Beyond Kona coffee
OF course there’s more to Kona that just the coffee. Here are our family favourites:
Beaches
This is, after all, Hawaii, with swaying palms and crystal clear waters perfect for snorkelling. We came across a honu (sea turtle in Hawaiian) and colourful trigger fish, the humuhumunukunukuapua’a, during our beach snorkelling trips. If these are not spectacular enough, then head to the green sand beach or black sand beach.
Located near scenic South Point, the Papakolea green sand beach is created from silicate deposit of lava called olivine. The drive to South Point is scenic but it requires a mildly strenuous hike to reach the beach.
Further south, the Punalu’u black sand beach beckons with gleaming black sand made of basalt, created by the explosion of lava coming into contact with the ocean.
Petroglyphs and historical national parks
We enjoyed exploring petroglyphs and deciphering the ancient rock carvings at Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve, the largest field of petroglyphs discovered with more than 2,000 drawings.
History buffs will enjoy the Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. In ancient days, to escape the death penalty, defeated warriors and those who broke the sacred laws or kapu would need to reach the Puuhonua, a place of refuge (no harm would come to those who reached the boundaries of Puuhonua).
We visited the sprawling and serene grounds bordering the ocean to view the reconstructed temple, Hale o Keawe, which is guarded by fierce wood-carved statutes called kii.
Hula and cultural traditions
No visit to Hawaii would be complete without watching hula performances! Dinner shows include a luau or Hawaiian feast and Polynesian cultural performance. Public performances are also common.
Our visit happened to coincide with the Japanese new year celebration at the Donkey Mills Arts Centre. We learned how to construct a kadomatsu, a traditional Japanese decoration for the new year, made of pine sprigs, bamboo and plum blossoms tied together with a cord.
Then we witnessed the mochi pounding ceremony and later tried our hand at rolling the mochi (no easy task making it round!).