Hawaii Big Island – Llywindatravels 2022

So Much Hawaii, So Little Time!

I have written more about Hawaii than any place we’ve visited in quite a while. Part of the reason is because we had visitors (after a year!) and went to see many different things. It also turns out that I like the Big Island very much. The weather was perfect, 75 degrees F with breezeContinue reading “So Much Hawaii, So Little Time!”

Historic Hawaii

Hawaii is known for beach vacations, surfing, leis, and mai-tais. There is a lot of interesting history here, too, and we had a chance to explore some of it during our visit. We started just down the hill from our house, at the birthplace of King Kamehameha (Kamehameha l or the Great). It’s the bannerContinue reading “Historic Hawaii”

Snorkeling with Manta Rays

I’ve talked about beaches and snorkeling, the volcano, the botanical garden, and other activities we enjoyed. We owe some of the fun to the suggestions and planning by our visitors. Lyra’s research found Kona Style, a company that offers a sunset boat ride followed by watching manta rays feed in the dark. The opening photoContinue reading “Snorkeling with Manta Rays”

A Saturday in Hilo

There is a Saturday market in Hilo that we decided to visit. It was a long drive, almost two hours, and we decided to include a stop at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden in the same area. The Farmer’s Market in runs seven days a week. The booths are more permanently installed than other farmersContinue reading “A Saturday in Hilo”

Windward (East) Kohala, Hawaii

Just east of us lies a turning point in the landscape. Beyond it, the weather is wetter, the hillsides greener, and the coast is shaped differently. We set out to explore as much of the shore as we could, and immediately ran into high, steep cliffs. There are some tiny patches of beach and rocksContinue reading “Windward (East) Kohala, Hawaii”

Hawaii’s West Kohala coast

Hawaii has lots of shore but not much beach. If you recall that the island is made of volcanoes, you can understand why sand is uncommon. It has to wash in from somewhere else, or form from the waves grinding up rock–a slow process. Usually a “beach” is rocky shore with a place to swimContinue reading “Hawaii’s West Kohala coast”

Around the Volcano: Kilauea

Volcanoes National Park is on the must-see list of every visitor to the Big Island, though since early 2021, there has been no red lava to be seen, not even a red glow after dark. Still, everyone wants to see a massive volcano. Our visit was a big expedition because we are staying at theContinue reading “Around the Volcano: Kilauea”

Shopping & eating come first

We arrived at our new house in Hawi, at the north end of the Big Island (Hawaii, the island, not to be confused with Hawaii, the entire state). Hawi is best known as the finish line in the Hawaii Ironman competition, which has been postponed from October 2021 to March 2022, based on current CovidContinue reading “Shopping & eating come first”

Getting to the Big Island, 2021

It’s a short taxi ride to the SFO airport from the El Rancho Inn, but a bit farther to get on the plane to Hawaii in this age of Covid. When we made our plans to visit Hawaii, Covid was abating in the US, and our Moderna vaccinations were believed to keep us from seriousContinue reading “Getting to the Big Island, 2021”