More Hawaiian Exploring

We were in Idaho during the middle of May and then returned to Hawaii the latter part of the month and the first part of June. Things finally were ready to start on the job by the time we went home for Parma convention. The dirt mover arrived to start his preliminary work the day we headed back to Idaho. What a relief to finally have the job start. We have a job blog also if you are interested.  vancedairyconstruction.blogspot.com 

The Kohala hills were amazingly green this spring.

On the mountain road from Waimea to Hawi.

Gorgeous red blooming tree, in Hawi.

At the end of the road, past Hawi and Kapa'au, is a trail leading to Pololu Beach.

We hiked down to check it out.

The best view was part way down the trail.

Interesting trail...would be bad if it was very wet.

This was actually on June 2, our 33rd anniversary.

Another glimpse of the beach.

Beach on one side...... river valley on the other.

This "rock stacking" is a Hawaiian tradition.

This was in commemoration of our anniversary!! 

This is from taken from the closest (from our condo) "beach access" looking toward "A" Bay.

Lovely Hibiscus...by our condo.

"A" Bay

My faithful Hubby....waiting for yet another sunset!

Occasionally, when driving on the highway to Kona....just past the airport, we see waves crashing and ocean spray flying way up in the air...so we investigated.  There is a rock shelf along here that, when the tide is just right and the surf is high, creates fantastic waves.

You can see the rock shelf in this one.

The power of the ocean is awing.

We headed to Puako to see the sunset there.

You often see these "offerings".

Tex's...one of our favorite places to stop for a snack.....Malasadas are fantabulous!!
You can get them either plain or filled....with a huge variety of fillings.  It is located
in Honokaa...on the way to the job from Waimea.

Making Malasadas.

Akaka falls.....not raining this time.

Bamboo on the way to Akaka Falls.

This is a banana blossom.....notice the wee little bananas just forming.

Kapoho Tide Pools.....great snorkeling on the Hilo side.

Exploring in April

After Mark and Kyla headed home we had a couple more weeks over here.  We did a bit more exploring in between multiple trips to Hilo in an attempt to get the building permits all completed.  Cub spent hours in route and in the Building Department trying to make everyone happy. Dairies are not often built over here, so everything is a process and SLOW!!!! We were also introduced to the idiosyncrasies of the DMV over here.  We shipped several vehicles over and had to get them licensed and safety inspected. You can't register and license them without a safety inspection but you can't get a completed safety inspection without a registration. It was a bit of a rat race and lots of  waiting in lines. We were also trying to nail down some rental houses for the guys to live in.  So, it wasn't all fun and games.....we were working and managed to fit in some sightseeing, too.

There are a couple places on the highway close to Waikoloa where we always see cars parked, so we had to see where they were going.  The positive about hiking into beaches is that you sometimes have it all to yourself.

It can be rather interesting keeping on the "trail".

We thought this looked promising for snorkeling.  There were a lot of turtles but the water was murky.

Sunset at Mau'umae Beach, love the cloud reflection on the sand.

My patient husband....while I wait for yet another sunset!!!

Kikaua Beach

Watching fishermen at Kikaua Beach

One of our favorite places over by the job site is Laupahoehoe. The water and waves are amazing and the black lava contrasts beautifully.  There was a Tsumani here in 1946, lives were lost and the town was relocated on higher ground.

On one of our Hilo drives we took a little 4 mile scenic route and explored a bit off the beaten track.

The vegetation is amazing.

Cub decided that someone should take a picture of me for a change!

Anytime is naptime....and anywhere!!

On the Hilo side of the island there are streams and waterfalls everywhere.

Back on the Waikoloa side again for sunsets and turtles.'

We were on our way home from Kona and the sunset looked awesome so we zipped down to Kua Bay.

Kua Bay has beautiful white sand.

Another park and hike...very close to our condo....black sand beach.

We saw a path through the lava bed and Cub was trying to figure out where it went.

We decided to take a little hike and find out....you can see the green vegetation in the distance.

It was a fresh water "queen's bath".

The water was crystal clear, cool and refreshing.

Coral comes in all shapes and sizes!

Looking back towards where we hiked in...just beyond the palm tree.