Have you ever been to Hawaii? I find the question everyone asks is, what island are you going to? Each island offers a different experience, and for this trip we went to the big island. The overall vibe is pretty chill, not like K’auai chill, but still pretty mello. So here’s what we did while we were there:
- Rent a house in Milolii – Milolii, Hawaii is a quiet little community south of Kona. During the day we would walk down the bluffs to where the lava rocks meet the ocean and snorkle, fish, or kayak. At night we would eat dinner while watching that night’s sunset and later fall asleep to the sound of the ocean waves crashing.
- Black Sand Beach in Milolii – A hidden gem we were lucky to have been told about by a local. We hiked on a beaten path, past a few grave sites, and over some overgrowth until we found the secluded cove. We swam in the warm water, snorkeled, found a coconut and actually got it open, and collected some sand for my collection. This was probably my favorite beach to enjoy from this trip.
- Manta Ray Night Diving – A charter boat took us from Kona to a nearby spot where manta rays are known to
feed. We got there at sunset. After we geared up in wet suits, mask and fins, and armed with a powerful flashlight, we jumped in! It was my first night dive so initially I was a little nervous, but I was comforted by having so many other people around. Once we descended to the ocean floor (approximately 40 feet) we formed a large circle on the bottom. The idea was to attract plankton with our flashlights in order to attract the manta rays that would feed on them. While we were waiting for them we saw Crazy Frank! Crazy Frank is a three foot morey eel. He is said to be very friendly. I considered myself lucky when I saw him cautiously leave his spot under a rock and slither his way over to me. He creeped under my crossed legs and stayed there for 10 minutes! I had everyone’s eyes on me as Crazy Frank was the star of the show since the manta rays were making a late appearance. It was very cool and also a highlight of our trip. This is a must do in Hawaii! - Papakolea Green Sand Beach – It is one of four green sand beaches in the world and therefore a place I desperately wanted to see as a sand collector. Click here for the post about it.
- Swimming with the dolphins – This was a first for us. We motored along the coast on a boat searching for dolphins. When someone spotted one we would all put our mask, snorkel, and fins on preparing to jump into the water. The boat would get us close to the dolphins and 1.. 2…3.. dive in! If you were lucky they would be mere feet away. In most cases they were several feet below us, but there were so many of them in a pod it was quite a site to see. My mom swears one of them made eye contact with her and they shared a moment. Haha.
Akaka and Rainbow Falls in Kona – This was definitely a Hawaiian tropical experience. Check out the post
about it here to read about the experience, and here for the awful ant attack!- Hawaii Volcano National Park– Nice hikes, lava tubes to walk through, vegetation, and an active volcano to see at night. Click here to see pictures and read the post about it.
- Fruit Stands– They’re on the side of the road and have delicious fruits. Read about them here.
- Attacked by fire ants– To see pictures of the aftermath click here.
- Punalu’u & Sea Turtles Beach– A calm beach with turtles resting in the pools. To see pictures and read about it, click here.
- Flumes at Waipio Lookout – We heard about these on some other blog spot. I wouldn’t be able to give good directions on how to get here again, but it was arguably the best experience of our trip. Click here to read the post about it. ♦
