Big Island, Hawaii day 2

Well as expected we were up with the chickens at 4:30am . . . rise and shine people . . . things to see and places to go!  I pulled out the agenda and off we went.  We were our the door by 7am.  We made a quick stop at the ABC market to pick up picnic food and headed south.  So it really did not take us over 2 hours to get ready just didn't want to leave too early because nothing was open!  Our first stop was the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park . . .

Those who know me know that I can not pass up a national park when I travel.  I have no idea  how to say it or what it means but it was easily referred to as 'place of refuge' often.  It was a beautiful place and well worth a visit!

Colin loved the 'checker board' set up . . . it is actually a game called konane . . .

Of course Colin did a Junior Ranger book . . .

. . . I would say this one had an awesome view!  It was a beautiful day and really enjoyed just being outside even if it was a little hot at 82 degrees.  I love the views!

 

We enjoyed a quick lunch from the cooler . . . I tell you that ABC market has a great selection of grab and go foods and the fresh pineapple was amazingly delicious.  We headed out and decided to stop at Mountain Thunder Coffee Farm where real Kona coffee is made.  I became a wee bit testy when my navigator wasn't giving me clear directions, but we made it.  We took the free short tour and learned all about Kona Coffee . . . these are the coffee cherries, and where it all begins.

This place was full of critters and of course Colin just had to visit with each of them.

After the short tour, now I understand why Kona Coffee is so expensive.  It is a long process to produce 100% Pure Kona Coffee; to me coffee is coffee.  This was a small operation . . .

. . . but worth the visit.  The guide was good at explaining the process and walked us through each area where it was produced.  This pallet of coffee was worth over $50,000 due to it being 100% pure organic Kona coffee.

A really nice family run business that takes pride in their business, and it showed.  We headed back to the car to call it a day.  Since we woke so early, the hotel was calling us to come take a nap!  Oh it was so nice to just sit and unwind for a little bit before we headed back to the lagoon area to enjoy some more wonderful sunshine.  I had promised Colin he could rent a kayak.

The best part was we met Madeline as we found our beach side or shall I say lagoon side chairs where she brought us a tasty drink of the day.  Dinner was calling so we headed to the Lagoon Grill for a burger.  We watched all the dolphins in the Dolphin Cove . . . made me sad that so many were confined to such a small area.  Of course the night wasn't complete without a large scoop of ice cream at Shaka Cones; sadly even with all the great sounding flavors (coconut-macadamia; can you say yum) Colin ended up with vanilla . . . VANILLA!  It was time to head back to the room . . . it is Christmas Eve after all . . . I sure hope Santa remembers to stop at our house even if we are not there!