The Big Island, Hawaii – May 2018
Hotel: AirBNB (Kona)
Having one of the world’s most active volcanoes erupt 10 days before you leave to the very island it’s unleashing itself on, isn’t the most ideal beach vacay situation. Especially when the only reason you were headed there — sorry, friends — was to helicopter over it to get that sweet lava view. Or maybe now I can get that closer view on the ground… kidding. Maybe.
What’s even worse? Having your plane push back from the gate at LAX, but abruptly stopping because the volcano has once again erupted… shooting “ballistic chunks” into the sky. Sounds safe.
Can’t tell ya how thankful I am that happened before we took off. So after getting clearance, we finally departed towards our destination.
Day 1: Kealakekua Bay and Kiholo Bay
We spent our first day exploring the beautiful beaches around Kona. We set out in the morning to Kealakekua Bay, but upon arrival realized this might not be the best spot for swimming and relaxing since there was no open shore and tons of rocks. We noticed a sandy area down the shoreline, so we headed back that way. (Basically if you’re taking directions to Kealakekua Bay, turn left at the end of the road, instead of right.) What we found, hidden behind a small village, was a completely deserted beach with crystal clear water. I’m still unsure if it’s deserted all the time or because the erupting volcano scared away everyone. Either way, it was a perfect spot to spend our morning.
*Flower bikini linked here — and it’s under $10!*
After lunch, we headed out to another beach north of Kona, Kiholo Bay. There’s tons of warnings online to wear proper footwear here, but I thought this applied to the hiking spots surrounding the area. They def meant to get to the beach. It was quite the trek — easy but super rocky — and sneakers would have made this way easier than the flimsy $15 sandals I was wearing that I had bought from a street vendor in Bali over a year ago. Once again, we found ourselves all alone, aside from the few people who passed by. (Tip: Head right down the shore after leaving the parking lot.)
Everyone spent the afternoon relaxing, while I spent it getting hit by a wave in the face. You guess who had more fun, though. Oh, and yes, we did all do an outfit change halfway through the day.
Also, I should mention, everyone was glad I was adamant on getting a Jeep as the rental car since both locations required mild off-roading. (And I was glad my best friend Rebeca had taught me all the best lessons in life, like how to take the tops off Jeeps.)
Day 2: Polou Valley and Waipio Valley
Since heading south was out of the question due to the toxic volcanic air — apparently that’s not good to breathe in or something. Weird — we headed to the north side of the island for the day. After an hour-and-half drive, we reached our first stop right outside of Hawi at Pololu Valley Lookout. I, once again, ignored all the warnings for proper footwear and showed up completely out of place for the hike down to the water. Because fashion is life. Ironically, I managed to make it safely through the entire 30-minute climb but ate shit opening the car door back at the top. Of course. The view down was stunning, and the river at the bottom made me feel like Pocahontas. A gorgeous black sand beach tucked away between these cliffs, but with dangerous wave breaks and strong currents, this isn’t the place to stop for a swim.
Next stop was Waipio Valley for another lookout. This stop had the option to 4×4 down to the shore, but after reading that it’s the steepest road in the USA and mixing that with the rainfall that was happening, we decided against. I didn’t think the view could get any better than the last, but with the sun setting in the background, Waipio’s lookout was an absolutely breathtaking view to end our day.
Day 3: Akaka Falls and Mahai’ula Beach
After a 2-hour drive across the island, we found ourselves in the pouring rain outside Akaka Falls State Park. With only my snowboard mask to keep me warm — because why would I pack that and not a jacket — we headed in to see the waterfalls. At least I wore proper shoes this time around, and a dry face was gonna keep me from becoming completely miserable. It’s a short paved walk past both falls — both of which were completely blocked by fog and unable to be seen. Total fail. When we looked up the weather back in Kona, it was sunny and 84. Someone please get me to a beach ASAP.
On our way out, we stopped at Bri’s BBQ, and that food alone made this trek worth it. Almost.
Back on the sunny side of the island, we spent our remaining few hours at Mahai’ula beach. All of which I spent in the water soaking in every last bit of sun. To reach the shore required quite a bit of driving on a dirt road, but it was the perfect beach full of white sand and blue waters to end our last day.
Another weekend filled with sun and fun that I wouldn’t trade for the world, but you can bet your ass, I’ll be back one day to set my eyes on that volcano. Just wait.
• Everyday Davis • 