1 Week on the Big Island, Hawaii (Kona)
If you like adventure, this the big island is for you. My boyfriend and I had 7 days on the island and we were doing something different each day from hiking, to snorkelling to sea kayaking. What I loved about the big island is the array of landscape it has. For example: In 1 day we drove from barren land with black volcanic rock lining the highway, to a lush green valley where it was raining, to the top of mountain where there was blue skies and endless rolling fields filled with cows and horses. If you're visiting the Big Island you will definitely need a car rental if you want to be exploring. I'd also give yourself at least a week if you want to fit in adventures and have time to relax. The one thing we didn't get to was seeing the volcano which I hear is amazing.
If anybody is looking for a place to stay in Hawaii I'd love to recommend my Aunts 2 bedroom condo located in Honalo. She also rents out her convertible mustang. Email sadaponte@shaw.ca for details :)
Sunday Kona Green Market
Hapuna Beach - Best white sands beach on the island
Dinner in Downtown Kona
Snorkeling in Kahaluu Bay - Loved this spot!!
South Point - We came to south point to go cliff jumping but the ladder wasn't there. In retrospect I would have chickened out anyway so not a big deal. Definitely worth the visit to the see these Santorini like cliffs and you can say you're in the southeast point of the USA, wippie-do-da!
Green Sands Beach/ Papakolea - This beach was 110% worth the wicked capris pant sunburn I got during this dessert like 9km roundtrip hike. There's people from the parking lot that you can pay to drive you in their 4x4 vehicles too if you're not the hiking type. The hike is pretty flat though so if you can stand the heat, do the hike.
Sunset from our place
Pololu Valley - The rain felt so so good on my sunburn from the day before but man, I can only imagine how beautiful this place would have been with blue skies!
Drive from Pololu Valley to Waipio Valley where my camera died so I actually didn't get any photos :(
Sunset in Kahaluu Bay - Our go spot
Sea Kayaking in Kealakekua Bay- It turns out Bobo and I actually don't like sea kayaking. We rented the sea kayaks from this sketchy dude who just had two in a random spot away from all the other tours. The legit rental companies werent allowing people to take the kayak's out because the waves were too big. Sketchy dude told us that he had a spot that was "calm". We said "fuck it" and did it anyway. When we got to the other side of the bay where the Captain Cook Statues is we were told off by 4 people that we couldn't dock our kayak unless we were with a tour. Something sketchy dude didn't tell us about. So we had to snorkel and swim with our kayak where I got yelled out for putting my foot down on the ground for 2 seconds to let water out of my snorkel so I could breathe - can't damage the coral!! So the lesson learned here folks, is that you should probably rent with a legit company if you'd like to have an enjoyable experience here. Oh and getting out of the water in the kayak while waves were crashing into rocks was probably the most terrifying thing I did on this trip. MADE IT OUT ALIVE THOUGH!
Cliff Jumping at The End Of The World - hard to see with the go pro screen gran but thats Bobo jumping off. I LITERALLY stood on the edge for THREE HOURS and chickened out. I just couldn't do it. After some locals came by and told me how people die here all the time (they get swept into the cave and drown) and in the summer the water is so clear you can see the "harmless" sharks swim by I was like NOPE. Somebody did die there 2 weeks previous but its usually when waves are really bad, the day we were there they were mellow.
Have you been to the Big Island? If so what was your favourite spot?
Special thanks to my Aunt Sandra for letting us stay in her condo!! :)