Upside Out & Inside Down: Travels in the Tropics: April 2012

South point has been great, but let’s face it. Lava rock beaches and high velocity winds have nothing on THIS

Welcome to the Kohala Coast!

After stocking up on camping necessities (read: beer, pineapple coconut juice & rum, PB, jelly, hummus, wraps & beans) and surviving the concrete jungle that is Kona, we headed north about 30 miles to enjoy the plentiful white sand beaches of Kohala. Our first two nights we spent at Mahukona Beach Park, an awesome spot for snorkeling and whale watching. Almost immediately after pulling into the parking lot, we spotted a great campsite under some trees removed from the action. Hawaiians certainly know how to party in style—each beach park has at least one spacious, electrified picnic shelter and they are always booked for huge celebrations with bbq and bumpin’ island reggae tunes, which take a bit of an acquired taste to really enjoy…(check my personal favorite out: Heavyweight Love by Hot Rain).

Anyway, after setting up our tent, we were approached by an older gentleman that asked where we had set up our tent. We pointed “over yonder” and he quickly warned us about the local cat population, and said to be careful because the cats would pee on our tent. So, I’ll be the first one to admit, this guy was a bit of a character, likely already a sheet or two to the wind, so we kept our tent in place. Besides. Kitties generally like us. However, as we started to look around, I saw a white cat. Then a grey cat. A striped one. Low and behold, when I really started looking around, there were literally like 30 plus cats, roaming amongst the lava rock and weaving their way through the tall grass surrounding our little campsite. As it turns out, the beach park doubles as a “stray cat refuge” and people can come and leave their cats there for safe refuge. Apparently there are actual cat activists that come to feed these cats, ultimately ensuring a population sufficient enough to thrive, and mark all territory as theirs. In the end, the dude was right, our tent was no exception and was thoroughly claimed by one of the ruling felines.

Other than the cats, the camping spot was awesome. We sat and enjoyed the ocean view, that was (MUCH to my exuberant delight) speckled with passing Humback whale pods. Over the four days on the coast, we had the pleasure of seeing several pods and some lovely whale acrobatics. And of course, tested several beaches out along the way northward to the end of the road: the Pololu Valley.

We had the pleasure of visiting the Valley on our last trip to the Big Island a few years ago, but had a typical (for the north side) rainy and overcast day. The majestic beauty of the Valley wasn’t diminished even as we were soaked in rain, but it was hard not to wonder what it would look like on a sunny day. This trip we got it.

Pololu Valley is the first of 5 subsequent valleys divided by lush ridgeline and its beauty just flirts with your imagination of what the more remote valleys must hold. As this valley is the most easily accessible, (just literally drive to the end of the road and get out of your car) on a sunny day, the crowds were out in full force. But surprisingly, once we reached the beach, we were easily able to find a vacant spot to rest and relax. We’re definitely inspired to try and get to Waipio Valley, one of the most sacred, magical and remote locations on the island. So stay tuned for that adventure…

For those of you who know Nick well, you know he loves sandwiches. Although he’ll eat just about any sandwich, (let me tell you I’ve had my fair share of PB&J since we’ve started this adventure) his fave is a good ol’ east coast sub sandwich. It’s hard enough in Seattle to get a sandwich up to his standards, so I didn’t have much hope when he came across The Lighthouse Deli in Hawi, and wanted to try it. Once I looked at the menu, and read they play the Dead and serve local beer, I was all about the plan. After working up an appetite at Pololu, we were crossing our fingers the Lighthouse wouldn’t disappoint. Luckily for us, it didn’t!

Not much to complain about when your mouth is full of a tasty sub sammy and your looking at this….

Sunset view from back lanai (ocean view)

House sitting in Hawaii is no straight-forward task. Sure, similar responsibilities exist: feeding the household pets, watering plants, and keeping the house reasonably tidy. But no one mentioned having to fend off the world’s LARGEST spiders (ok not literally the largest, but check these babies out—easily size of a tuna can, and they jump like a mo fo) or avoiding stepping on toads the size of large grapefruits when walking out the driveway. We’re also on water catchment here, so must be mindful of water usage since we’ve had a bit of a dry spell (great for sitting in the sun though!) and all drinking water must be collected from the town well.

Lil' Suzie Q

Mr. Chip

Luckily, we have two spunky kitties enlisted to help with pest control. The kitties I guess don’t have names, but within hours of being here, we’ve taken to calling the striped one Chip, and the black one Suzie Q. Chip and Suzie also have a big orange friend that comes around to be fed, we’re calling Frank. Between the three of them, they do seem to keep mice, large bugs and gecko populations in check.

Fern forest hike

After tending to the animals, our daily routine has morphed into a run, iced coffees on the lanai, outdoor showers, then an afternoon adventure of sorts—fruit foraging included. The south side of the island has a variety of climates; we’ve hiked in a fern forest, and lounged on black sand beaches. The green sand beach is one of the more unique attractions, if you can withstand the hurricane-force winds and the 3 or so mile hike in. At least you get a little exfoliation action while lounging on the beach.

All in all, the south side has been a nice beginning to our adventure. But things get REALLY Hawaiian during our trip to the Kohala Coast.

Winged friend hiking up by the volcano

Perfectly clear day--our first time seeing Mauna Kea completely, which is the largest mountain in the world if measured from it's oceanic base. It's a whopping 33,500 feet!