Hawaii 2010 - Kona Coast

After our visit to the volcano, we had another full day exploring the area south of Kona. The sights we saw on this day were places Robert and I first saw on our honeymoon and wanted to revisit. We started out with a tour of Greenwell Farms. The farm produces Kona coffee, and also buys and distributes beans from many smaller local farms. They market and sell their own coffee, but a larger part of the business is distribution to companies all over the world. The history of the farm is interesting, and I love seeing how coffee goes from little beans to my daily cup!

Drying the coffee beans

The farm has some fruit plants and trees, and while they no longer grow produce for sale, they offer it to the visitors. We left with some bananas and fresh oranges. Just as we were about to leave, our guide pointed out two chameleons in one of the trees. They stood still long enough for us to get some photos.

Our next stop was the Painted Church. The church was built in 1899 and features intricate murals painted by a priest.

After the church we made our way to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, “The Place of Refuge.” There were several places of refuge located in Hawaii during the time of the kings, but this one was one of the most significant and has been restored by the National Park Service. Once again, Daddy’s Golden Access Passport came in handy and we got in for free.

When Robert and I made our first visit, we arrived near closing time and didn’t have much time to explore. Our camera also died after about 3 pictures, so we were glad we had the opportunity to take our time and see everything. The park gives such a vivid picture of what life was like for the ancient Hawaiians, and when standing on the shore watching the palm trees and the waves, it’s difficult to believe that such a peaceful place had such a turbulent history.

We finally got a photo of the 5 of us, and I couldn’t believe that everyone was looking at the camera!

We saw all of the sites and then went to lunch at the Ke’ei Café. It wasn’t quite as good as we remembered it, but it was okay. We were all pretty tired by this point, and we headed back to the condo (after a shave ice, of course!).

Claire went down for a nap, and I grabbed the opportunity to head down to the pool. Beautiful pool, Mai tai and book in hand, views of the whales frolicking right off the shore – it was a pretty perfect way to end an afternoon!

Later that evening we brought Claire down to swim a little before bed. It was windy, so we would get cold as soon as we stepped out of the water, but Claire had fun – there were lots of laughs and giggles as she played in the pool with Mommy and Daddy. It was so good to see her get more comfortable and enjoy the water activities as our trip progressed.