Day 6

 After a very long day, we slept in, and slowly started our day. We decided to drive back to the Kohala coast to look for whales. Our condo (Hale Kona Kai) came stocked with beach chairs and beach umbrella which was very helpful. We stopped by our favorite grocery store KTA super stores for some onigri mentai and musubi as snacks. We visited a couple parks where it was recommended to see whales but didn't like either. So instead, we pulled over on the side of the road and climbed a hill and settled in. It didn't take long before seeing some whales. We learned that they surface about every 10 minutes so we were ready to anticipate their movements. We were lucky that we saw them just in front of us and they didn't move very quickly so we were able to see many episodes of surfacing.

We couldn't go kayaking because there was a high surf warning - 8-11 feet surf! I was worried about our dive the next day. 

Day 5

 Today started off as a leisurely day but ended up being a day packed with activity.

We drove north to Pololu Valley. On the way north, we drove along the western coast - Kohala coast - and saw a whale breaching by as we drove by. We stopped along the road and watch and saw it do a couple tail flips. It was super cool and unexpected. The view along the drive was beautiful. The visibility was so good we could see to Maui and the other islands.

The view at Pololu Valley was stunning! We hiked down to the beach and saw the mist/clouds rolling into the valley and walked along the river among the trees and also along the beach. We tried to climb up the other side but without a map to guide us we didn't known how long before we'd see a vista again so turned back. The climb back wasn't bad at all. Beautiful views at every turn.

Next we drove along the east side of the northern area which afforded a different beautiful view. 

We went to Akaka Falls which is in a state park. Not really worth it as it was less than a mile walk with a peak at the waterfall and lots of people also visiting. Plus they charge per car as well as per person. 

We stopped in Hilo for coffee and snacks but went to a place that was definitely on island time as it took over 30 minutes to get our coffee and bubble snack (like a large soft waffle cone with ice cream). 

We then drove to the Volcano National Park. We got there just at dusk. We started at the northern side. We drove by the Steaming vents and saw all the steam rising from the ground. The volcano has been active since September of 2021. Apparently, it flows a couple days and stops a couple days. We were in luck because it had just started erupting anew that day. We went to the Kilauea Overlook and saw this smoke cloud forming above the volcano with a bright red glow from the lava. You could see the volcano spewing the smoke intermittently.

We then drove around the chain of craters road to Devastation Trail and walked about 1.5 miles in the dark to the Pu'upua'i Overlook. There we could see the lava emanating from the cone and the lake of lava flowing out around the crater. It was awesome! Everything looked so bright. You could see the pattern of the flow changing with time and every once in a while the volcano will spew some chunks of red. It was mesmerizing.  

The drive back to the condo was a bit tedious as we didn't get back until 11pm but totally worth it!

Day 4

With breakfast, we saw a pod of dolphins swimming past us. Beautiful start to the day. Then we visited Kiholo Bay where we saw 8 turtles - some catching some rays on the beach and some swimming by in the shallows. 

Then we headed out for our afternoon and night dives. Dive 1 was on the reef at garden eel cove. It was near sunset so the eels came out to play - I saw 10 eels including 2 that were free swimming! I also saw a male boxfish that is endemic to Hawaii - beautiful colors.

The night dive was nearby and was the much anticipated manta ray dive. They turn on these lights as the sun is setting to attract the plankton that think they are gathering by the setting sun and with the plankton come the manta rays. First there were 3-4 boats of snorkellers. Must have been cold for them as they only wore swimsuits. After they left, we went for our dive. We sat/laid on the sandy bottom and watched as manta rays "flew" by us. I say "flew" because watching them gracefully glide through the water in front of us and above us resembles majestic birds overhead. One manta ray came straight at me but I did not flinch. I held steady and took pictures ;) what an amazing experience!

Day 3

A day off from diving. We planned to snorkel at Captain Cook which is supposed to be the best snorkeling location but requires a 1300ft hike or a kayak to get to. Unfortunately, the surf was too high and the kayak rental people recommended against kayaking. Therefore, instead, we went to 2 steps which is the second best snorkel site. The site is reported to have turtles on one side and spinner dolphins on the other. We had a great time snorkeling there but didn't see any turtles or dolphins. Instead, we did see several eagle rays which was quite cool. 

For lunch we had poke at Umeke's. This was supposed to be the best poke spot and the wait was quite long. Unlike California poke where you pick the proteins and then the sauces, Hawaiian poke is premixed/marinated and you only get 1 or 2 fish options. I liked the spicy Hawaiian and da avo options best! They also had this spicy crab option that was quite yummy. 

When we got back to the condo, we saw a green turtle in our tidal pool. I was quite worried for him for a while because he couldn't get out. But one big wave finally rescued him. Another turtle came by later but I was less worried that time.