Our last Hawaiian Islands visit is the island called Hawai’i – the largest and incidentally has the city of HiLo which many of you will know was the inherited name of our house in Cawthorne. We’re not visiting HiLo though, instead we’re tendering into Kailua-Kona on the other side.
Just before we’re about to leave for our tour we get the news it is cancelled because the driver is ill, so we’re unexpectedly without a plan. A quick scan of Google Maps shows we can still walk to the National Park which was part of the intended tour, so we head down to deck three, jump on a tender and are taken across to town.
Our walk has to be on the road, but there’s a very wide cycle lane so we don’t feel as exposed as we usually are when walking US roads. We divert down to a colourful Honokōhau Marina and then across to the park entrance.
Kaloko-Honokōhau park is significant as it has a fishtrap – how the locals caught fish several thousand years ago by letting the abundant fish swim into the walled enclosure at higher tide and then net the narrow exit to collect them, sometimes transferring them to nearby fish ponds until needed. We explore the coastline, walking up to the first pond before backtracking, pleased to see some turtles making their way inland in the shallows.
We turn of the coast and follow a pathway to the petroglyphs which are 1000 year old carvings on the lava, depicting ships, people and muskets.
On our return to town we walk down to the church and marvel at the huge tree, but after ten miles in 30+ degrees we decide a beer and pizza is beconing.
The afternoon sees a pumpkin carving competition and later some folks are in Halloween dress. We enjoy several ghoulish cocktails, but swerve the after dinner dance party!
