The Tiny Home Experience

North Kona and Kohala are known for its fancy resort/condo/vacation rental complexes, lining up along the beach. This morning we drove north on Hwy. 19 along the West Coast, which is plastered with shopping malls (like Queens' MarketPlace on the picture), huge hotel complexes like the Hilton Waikoloa Village, golf courses, beach clubs, condos etc. It's hard to get to the beach at all. Wouldn't want to stay in one of these "gettos", as luxurious they may be.

"Endless is the good that I have given you to enjoy." - so the words of King Kamehameha I. His political rise and the construction of Pu'ukohola Heiau (temples) - our next stop - occurred around 1790. In the 1780s, the Hawaiian Islands were in civil unrest when different chiefs fought for control. Also, at the same time, European explorers - as the British John Young and Isaac Davis - came to visit the islands and they helped Kamahameha to rise to power. Young eventually became governor on the Island of Hawai'i, Davis on the island of O'ahu. The temples consisted of massive walls, of which the foundations are still to be seen, unfortunately the trail up to the platform was closed. A trail goes to Pelekane Bay - a former Hawaiian village - where sharks are regularly spotted. We only saw crabs running,,,

The harbor town of Kawaihae (big container port!), where the National Historical Site is situated, is also home of the Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company. Macadamia nuts are besides coffee the second-important agricultural product on Hawaii. In the large factory store with a viewing area of the fabrication line and a film presentation, they not only sell regular nuts, but nuts with different flavors like Washabi, Chili or Spam (the most beloved product on Hawaii, German: Fruehstuecksfleisch!), coconut-glazed, rhum-butter glazed, coffee-coated,,, as well as brittle and popcorn.

With a stop at Spencer Park Beach (to check it out for our first bath in the ocean one day,,,), we arrived to Waimea. Landscape had changed considerably during the drive. From "volcanic" and pretty barren along the coast to lush, fair green and hilly towards Waimea, in the center of the island. Cattle country, home of the famous Parker Ranch, formerly one of the largest, if not the largest cattle ranches in the U.S.A. More about that tomorrow!

In Waimea, almost 2,500 ft. (760 m) high, temps had dropped from 85 deg. F. at the beach to under 70 deg. F. (62 in the evening!) and it became cloudy with a few raindrops mixed in. Not really Hawaiian weather! We checked into the Tiny Home we had booked through Airbnb, were greeted by the caretaker (it's a Guesthouse at the same time) and, well, that's where the adventure started,,, Stargazing is popular here, but,,, thick clouds and low temperatures! Couldn't sit outside in the lush garden, but were restricted to a couple of square meters inside, wearing our warm sweaters. And, once more, chicken for dinner,,,

It's a first generation Tiny Home (mobile, with wheels), and the kitchen area is larger than the sitting area. It comes fully equipped with fridge, stove and lots of storage space, but, what's missing is a comfy sitting area, only benches. The "bedroom" is upstairs, not as tight as we thought and the bed is comfortable, only thing is to get used to is this strange, steep ladder up (which is, in addition, constantly in the way). Hope I don't need to go to the restroom at night! Toilet is in the house, shower is open-air, behind the house, and there is an additional bathtub for all guests (hot water) for "romantic stargazing" at the main house. The kitchen sink is where we'll wash our faces, the mere thought of showering outside makes me shiver,,, Towels are in short supply, the included breakfast seems to be a "myth". But, we do have WiFi!!! Weather is supposed to improve, so, let's hope for the best! We wanted to experience "tiny living", now we've got it,,,

Good thing on Big Island is the abundance of Hawaiian culture and history. On the photo the historic Ala Loa Trail, going all around the island. Also, caused by its size, this Hawaiian island appears much less cramped and touristy than Maui or Kauai, more "locals" around, more authentic "Aloha Feeling". More roads, too, with higher speed limit, and surprisingly many different climate zones and landscapes. Only thing missing to date are attractive beaches and surfers. Prices are exorbitantly high in every regard. Don't get it, why e.g. fruit are so expensive - available in abundance and sometimes rotting on the ground. Plenty of beef cattle, too, but as we got to know today, they have to be slaughtered on the mainland and shipped back, which makes it expensive. Isn't that strange?

First flower below (growing in front of our Tiny Home) I still have to identify, it's used for leis, second is Ilima, a plant endemic to Hawai'i.