J and K Adventures: Kailua-Kona: Excursions going South

During our stay in Kona, we pretty much alternated between going to beaches to swim and boogie board North of Kona and going to beaches/reefs to snorkel in the South. We also tried to drive to the Volcano National Park one day but weather stopped us and drove us back to the sunny side of the island (or at least the non-rainy side). The terrain south of Kona is completely different from the north (which is flat and volcanic). As soon as you head south, you are driving on the side of a steep volcano, Moana Kea. The road goes from sea level to 1200 ft in a matter of miles and the view up and down the verdant coastline is spectacular. This is the area where Kona coffee is grown and the air is thick with sweet smells. You can't really drive more than 35 mph, and the road is winding and narrow so we decided to just roll down the windows and enjoy the ride. Here are some pictures of our adventures to the south of Kona.

Our favorite snorkeling spot, and one of the best on the island is Kahalu'u Beach park. It was located just five miles south of our condo and was usually mobbed, but it was worth it. There was a pretty easy entry to the water and thousands of fish of every variety, as well as thousands of tourists of every ethnicity. Both were a joy and pleasure to watch! We went there three times.

All the kinds of fish you could see there

Looking north. The south side of the inlet was used for snorkeling, the north side for surfing.

The mob scene at the easiest reef entry.

Lifeguard station

Great shave ice

Jeff emerges

Kathy submerges

From the underwater camera--our favorite yellow Tang

Little snorkelers

Convict tang

The Bubble truck. Played music and had giant bubbles to play with.

One day we drove south just to explore. We found our way to Pu'uhonau o Honaunau State Park. This is a historical site that contains remnants of the ancient Hawaiian culture including a structure called "the great wall" which was constructed in the late 1700's. Part of the park was the "Place of Refuge" where those unlucky folks who violate "kapu" (taboos) could find refuge from execution. Most didn't make it. It was a stunning place.

recreation of an ancient dwelling

Place of refuge

The great wall

Recreation of ancient carvings and dwelling at the Place of refuge

At a boat launch just north of the state park.

When we were at the park, we noticed a lot of people snorkeling off a formation of lava rocks on the other side of the bay. We assumed it would be really hard to get into the water there. But after doing some more research in the "revealed" book, we found the site was named "two step" because it has an entry like a staircase to enter the water. We decided to try it out several days later, and it was the most wonderful snorkeling ever.

Looking across the bay from two-step to the Place of refuge

People waiting at the steps

Looking north over the lava

Tang and anenome

I love these black fish

This is a small school of Tangs. They looked like bright suns in the sea

Narrow one way road to get out.

One day, at my urging, we decided to drive south to the volcano, Kiluea. It was down the same winding road we had been taking, but 93 miles total. We packed for overnight in case we decided to go on to Hilo, on the East (and wet) side of Kona. The further we drove, the darker windier and more rainy it got. We finally got to the furthest south restaurant in the USA, had a delicious lunch and asked the waitress what she thought about continuing our journey. She said we wouldn't be able to see anything in the rain and there were flash flood warnings......we decided to turn around. Maybe we'll see the volcano on our next visit.