The weather was much nicer during our second week in Hawaii, so we were able to do more fun things outside. One day we went north to Waimea to visit Aletta, the mother of Keegan's best friend from childhood, Bruce. We had a nice breakfast at Starbuck's in Waimea and then went to the Spencer Beach Park on the west side of the island.
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| Spencer Beach Park |
It was a gorgeous beach, and the weather was warm and sunny, but boy was it windy! We got sandblasted on the beach but enjoyed snorkeling in the water. There were a lot of fish and some coral and sea urchins.
Before we went to Hawaii, Sue had discovered that there was a very nice community pool in Pahoa, so we headed there one morning to swim a few laps. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and drizzly, and the pool was unheated, so we were pretty chilly. After we dried off and warmed up, we headed into Hilo to check out the shopping mall and see if we could find a place there for Sophie to play. We had a great time! We ate lunch at the Maui Taco Company, which was fantastic, and then Sophie had a chance to play in a big playground with all kinds of inflatable slides and bouncing areas. Keegan and I did a little shopping, and when we were almost finished Sophie and I took a ride on the mall train. Sophie was thrilled.
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| Riding on the train at the Hilo mall |
As we spent more time with the grandparents, Sophie got more and more comfortable, and we knew that she was ready to stay on her own with them so Keegan and I could have some time to ourselves. Our first outing was to check out the lava fields near Kalapana. We hoped that we might be able to walk over the solidified lava out to the hot, still flowing lava from Kilauea. When we got there, though, we found out that we would have to hire a guide to take us across the lava fields, much of which is private property. We were disappointed, but we made plans to return another day for a guided walk. And we made up for the disappointment by visiting the old black sand beach at Kaimu, which was beautiful, especially with the dramatic sunset that evening. We had a lot of fun taking silhouette pictures in front of the setting sun.
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| Beautiful sunset at the old Kaimu Beach |
Later in the week Keegan, Dad, Steve, and I were able to take the lava hike. It was definitely a difficult walk over rolling, uneven and sharp lava outcroppings with our guide, who set a blistering pace. The payoff was pretty amazing, though.
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| With Steve overlooking hot lava flowing into the ocean |
Not only did we see red hot lave pouring over a cliff and into the ocean, but we also walked over scorching hot lava that had solidified only the day before. We could even see red hot rocks glowing through cracks in the cooler lava on the surface. I was happy to leave the hot area, where I could hear the lava cracking and popping. The walk back was pretty arduous, and when we finished all of us realized that the soles of our shoes showed the wear from miles shuffling over rough lava rocks. My dad published
a much more detailed account of our hike on his blog.
We also had a chance to do a much, much easier walk to see Akaka Falls, a tall waterfall cascading into lush green rainforest.
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| Akaka Falls |
We saw some amazing bamboo and huge, prehistoric looking banyan trees. One the way home, we stopped at the Hilo zoo again and gave Sophie a chance to play on their fantastic playground.
By this time, our trip was winding down, but we still had a lot more fun to cram in. Keegan and his parents discovered an amazing hot pond, accessible only by Jeep. It was toasty warm and a great place for snorkeling and swimming.
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| Keegan ready to swim at the tidal pool |
We spent a relaxing morning there while my mom and dad enjoyed some time with their granddaughter. Keegan and I had a chance to go out for dinner at a great little restaurant in Pahoa called Kaleo's. We tried poke, a Hawaiian sushi salad with fresh avocado and raw tuna. We had fresh fish and tropical cocktails and a bottle of wine and dessert. There was live music and even a hula performance by one of the waitresses. When we left, our waitress told us "You guys came to enjoy. I like that." And she was right!
Mom, Dad, Keegan and I heard about a New Year's Day Fun Run in Hilo, so the first day of 2012 saw us suited up in our running gear, ready to push Sophie in her stroller for a 5k run. Keegan darted ahead of all of us with the stroller, and we all followed on a nice course along the bay. After we finished, we walked out to Coconut Island to wade in the cool water, and then we spent the late morning/afternoon at the Richardson Beach Park. It was a relaxing, fun way to end our trip.
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| Starting the new year right at Coconut Island |
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| Runners and one rider after the New Year's 5k in Hilo |
I hope we'll have a chance to visit Hawaii again when Sophie is a bit older - I think there is still a ton left to see and do.
