Hawaii 2015: Hawaiʻi (Kona side)
Wednesday, 5 August 2015 08:03![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iguana
We took several trips to Hawaiʻi's kona (leeward) side, as there were lots of things to do, and it was a place we could guarentee some good weather. It was rather nice living somewhere where you could decide what kind of climate you wanted today, then drive there in a couple of hours at most.
Swimming with wild dolphins
It was here I had another highlight of the trip. The bay we were tipped off about is regularly frequented by spinner dolphins in the early morning. While the locals correctly stress that you shouldn't bother the wildlife, and especially try to touch them, if you are swimming in the bay at the same time as the dolphins, they will quite often come over and say hello!
It was second time lucky for me. We were at the bay shortly before sunrise, and had watched the water long enough to be sure it was calm and safe. Then we saw the dolphins arrive in the distance, at the entrance to the bay. We got into the water and started swimming out.
As often happens, a group of kayakers were on the scene first (there is even a canoe club owner at the bayfront sometimes, soliciting business, who will motorbike any punters to the nearby launching point). The dolphins were obviously interested in them, which gave us an easy target to swim towards. Before we got there, the dolphins had departed, continuing their lap of the bay, and making the occasional acrobatic jump from the water, which was amazing to see.
I ducked under the water as one dolphin swam past under me, catching up with its pod. It had soon disappeared out of sight, and we thought that would be our lot for the day. We started swimming back to shore before we saw their fins in the water taking another lap.
We looked down and there was the whole pod, swimming in circles around us. I ducked under the water again and was no more than a dolphin length away from some of them. I met eyes with several. Under the water I could hear them whistling and clicking in conversation.
They stayed for a couple of minutes, then headed back out to sea. The whole experience was incredibly touching for me. I can't think of any other wild animals that are so happy to voluntarily keep company with humans. I wonder what they made of us.
It was here I had another highlight of the trip. The bay we were tipped off about is regularly frequented by spinner dolphins in the early morning. While the locals correctly stress that you shouldn't bother the wildlife, and especially try to touch them, if you are swimming in the bay at the same time as the dolphins, they will quite often come over and say hello!
It was second time lucky for me. We were at the bay shortly before sunrise, and had watched the water long enough to be sure it was calm and safe. Then we saw the dolphins arrive in the distance, at the entrance to the bay. We got into the water and started swimming out.
As often happens, a group of kayakers were on the scene first (there is even a canoe club owner at the bayfront sometimes, soliciting business, who will motorbike any punters to the nearby launching point). The dolphins were obviously interested in them, which gave us an easy target to swim towards. Before we got there, the dolphins had departed, continuing their lap of the bay, and making the occasional acrobatic jump from the water, which was amazing to see.
I ducked under the water as one dolphin swam past under me, catching up with its pod. It had soon disappeared out of sight, and we thought that would be our lot for the day. We started swimming back to shore before we saw their fins in the water taking another lap.
We looked down and there was the whole pod, swimming in circles around us. I ducked under the water again and was no more than a dolphin length away from some of them. I met eyes with several. Under the water I could hear them whistling and clicking in conversation.
They stayed for a couple of minutes, then headed back out to sea. The whole experience was incredibly touching for me. I can't think of any other wild animals that are so happy to voluntarily keep company with humans. I wonder what they made of us.
Coffee and chocolate
Higher up on the kona side of the island provides the climate needed growing both coffee and chocolate. A lot of small properties have a few coffee or cacao trees. The large producers offer a service to the private growers to process the berries for them.
We went to a tour of Greenwell Farm, which was free because they use it as a draw to their shop. There was also free tasting (as someone who doesn't drink coffee, they all tasted quite like coffee to me!) It was interesting to see the coffee trees, and they had a few other plants around the plantation too, like pineapples.
At the shop I bought some coffee berry juice, which of course tasted nothing like coffee, or indeed anything that really ought to be drank, but I do like trying new things!
We also paid for a tour of Original Hawaiian Chocolate's farm and factory. They are the only place in the USA that grows and manufactures their own chocolate. The tour had some tasters and it is pretty good stuff, though I'd place a good bar of Lindt or Hotel Chocolat higher up on an absolute taste test.
The factory itself was a single room with a large automated pot of chocolate being stirred constantly. After having made chocolate from beans ourselves a while ago, it was interesting to see how a more professional system works, though the tour guide spoke very little about the process.
The guide also showed everyone how to open a cacao pod and what the beans look like before being dried. They are coated with a thick layer of white sticky pulp. I had a vague recollection from a family holiday to the Caribbean of trying a fresh cacao bean, so we asked if we could try one, and they allowed us to. It is best not to bite or eat the bean itself, since it is very bitter, but the pulp on the outside can be sucked off, and tastes like fizzy apple.
Higher up on the kona side of the island provides the climate needed growing both coffee and chocolate. A lot of small properties have a few coffee or cacao trees. The large producers offer a service to the private growers to process the berries for them.
We went to a tour of Greenwell Farm, which was free because they use it as a draw to their shop. There was also free tasting (as someone who doesn't drink coffee, they all tasted quite like coffee to me!) It was interesting to see the coffee trees, and they had a few other plants around the plantation too, like pineapples.
At the shop I bought some coffee berry juice, which of course tasted nothing like coffee, or indeed anything that really ought to be drank, but I do like trying new things!
We also paid for a tour of Original Hawaiian Chocolate's farm and factory. They are the only place in the USA that grows and manufactures their own chocolate. The tour had some tasters and it is pretty good stuff, though I'd place a good bar of Lindt or Hotel Chocolat higher up on an absolute taste test.
The factory itself was a single room with a large automated pot of chocolate being stirred constantly. After having made chocolate from beans ourselves a while ago, it was interesting to see how a more professional system works, though the tour guide spoke very little about the process.
The guide also showed everyone how to open a cacao pod and what the beans look like before being dried. They are coated with a thick layer of white sticky pulp. I had a vague recollection from a family holiday to the Caribbean of trying a fresh cacao bean, so we asked if we could try one, and they allowed us to. It is best not to bite or eat the bean itself, since it is very bitter, but the pulp on the outside can be sucked off, and tastes like fizzy apple.
Kaʻawa Loa
We stayed at the same B&B each time we visited, because we liked it so much. Ka'awa Loa has an amazing view over a decent portion of the island and faces right into the sunset. It also has outdoor stone showers, which is a luxury that we haven't enjoyed since we stayed in Lao Spirit in Laos. The couple of guys that run it were really friendly and prepared amazing breakfasts each day. They were on holiday one time we visited and the place was being run by "Nana Hannah", who was lovely and chatty and made cookies for all the guests. She called everybody 'kids', which was adorable.
We never saw the other guests using it, but the swing attached to the mango tree out the back faced directly out towards the coast and we certainly took advantage of it.
We stayed at the same B&B each time we visited, because we liked it so much. Ka'awa Loa has an amazing view over a decent portion of the island and faces right into the sunset. It also has outdoor stone showers, which is a luxury that we haven't enjoyed since we stayed in Lao Spirit in Laos. The couple of guys that run it were really friendly and prepared amazing breakfasts each day. They were on holiday one time we visited and the place was being run by "Nana Hannah", who was lovely and chatty and made cookies for all the guests. She called everybody 'kids', which was adorable.
We never saw the other guests using it, but the swing attached to the mango tree out the back faced directly out towards the coast and we certainly took advantage of it.
Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau
Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau is a small national park that is probably best known for the group of tiki statues that are dotted around some examples of Hawaiʻian heiau (religious structures) on a site that was originally used as a religious refuge by the native Hawaiʻians. It's also one of the few Hawaiian names I can't wrap my tongue around!
While the statues may have been lit up more pleasantly in the morning, the number of palm trees around on the seafront here made the sunsets lovely to watch. We visited a few times to watch the sun setting in the hope of spotting the green flash at sunset, but it eluded us each time.
Still beautiful, though.
Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau is a small national park that is probably best known for the group of tiki statues that are dotted around some examples of Hawaiʻian heiau (religious structures) on a site that was originally used as a religious refuge by the native Hawaiʻians. It's also one of the few Hawaiian names I can't wrap my tongue around!
While the statues may have been lit up more pleasantly in the morning, the number of palm trees around on the seafront here made the sunsets lovely to watch. We visited a few times to watch the sun setting in the hope of spotting the green flash at sunset, but it eluded us each time.
Still beautiful, though.
