Day Four - Spencer Beach to Ho’okeena Beach

Enjoying a shave ice

We expected the normal sibling squabbling, and it was exacerbated a bit by the close proximity with which the kids had to sit, sleep, and live each day.  But overall, they had been pretty well-behaved.  They had even expressed some interest in Kamehameha, perhaps because it is a fun name to say.  So we were pleased to learn that one of the more important cultural sites was right next door to our Spencer Beach camp. 

Kamehameha was instructed by the Gods to build Pu’ukohola Heiau (a heiau is akin to a shrine) as a tribute in his quest to conquer all the islands.  His chief rival was the first human sacrifice at the Heiau, and later, when a volcano spewed forth and engulfed a rival army, the masses could not deny Kamehameha was to be king.  We watched a short movie at the visitor center about Kamehameha’s life and learned to play Konane, a traditional Hawaiian game like checkers.

Maya, Queen of Konane

Afterwards we drove south from Kona, hugging the shoreline so closely the waves seemed like they could crash across the road in front of us.  Eventually, the road began to climb the sides of Mauna Loa volcano to a series of towns that produce the world acclaimed Kona coffee.  Not being avid coffee drinkers, we decided to pass on taking one of the many advertised farm tours and instead listened to our happy songs and kept an eye on the stunning views that the winding country road offered from this elevation.  

When we eventually made our turn-off, we descended on a deserted road through pastures with a few grazing cows and horses to Ho’okeena Beach.  We had targeted this beach as a camping spot for two reasons; first, we had read good things about the friendliness and cleanliness of this beach since operation of the facilities was ceded from the county to a local non-profit in 2009.  Second, its protected cove created a shelter for dolphins to rest during the day.  This made it a prime spot to be able to view and swim with wild dolphins without having to pay what the Kona hotels charged to swim with their own captive dolphins.  

Rebecca finds her king(s)

True to that, moments after we tucked the van into the last remaining spot in the sand lot and found our way to the beach, we made our first dolphin sighting.  It would be the first of several at Ho’okeena, and even though this sighting paired dolphins with whales, not to mention a gorgeous setting sun, there was something in our future that would eclipse it.

At times I feel Rebecca loves dolphins more than she loves me