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

Day Three – Honokohau Harbor to Hapuna Beach to Spencer Beach

Wading in the tide pools at Ai'opio Beach.  We didn't see the no wading signs until later.

Ai’opio Beach, an ancient Hawaiian fish trap where fish entered at high tide and were easily captured for food, was a short stroll from the harbor.  This is also a popular feeding and resting area for green sea turtles, who, like so many other visitors to these shores, love to laze on the beach all day.  We saw three or four dried to the color of rock, and listened as a volunteer guide explained how the early islanders prepared the tender meat for eating and used the large outer shell for cooking vessels and bowls.  It harkened memories of learning how Native Americans would use not only the meat of the buffalo, but also fashion the skins into blankets and clothes and the bones into tools, letting nothing go to waste.

  

After our walk, we picked up some poke (pronounced, po-kay) from a fish market at the marina.  Poke is a Hawaiian fish tartar mixed with seaweed, and marinated with sea salt and other spices.  It comes in many varieties and my wife and I found ourselves purchasing it every chance we got, even once at a gas station deli counter.  Though the kids, after taking a small taste, preferred just about anything else.

Jonah, having the time of his life at Hapuna Beach

Our destination for the day was Hapuna Beach.  I had read that this beach was consistently rated one of the top beaches in the world and had made it a point to let everyone know this.  While the beautiful palm tree lined white sand beach was beautiful, the reason that this beach will forever be remembered by my family is the size, redundancy, and ferocity of its waves.  We spent an unforgettably tremendous afternoon boogie boarding, body surfing, and generally getting pounded into the sand.    

Maya catching a gnarly Hapuna Beach wave

After enjoying a fruit smoothie from the concessionaire and strapping the boogie boards onto the roof of Mahana Pu’u, we drove the short distance north to Spencer Beach.  Because it was mid-week, we got a better parking/camping spot than our first night there.  After stringing our laundry line and sweeping out the sand from the floor of the van, we sat down to a dinner of grilled fish and mango.   

With the sun at our back and the ocean laid out below us, my wife took out the camera.  My son, in typical 7-year old exasperation, said, so you’re taking a picture of us eating dinner, Mom.  That’s epic.

Epic.  It is a fitting caption for the day.

Maya and me settling down to an epic meal at Spencer Beach State Park

Day Two – Spencer Beach to Kailua-Kona to Honokohau Harbor

We woke up to a clear blue sky and a gentle tide.  We had bought pineapple, papayas, and apple bananas at the Hilo farmers market the day before and sliced these into our yogurt for breakfast.  As you would expect, fresh tropical fruit is plentiful on Hawaii, with papayas being particularly inexpensive, so fruit and yogurt became our breakfast staple.

We had made plans to meet my cousin and his family at their hotel in Kailua-Kona.  After a morning spent swimming and snorkeling in the easy surf at Spencer Beach, we piled in the van for the hour drive south through barren lava fields on the inland side and sweeping coastal views on the ocean side.  We gazed wistfully at the Jeeps turning off to dirt roads that we’d heard led to spectacular sights.   

Kailua-Kona, on the west side of the Big Island, is where the sun, sand, and surf are most typically Hawaii.  As one guide book put it, Kamehameha, the first person to unite the islands and be crowned king, could have chosen anywhere to settle - he chose Kailua-Kona.  Here, it is sunny and warm most days of the year with little rain, the sand is as soft as powder, and the ocean is as blue as the sky.  Kona is also where one will find most of the touristy hotels and shopping, and we were surprised that the hotel my cousin chose offered only limited views of the ocean from the pool deck and no apparent beach access.  We spent the afternoon at the pool charging drinks and food to his room.

Maya (left) and her cousin Bella enjoying the ride . . .

In the evening we set out for Honokohau Harbor, the departure point for our manta ray snorkel adventure.  After a 30-minute motorboat ride around the point of the harbor through ocean swells that had most of us white-knuckled and queasy, we anchored in a loose circle with three or four other tour operators.  While we waited for night to fall, we snacked on fruit and chips provided by the operator and listened while the guide introduced us to the manta ray family we could expect to see.

 

Cousin Mike, Jonah and me . . . not so much.  The waves were big!

Although somewhat threatening-looking due to their size (Big Mama, with a wingspan of 13 feet, was the largest that fed in this particular area, but the species can grow up to 23 feet) manta rays are harmless to people.  They are not sting rays (they have no sharp, pointy appendages) and have no teeth.  They eat large quantities of plankton, which they swallow with their maws open as they swim.  The plankton are drawn to the lights shining from the bottom of the boats and attached to the flotilla that our group held onto as our guide pulled us back and forth across the surface.  It is rare for mantas to be kept in aquariums due to their size, so it was quite a thrill to watch as these prehistoric, kite-like fish circled within inches of us in their nightly feeding.

Our Manta guide telling us facts about Mantas

When we returned to the docks, it was dark and we were plenty tired and cold from our adventure.  The boat captain said it would be alright to spend the night in the parking lot of the marina, so we said goodbye to our cousins, popped the top up on Mahana Pu’u, and quickly fell asleep.  It was five in the morning when the fishing boat crews began preparing to go out for the day.  Easing myself from the top bunk to the driver’s seat, I slowly drove to a quieter corner of the lot while the family slept, still cozied up in manta dreams.

Day One – Arrival in Hilo to Spencer Beach State Park

We touched down in Hilo, the largest city on the Big Island and second largest after Honolulu in the state, after a red-eye flight from the mainland.  Bob and Bob, the welcoming committee from Happy Campers rental company greeted us outside the terminal with traditional Hawaiian “leis” - shell necklaces for the guys and real plumeria for the ladies.  After being driven back to “headquarters”, a garage about a mile from the airport, we were introduced to “Mahana Pu’u”, our home for the next week. 

Each of the 8 VW Westphalia camper vans offered for rent by Happy Campers, all just slightly larger than your average mini-van, is named.  We got more and more excited for our adventure as we were shown the features of Mahana Pu’u (which means warm hill), including how to fold out the back seat for sleeping, operation of the propane cooktop stove, and how to roll down the windows with a crank.  The van came equipped with bedding, bath and beach towels, cooking supplies, camp chairs, emergency kits (including numbers to call if we had trouble with the van), and lots of other thoughtful amenities (think coffee press and fish identification cards) and we were tickled by all the out of the way storage nooks where each item was neatly and securely tucked away.  The crowning moment, however, was when Bob showed us the pop-up sleeping compartment.  The kids scrambled up and immediately began making plans to alternate nights sleeping in the “top bunk”.

After signing the paperwork and making certain agreements (Do:  Have fun.  Don’t:  Break a wheel axle by taking the van on the Saddle Road) we headed north out of Hilo.  The Big Island is circled by a mostly two-lane belt highway that goes by various names and passes near enough to almost every place any visitor would want to go.  This makes it nearly impossible to get lost, but also very hard to pass slow moving traffic (i.e., us).  I checked the rearview mirror each time Mahana Pu’u eased into a grade to see a line of cars stretching out behind us to the horizon.     

Our destination for the first night was Spencer Beach State Park, on the northwest side of the island.  This park was the one place the guide books universally identified as kid-friendly, quiet, and clean.  Though, when we pulled into the horseshoe shaped parking lot we were underwhelmed – it dawned on us that what we had signed up for was, essentially, camping in the parking lot.  After a few passes, we settled on a spot with the least oil stains and the best view of the ocean.  We were determined to make the most of things, and it didn’t take long for our initial disappointment to fade.  The kids were excited to snorkel so we donned our gear and waded in.  There was good coral and plenty of fish, and after an hour of being pulled in one direction or another by my son or daughter who wanted to show me the yellowest or the skinniest fish ever, we hauled ourselves out of the warm waters and dried off. 

While we grilled burgers on the propane stove that we had rented as a $10 extra with the van (an investment that would prove to be well worth it), we tried to match the fish we had seen with our fish chart.  After our bellies were full, and with broad smiles, we worked together to snap on the privacy curtains and collect our things from where they had already become scattered around the interior of the van.  With order thus restored, and after a quick trip to the surprisingly clean restrooms, we popped up the sleeper, turned the kitchen bench into a bed, and turned in for our first night.  My wife and daughter drew the long straw and got the top bunk.   

   

Hawaii - Big Island Adventure - Introduction

We went on this awesome trip to Hawaii in April 2013.  I wrote the following summary of our days with the intention of selling it to a newspaper or travel magazine, and becoming filthy rich and famous.  Or at least remaining underpaid and unknown, but with a travel article published.  As it turns out, I never sent it anywhere.  In fact, my wife couldn't even get herself to read it.

Ah well.  We all learn to live with the failure and regret of unrealized dreams.  At least I have the knowledge that we had a heckuva good time on this trip.  And since I spent a fair amount of time writing down the places we went and things we did, I can at least post it here for posterity. 

We spent seven days driving the Big Island in a Westy.  It was our first experience living in a camper van and likely laid the turd in our heads that festered into the idea to buy one and drive around America.  But more on that another time.  For now, I hope you find something inspiring here.

Introduction

We planted ourselves on the beach after a hot two hour drive just as a pair of spinner dolphins propelled themselves from the Pacific Ocean and into the sky as if they were at a tryout for SeaWorld.  “Did you see the dolphin?” my daughter asked, pointing excitedly towards the horizon.  My son, his shirt already wet from his game of chicken with the ocean waves, paused long enough to look as the applause of a dozen other spectators relaxing on the salt and pepper sand mingled with their murmurs of appreciation.  The dolphins continued to launch themselves skyward in twos and threes, their lithe, glistening gray bodies contorting like gymnasts as several folks waded into the surf for a closer look.

As my wife turned towards me with a faraway look that told me swimming with dolphins was her life-long dream, we heard a collective buzz of excitement and turned our heads just in time to see two humpback whales breach less than a hundred yards from the dolphin display.

Set between these marine pyrotechnics was a late afternoon sun so brilliantly red and round that you would bet it was a Hollywood production.  It’s like a three-ring circus, my wife marveled.   

Exactly, I thought.  This is exactly why we came here.

The eight major islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, all formed out of volcanic eruptions over the course of millions of years encompass over 800 miles of coastline.  The island of Hawai’i, also known as the Big Island, which at slightly less than a million years old is the youngest of its siblings, offers a large range of climates, landscapes, and adventures. 

In fact, when my wife began to explore an itinerary for our planned 7-day trip to the Big Island we were overwhelmed by its size and diversity.  Our initial thoughts were that we would frolic in the sunshine and sand of world-class beaches, typical of the island visitor.  But in researching other activities, we realized the island presents too many unique opportunities for us to justify spending the time watching the sea from a beach chair and eating shave ice.

Years ago, I had wanted go on my honeymoon to Hawaii, without really knowing what that meant.  At that time, the inside of a hotel room and cocktails served poolside would have sufficed.  In the thirteen years since my wedding, however, mine and my wife’s theories of vacation, as well as our family, had evolved.  We wanted to make lasting memories for our ten-year old daughter and seven-year old son that we didn’t think a week at a generic beach resort could deliver.  Instead, we wanted to plan as memorable a vacation as we could, with resolutions to hike in ancient rain forests to waterfalls and lava deserts, snorkel on coral reefs and swim with dolphins and other tropical fish that we might only ever see in an aquarium, and if luck was with us and our timing was right, experience the once in a lifetime thrill of viewing lava flows from the active Pu’u O’o vent on Kilauea volcano in Volcanoes National Park.    

The problem with our lofty goals however, was that none of the affordable alternatives to Hawaii would come close to meeting our expectations.  So, when a friend recommended renting a fully-equipped VW camper van as a means to tour the island, we were intrigued.  Not only could the van serve as our day-to-day residence, but also as our primary means of transportation.  This would allow us to more fully experience what the island had to offer than if we rented a car and returned to a hotel room each night.  Plus, the van came with a “kitchen” which would allow us to cook some of our own meals – saving money on food. 

Our excitement at finding this apparent solution was tempered by the websites we visited which talked about dirty and noisy campgrounds.  There were postings about how unfriendly, even threatening, the locals could be.  Gas was prohibitively expensive.   

Despite these reports, and hoping for the best, we shrugged our shoulders and decided to take our chances.  Memories, we decided, would be made, for better or worse.