Saturday (May 28) was a pretty relaxing day. The High Surf Advisory continues to make for some incredible waves, so we decided to go for a walk in the opposite direction from town and see if we could find access to another beach...and we did!
About a half mile south along Ali'i Drive, we came across a walkway between buildings with a sign that said public access. With a little research, I found that this is called Ali'i Saltwater Pool...Also known under the name Rivi’s Saltwater Pool, this “secret” spot is a man-made saltwater tide pool you can find in Kona. It’s free to use and open to the public, and you’ll probably spot locals hanging out there. It’s also a fantastic spot to watch both the surfers and the sunset from. This is definitely a unique swimming pool on the Big Island.
Goat herders on our walk home...
We had checked into renting snorkeling gear the other day and found it to be fairly reasonable, so Sunday (May 29) morning we prepared for the beach and headed off to Snorkel Bob's located next to Huggo's. Steve and I both got fitted for masks/snorkel and fins...we also decided to rent beach chairs. We upgraded the snorkels, so for $16 for the gear, plus $7 for a chair...the total for a 24 hour rental was $48.17 for the both of us. If we wanted to keep the gear longer, just call tomorrow morning before the 24 hour period is up. Dave and Leslie already had their own gear...so off we went to our favourite beach, Manini'owali Beach (Kua Bay).
We decided not to take anything of value with us down to the beach, so our wallets and cell phones were left hidden in the car trunk...consequently, we have no pictures of our snorkelling/beach adventure today. But here is a picture we took a few days ago when we had our beach day...to refresh your memory...
One thing we noticed was quite a change in the beach. The high surf had certainly changed the shoreline, pushing the sand and leaving higher drifts...there wasn't as much "beach" to sit on with the waves coming in. But we found a spot on the busy beach down at the end we had been at last time we were here.
We spent a wonderful couple of hours in and out of the water....snorkelling, then resting in the beach chairs. With the high surf the water isn't as clear as it was the other day according to Dave and Leslie. Steve and I had both had enough but Dave and Les decided to go out one more time...well, we had been watching the waves coming up closer and closer, but really didn't think they would make it all the way up to us. HA...wrong! One large wave came in right up the beach to where we had all our stuff...leaving us scrambling to grab as much as we could to get it out of the water and not float away! Luckily no water got into the backpacks but everything was a sandy wet mess. A casualty of the high surf advisory!
Good thing we were planning on leaving soon anyway. After trudging back along the beach and up to the wash/change rooms, we got out of our wet suits and managed to get everything back into the car trunk with as little sand as possible...but I think the car rental places must expect to find sand after each car rental.
We were all starving, so once we got cleaned up at home we headed to Tropics Taphouse located in the Keauhou Shopping Center about 4 miles south of us. The burgers and beer were delicious!
Monday (May 30) morning we had already decided to go back snorkelling at the beach, so I called Snorkel Bob's just after 9:00 to let them know.
We spent another great morning at Kua Bay...this time however, we found a spot well up away from the water. The water was much rougher making it more difficult to get your gear on. The water was even cloudier with stirred up sand from the pounding waves. However it was a great final day at the beach!
On the way home we dropped our gear off at Snorkel Bob's and then spent the afternoon relaxing until about 3:00 when we walked down to On The Rocks. Today we plan to not only partake in their happy hour, but also stay for dinner.
We wanted to sit at the bar for happy hour then get a table on the waterfront for dinner.
It was a great spot in the sand but we had absolutely no shade...so were very happy when the clouds helped us out...
More wave watching stops as we walked home...
Our resort condo...
Another great day comes to an end...
Lots of people barbequing just above the pool building...
Tuesday (May 31)...our last day here! Two weeks is up and tomorrow morning we have to leave this piece of paradise. Although it has been wonderful, I think we are all looking forward to getting out of this humidity.
With the High Surf Advisory still on, we watched the waves hitting the rocky beach from our lanai...
And then took another drive to check out other beaches. We stopped at Pahoehoe Beach Park and Magic Sands Beach to watch the surfers...
We also stopped at Kahalu'u Beach Park, which generally has calmer water and is great for snorkelling but still lots of waves out near the reef...
Lunch today was back at Tropics Taphouse...we needed to pick up a couple of things at Longs Drug Store that was in the same shopping center. Again, we had another great meal.
That afternoon we were glued to the TV again...this time to watch the first game of the next hockey playoff match. The Edmonton Oilers had beat out the Calgary Flames and had moved onto the next round...playing the Colorado Avalanche. Sadly, we all now know that the Oilers got smacked in 4 games and the Avalanche have moved onto the finals with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It's Wednesday again (June 1) and here comes another cruise ship into Kailua-Kona! Unfortunately, it wasn't long before we saw it leaving. We figured that the high surf advisory/warning has made it impossible for the tenders to get the passengers to shore and back safely. There was a hurricane off the west coast of Mexico a few days ago so it's possible that's why we've been getting the high surf advisories...
Dave and Leslie got to board before us...see Leslie waving from the top of the stairs just behind Dave?
Goodbye to The Big Island of Hawaii! Kona International Airport in the distance...
We flew over Haleakala National Park on Maui...
Goodbye Maui...nothing but water and clouds to look at for the next 6 plus hours...
Both flights went well and actually seemed to go faster than on the way down. We had a 3 hour layover in Seattle, giving us time for a beer and a bite to eat before the final leg of our trip.
We landed in Vancouver just after 11:30 p.m. and after a very long walk to get to the Customs area, we were through quickly, getting our luggage and out looking for the shuttle pickup spot for our hotel.
At the Sandman Hotel Vancouver Airport...from where we left 2 weeks ago...we said goodnight and goodbye to Dave and Leslie. They are staying the night there before catching their flight home to Edmonton tomorrow. It was a real blast spending our 2 week vacation with you both! Thanks for joining us! But we're going to miss you guys...😞
After a short walk to our car, we were happy to find it all fine and dandy! It was just after 1:00 a.m when we pulled into Peace Arch RV Park. The security guy even raised the gate without any questions! Not wanting to disturb anyone we parked in the visitors parking and walked down to our rig with just our overnight bags, we'll get our suitcases in the morning.
In bed by 1:30....ahhhh....good to be home!
Awesome review of our trip together! So happy you asked us to join you to celebrate over 40 years together! Our livers might need a little drying out but we had a ton of fun. I personally have never seen waves like that before so just standing and staring was a new experience. We saw so much and did so much stuff, what a fabulous couple weeks. Sadly back to reality. Cheers to both of you. Hopefully we see you sooner than later. We might be Island bound this summer. Not sure yet. Meanwhile we’ll learn to make Mai Tai’s before our next visit lol.
ReplyDeleteIt was our pleasure having you guys join us Dave and Leslie...we had a blast! Too bad the photos/videos don't really convey how large some of those waves were. Hope to connect again for those Mai Tai's if you do head to the Island. Cheers!
DeleteGlad you guys had so much fun and the weather cooperated. Nice To go away but nice to get back to your own bed.
ReplyDeleteWe had a great time! Just a distant memory now, though!
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