The Big Island
While it felt like the rest of the world stayed home and quarantined, I like many other healthcare workers, worked TIRELESSLY for the last year and a half. It’s almost like I spent 2020 just trying to survive working through the Pandemic, week by week. mid 2021, burnout finally caught up to me. I was physically & mentally exhausted. I even experienced my first panic attack. I needed to get away, slow down, take a break & learn to relax.
kailua-kona, hi
We started our adventure on the leeward side of Hawaii, at a beautiful oceanfront AirBNB, just a 15 minute walk from downtown Kailua-Kona. It was fully equipped with a kitchen & an ocean facing balcony that we would use for the next few mornings, to enjoy our breakfast. Not to mention, on the property, there were beautiful plants everywhere you looked.
⫸ sushi shiono ⫷
5-5799 Ali‘i Dr, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
For our first dinner, we headed to downtown Kailua-Kona in the mood for some sushi. As advised by our airport shuttle driver, we made reservations at Sushi Shiono. Everything was delicious! I only wish I had a bigger appetite to try more rolls from them.
⫸ island lava java ⫷
75-5801 Ali'i Drive Building, 1, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
For our second day in Kona, we spent our morning walking into town, enjoying the sounds of the ocean and the beautiful plants along the way. We made reservations at one of the ocean facing restaurants for lunch, Island Lava Java. They had juicy fried calamari & a interesting Hawaiian style pizza topped with sweet chili sauce. The portions were perfect for sharing!
On the way home we picked up some snorkel gear & headed to Two Step, just outside of Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park.
Polulu valley lookout
2-5100 Akoni Pule Hwy, Kapaau, HI 96755
On the day of our 3 year anniversary, we drove up the coast towards Polulu Valley Lookout, just 1.5 hours north of Kona. While the drive started out in blue skies, we arrived to strong coastal winds & random spouts of rain. In true Seattleite form, we slapped on our rain jackets and duck backs & forged ahead! We were probably the only people out there not in flip flops & shorts, but we were perfectly happy with all our PNW gear. The views were fantastic & the hike really wasn’t too bad. It might be a smidge steep on the way back up from the beach, but completely doable. (Remember? Some people did this hike down wearing flip flops… although I wouldn’t recommended it in the rain. They were slipping everywhere!)
hilo, hawaii ⫸
kaumana caves
On our fourth day, we checked out of our lovely AirBNB , packed up the car & headed over towards the Hilo side! We chose to drive through the middle of the island which led us through desert landscape & rain, until we arrived at our first stop: Kaumana Caves. You’ll find this spot just outside of Hilo, with parking available directly across the street from the cave entrance. There’s also bathrooms onsite with several covered picnic tables for an afternoon lunching spot.
Note to self: bring a head lamp if you want to see anything. We didn’t, so we did some long exposures with my Sony Alpha to get the cave shots we did. Always shoot in raw! Also… be aware you might get wet, as these caves constantly have water dripping from above.
rainbow falls lookout
Onizuka center for international astronomy
Elevation: 9,300 ft (2,800m)
mauna kea
After checking into our hotel, we quickly dropped off our bags, headed out to pick up some Thai food to go, and we were off to Mauna Kea!
Sunset was in 1 hour and 45 minutes, and we were 1.5 hours away from the Onizuka Center for International Astronomy- the final stop before strict 4WD is needed. We arrived just 10 minutes before sunset & rushed (along with a bunch of other people) very ambitiously up the hill to watch the sunset. The air was already thin & you could see some people struggling, but the view was worth it.
As the sun sank behind the horizon, just above the clouds, the winds picked up & the temperatures dropped. We made our way back down to the car to enjoy our Thai food, as we waited for the sky to turn black & the stars to arrive. Man did they!
hawaii tropical bioreserve & garden
Are plants your thing? (Yeah me too.) Check out the Bioreserve! For $25/person you’ll find yourself on a great walk through the most tropical and lush plants. You’ll even see a sign that says “Watch out for falling fruit.”
I would recommend leaving about 2 hours for yourself for this place. That’s how long we took, but we could have easily spent 3. There is a slight downhill and uphill to go back out of the park, but it really isn’t bad. If you’re worried about bugs, the ticket booth sells bug spray/wipes. Midway on the trail you’ll find yourself by the water with a beautiful view of the Twin Rocks. Highly recommend!
akaka falls
20 minutes from the Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve & Garden , you’ll find the famous Akaka Falls! For a small fee of $5/person, there’s a circular trail that takes you down past a total of 3 waterfalls, with of course Akaka being the headliner. I recommend parking on the side of the road just outside of the parking lot. The parking lot tends to be full anyways, but there’s a $10 fee for parking, but street parking leading up to the parking lot is free.
