in her car seat and went to put the bag in the car before buckling her in, she immediately climbed to the front seat.
Once I got her buckled in, she decided to read the guidebook I've been mentioning. You know, so she could be navigator since I wouldn't let her be the driver. Err--the first problem I see is that the book is upside down. Maybe that's why we got lost?
After the market, we went to one of the beaches by the old airport that has a perfect tidepool for "keikis." By that time, it was sunset so it was a great photo op. I walked through the tidepool with Kaelyn since it had some very slippery areas and some lava rocks throughout while Brady took photos of the sunset, the crashing waves, and us :) My two favorites:
On our last beach day (besides the black sand beach on the other side of the island), about 5 hours went by without us realizing it. No wonder we were starving when we got back to the car! We did a lot of wave chasing, splashing around, and sandcastle structure building. This resulted in Kaelyn having her very own chair and ottoman to watch the waves. (We each constructed one, but Brady's ultimately was far more durable.) She doesn't look entirely thrilled in this photo, but she kept going back to her chair. (Oh and pardon the sand mustache, haha)
We also chased Kaelyn around quite a bit. Here she is running back from visiting other beach goers.
Ah and the coconut offering. Kaelyn found this coconut on the beach and she decided to offer it to the ocean. You know, as a gift :) Well the tide kept washing it back on shore (and we may have actively pulled the coconut out of the water, too) so every time she spotted it, she'd grab it, march down to the water and toss it in. She did this no fewer than 17 times.
Coming up in Part 4: The original King Kamehameha statue, Akaka Falls, Thurston Lava Tube, Punaluu Black Sand Beach, SEA TURTLES!, back to Volcano, the Zoo, and the trip home
So a guidebook I highly recommend getting for any trip to Hawaii is the Revealed series. They have an edition for each island with really great tips, reviews and hidden gems. The author(s) actually live(s) on the islands. That said, get the current edition. I figured a couple of years wouldn't make that big of a difference. WRONG. Evidently a road that was previously drivable for all cars has a bit rougher conditions these days. In the guidebook, it talks about a black sand beach north of Kona. 4WD is required for the second road that will take you within steps of the beach, but it said that if you don't have 4WD, to take the main road to the parking area, then it's about a 10 minute walk. Do-able, we thought. Except the main drivable road is no longer--er--paved very well or at all. The entire area is lava rock. The road is also lava rock. This makes for a very bumpy ride. I would be shocked if there was tread left on the tires after that and I'm pretty sure the alignment would need some tinkering. There were no fewer than 15 other rental cars making the trek that we saw. Moral of the story? Think twice about buying a previous rental car, particularly if there are treacherous terrains nearby. The car we got had 6 miles on it. We returned it with around 600(?) at least, we went to forbidden areas of the island, beat the crap out of it, and the interior was--well, we have a toddler. She's not exactly tidy with her snacks and food.
We weren't quite sure where we were in relation to the black sand beach by the time we pulled into the "parking" area. There was another beach with high reviews closeby so we ended up heading there with the couple from the other car who took the road with us. The beach was a total getaway with very few people in the morning. The waves were pretty rough though.
We went at the right time though since the "crowds" started to come in just as we were leaving and the tide was starting to take over the beach. Because the hike to the beach (with a toddler and all our beach toys, towels, etc.) was a little tiring, we opted against hiking down the 4WD only road to the black sand beach. So instead, we headed back out across the lava rock and wouldn't you know it? Kaelyn fell asleep. Figures, right?
So then we headed down toward South Kona and Captain Cook. We stopped to pick up some grub for the drive since Kaelyn was napping. Here's where the guidebook (even a 2 year old one) came in handy. We went to a place called Killer Tacos, which was in an industrial area, but did, in fact, have killer tacos and was pretty cheap at that. I would have to say the burritos were equally killer. (Shrimp, mahi mahi, chicken, beef, or kahlua pig I believe were the meat options.) I think the burritos would have made excellent hand weights. Actually, just thinking about them makes me crave them something awful.
Hmm, no photos of that excursion, haha I just had to share. Best Mexican food I can remember and they're in Hawaii. Go figure.
We did a scenic drive while the Little slept and discovered how trusting people in Hawaii can be. We came upon a roadside stand selling plumeria leis. They were only $3, which is ridiculously cheap so we made a U-turn and pulled alongside, but nobody was there. There was just a cooler filled with these beautiful leis and a locked box (cemented into the ground) with a slot for money. Huh. So we bought two and headed down the way to the bay known for dolphins. This is when Kaelyn awoke. Cranky and hungry. So we didn't get to stick around to watch for dolphins, but we did head back up the road toward Kona and decided to let Kaelyn run around Harold H again.
We stopped at the International Market in Kona on our drive up the coast. After doing a little shopping, Brady ran into a coffee place while Kaelyn and I loaded up in the car (or tried to). Kaelyn wanted to drive so when I set her in her car seat and went to put the bag in the car before buckling her in, she immediately climbed to the front seat.
On our last beach day (besides the black sand beach on the other side of the island), about 5 hours went by without us realizing it. No wonder we were starving when we got back to the car! We did a lot of wave chasing, splashing around, and sand
We also chased Kaelyn around quite a bit. Here she is running back from visiting other beach goers.
Ah and the coconut offering. Kaelyn found this coconut on the beach and she decided to offer it to the ocean. You know, as a gift :) Well the tide kept washing it back on shore (and we may have actively pulled the coconut out of the water, too) so every time she spotted it, she'd grab it, march down to the water and toss it in. She did this no fewer than 17 times.
Coming up in Part 4: The original King Kamehameha statue, Akaka Falls, Thurston Lava Tube, Punaluu Black Sand Beach, SEA TURTLES!, back to Volcano, the Zoo, and the trip home
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