Day 2 - Northern Kona and Waimea

The sun was out this morning, temps are the same all the time, no matter whether it rains or not, even at night it doesn't cool down much, always around 20-25 C.  After breakfast, we left at 8 am towards Waimea, on the northern slope of Mauna Kea, one of several volcanos on Big Island - two of them still active. The road we took went through a lush and green landscape (cattle pastures) with gorgeous ocean views, passing the Parker Ranch,  the famous first cattle operation on Hawaii, and, still today an important private cattle operation. Waimea is known as paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) country, and is now a thriving artsy community with a farmers' market, our first stop this morning.

 Got us baby (apple) bananas - which taste so much different from the sweet, slimy stuff we get at home! - and Ulu bread (made from breadfruit). We visited the old-fashioned Paniolo Museum (pics below) and then drove on to find one of two chicken places on Big Island. Huli-Huli Chicken is roasted chicken with a special marinade. They are roasted street-side, usually on Saturdays, and, the vendors can be seen from far away because of the smoke. Got us a whole chicken (good for two meals).

 

 

Down towards the coast we drove then ,,, to the Hamakua Macadamia Nut factory (right photo). The macadamia nut industry is huge on Big Island with two major processors: Mauna Loa and Hamakua. The state of Hawaii is the largest producer of this delicious nut in the United States! Many different variations are available, we love the Spam version (Frühstücksfleisch) and got Chili in addition, but there are many sweet varieties as well.

 

A little history lesson afterwards: Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. During the late 1700's, the island of Hawai'i was in a bloody civil war and this place tells the epic story of the rise of King Kamehameha who unified the Hawaiian islands. The great temple of Kamehameha the Great (ca. 1736-1819), Pu'ukohola Heiau (photo below), rises above the ocean and is a silent testament to the most renowned king of Hawai'i. Nobody, but Hawaiians, are allowed to get up to the temple for certain ceremonies, but there is a trail, telling the story.

 

Nearby Spencer Beach State Park is our favorite beach on Big Island. It's not touristic at all, to the contrary: it's a local families' beach, especially on weekends. Grills are set up, families gather, anniversaries are being celebrated. It's a beautiful beach, mellow waves, flat to get in, warm and nice, with some shade, thanks to big trees.

 

 

What a nice afternoon we spent there, dozing, bathing, watching people, before we drove back through the barren volcanic zone (old lava flow) of North Kona district. Cul-de-sacs lead to fancy, huge hotel resorts along Hwy. 19 - wouldn't want to stay in one of these,,, 

We arrived back to our cottage in time to enjoy the sunset at 6:45 pm (much earlier than at home!) and enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken, kimchi, ulu bread and Kona IPA on our patio.