"Big Island" Hawaii - Day 1: We've arrived!

We woke at 3:30 AM on Monday morning for a half hour of frenetic last minute preparations until Rebecca shouted "the cab is here"!  Our winter holiday was at last about to begin. We left Vancouver's grey skies and freezing cold rain behind us and this year to make a rather arduous journey to Waikoloa Beach, on the western Kohala coast of Hawaii's Big Island.



OK, seventeen hours and three connecting flights is over twice as long as it should have taken, but we flew on points at the last minute, and we're here!  Looking out the window to see Maui's beaches on our last 'puddle jump' flight to the Big Island was a welcome sight.

We've arrived, at last!   The condo Hilary found was terrific. There's a gym and pool across the lane, shopping etc a short walk away.

The only real problem we ran into was that there were no - and I mean NO car rentals available when we arrived!  Nothing on the Internet, nothing when we phoned several rental companies at the airport.  We took a cab from the airport, and prayed everything would turn out OK.  It did, but for an outrageous amount, for the privilege of using a small, aging compact car with stained seats and a slow leak in the driver's rear tire for $300/day.  We'll plan ahead next time.




But now, at least, we have "wheels". And so, today, "Day 1", we went to Kona to shop in the local markets, enjoy lunch.


















<-- Naomi is a perfect stand-in for Tom Hanks, at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company at Kona

Lunch in Kailua-Kona. To the left, in the distance are crashing, rolling waves. Several surfers entertained us by trying to stay on their boards, usually with spectacularly unsuccessful attempts--->

I had a special goal in mind, to find a good road bike. The skies looked threatening, but unlike Vancouver, rain in Hawaii is like a taking a warm shower. I settled on a simple Cannondale aluminum with carbon front forks and waved goodbye to the family just as the heavens opened up with a torrential downpour.  And I came to Hawaii for sunshine???

<--cycling past the airport on the outskirts of Kona




Actually, by the time I got my bike fitted out with my Garmin GPS and changed into my riding gear, the storm blew over and I headed up the highway with puddles of water on the highway that quickly evaporated.  The late afternoon ride was really lovely - gentle rolling hills with beautiful views of the ocean and mountains in the distance.

Along the highway, one cannot help but notice graffiti, Hawaiian style.  Folks have taken white coral shells and placed them on top of the black lava to create lasting messages along the highway.  Stretching for miles, promises of love, shrines in memory of someone special, and 'I wuz here, dude' messages are there, likely for ever unless someone rearranges the stones.

My route, from Kona to Waikoloa Beach, as recorded on my bike's GPS. For details, click here-->

I arrived back at the condo, perspiring heavily but feeling great, just as Hilary, Rebecca and Naomi arrived from spending a much more relaxing afternoon on the beach, and later, a quick swim at the Marriott.  So, who had more fun?

That evening, we drove 28 miles (47 km) up the coast to Kapaau (Hawi) on the northern tip of the Island, for dinner at the Bamboo Restaurant, a lovely little place set inside a quaint old building that had once been a hotel built in 1911.  The food, a mixture of Thai and Hawaiian flavors was so good, the kids begged to go again while we're here.

Tomorrow, we travel to Kona's Volcano National Park