Big Island of Hawaii-- Day(s) 10, 11, & 12
Our final "real" day of vacation we wanted to check out a few waterfalls on the other side of the island near Hilo. I think we were all dreading that 2+ hour drive. But I am a sucker for a beautiful waterfall!
Our first stop was rainbow falls:
If you time it just right the cave behind the waterfall will fill with a rainbow too but we were a bit early; which actually turned out to be a good thing since the skies clouded up right as we were leaving!
From there we headed to the boiling pots just 1.5 miles up the road; even knowing that the waters weren't high enough to look like they were boiling we thought it might be worth a stop anyway. It seemed like both islands we visited were very dry compared to what they usually are.
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| another banyan tree! |
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| we saw these neat purple rubbery-feeling ferns on both islands |
From there we decided to drive to a nearby hiking trail we wanted to check out but we missed the trailhead and pulled into a parking lot of a botanical garden. We gave the boys the option to hike or tour the garden and they unanimously picked the garden so we did that instead. I thought it would be a lot like the one we toured on Maui but this was completely different!
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| We could see and hear the beach from most of the garden |
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| our picnic lunch view |
We ate at the Sunset Kai Lanai on the way back to the condo.
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| beautiful views but it was windy |
In the evening the boys all went out for some shaved ice (weirdly this was the only place on both islands that called it shaved ice instead of shave ice) & we caught a hula show in the middle of the shopping plaza.
Days 11-12 (December 28th & 29th) were spent flying home. Yes, it's a lengthy process to get back home. No planes leave Hawaii for the mainland until the afternoon which had us scheduled to land in California late in the evening.
We ate breakfast at Papa Konas then hung out at the condo until it was time to head to the airport around 11; which was our check out time anyway.
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| Island style French toast with macadamia and coconut and island made bread. |
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| The Kona airport on the big island is an open air set up with little huts |
We landed in LAX at 10 pm and had to nearly run through the airport to make it to our next flight. But we did! ...And it was delayed a few minutes anyway. We left LAX by 11 pm (California time) and landed in Chicago at 5 am (Chicago time). Each time we landed I had to resync my watch to get the correct time to show up. We were crossing so many time zones!
By this time we were all SO TIRED! We had a nearly 2 hour layover so some of us grabbed breakfast and then we boarded one last flight at 7 am to head to Hartford where we landed at 10:30 our time and then had a 90 minute drive home. It felt so good to get home at noon and take a really hot shower and just relax. I tried really hard not to nap so I would adjust to the time change quicker. It was a fabulous trip but that ride home was brutal. I can't remember the last time I was that tired and that uncomfortable for so long... they really don't make planes like they used to.
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The waterfalls really are beautiful! What amazing views!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like such a long trip home but the trip made it worth it, I'm sure.
I wasn't so sure while we were actually travel but once we had been home for a day or two I absolutely thought the long trip home was well worth all the fun we had and all we got to see.
DeleteI love seeing all the picture of the waterfall, plants, and animals!
ReplyDeleteI've never made it to Hawaii myself, just the thought of such a long flight put me off, but it sure looks beautiful!
Aw, thank you. The long flights were daunting but well worth all we got to see. I am so glad my husband suggesting staying longer than our standard 6 nights though.
DeleteIt gets more and more beautiful with your posts every day- looks so lush!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you! This was a really wet/lush area and so fun to explore. While it was so neat seeing all the lava fields I much prefer plants, flowers, & greenery.
DeleteThe botanical garden looks like paradise! And to be able to hear the ocean from it? The waterfalls were really amazing as well. The trip back sounds brutal but I'm sure it was worth it!!
ReplyDeleteI loved getting to hear the ocean from inside the garden. It was so relaxing! The travel there and back did feel pretty brutal but I definitely think it was worth it.
DeleteSo beautiful! And I bet the pictures are not nearly as amazing as it is in person despite how gorgeous they are!
ReplyDeleteYes! I did feel that way. The picture are almost a let down but only because I know what it looked like in person.
DeleteThose waterfalls are gorgeous and I still cannot get over the foliage! So beautiful. I’m so sorry the trip back was tough, believe me I’ve been in those situations. Maybe you’ve said it and I missed it but I am curious which island was your favorite? We are definitely going to be planning a trip over there in the next couple years And I will save your posts.
ReplyDeleteOur favorite of the two was Maui; there was just more to do there. We thought it was prettier and more populated so there was a wide range of restaurants, shops, etc. That said we are so glad we got to see the Big Island since it definitely had more climate diversity and a whole different look to it.
DeleteI remember the Rainbow Falls! The botanical garden pictures are so cool, especially that lizard!
ReplyDeleteWe had so much fun spotting all those little lizards.. I love that one that Evan managed to snap with the lizard looking right out of the greenery at the camera.
DeleteThose waterfalls and that botanical garden are amazing. What a trip!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you! It really was beautiful.
DeleteI love your photos but I am glad I did not have to walk up all those steps.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteYou took so many great pictures! Considering how brutal the trip there and back sounded (you sure aren't kidding about them not making planes like they used to!) it's nice you were able to stay long enough to make the long journey worth it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I am so glad we didn't go for just a week a few years ago and waited until we could enjoy a longer chunk of time on the islands.
DeleteYou really did a lot on your trip. But I agree. The travel part is hard and not comfortable. I always attributed it to getting older, but maybe you're right...they don't make planes as comfy now?
ReplyDeleteLove that you saw these botanic gardens too.
XOOX
Jodie
Our very last plane on the ride home was a much older model and we were surprised at how much more comfortable the seats were and how much more space and leg room we had despite being such a tiny plane with just 2 seats on each side of the aisle. I had assumed it was just my memory and "old bones" up until that point but it really was a HUGE difference.
DeleteIt's no joke to go from Hawaii to the east coast...wow! What a journey. And you are so right about the planes not being the same as they used to be. I remember cushiony seats and enough room to get up and slide past the passengers in your row to go to the bathroom. Have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteYes! I remember that too! I also remember talking 2 side by side down the aisle to get on our plane to France.
DeleteWow looks amazing!!! You got such great photos. I especially love the baby pineapple growing. I am stuck here at home in the cold reading this while we have our carpets cleaned, so these photos have been a bright spot in my day. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteAw, Thank you! We really did have a great trip.
DeleteBeautiful flora and fauna in Hawaii. I especially like the frog and lizard photos. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
ReplyDeleteFor sure! It was so neat to see such different plants and animals everywhere we went.
DeleteBeautiful photographs. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAw, it was my pleasure!
DeleteThose waterfalls are just amazing, aren't they? And the beautiful flowers. Boy, you had some wonderful meals there, too. That shrimp looked to die for! Welcome home, Joanne. I hope you get time-switched easily!
ReplyDeleteWe really did have such a fabulous time. I was all time adjusted by the next morning (though I did go to bed at 6:30/7 that night but I slept a full 12 hours and that seemed to "reset" my internal clock).
DeleteJoanne, I'm just catching up with your trip posts now...and wow, so beautiful. I'm sitting in my kitchen staring at several inches of snow, freezing, taking in all the warm sights from your trip. I've never been to Hawaii, as you said, it's a long way from the east coast, but it really looks like the trip of a lifetime. I also didn't realize we were tri-state neighbors...well, at least when you were at the Connecticut airport!!
ReplyDeleteYep, we live in Ct; very close to the tri-state marker in fact!
DeleteThe tri state marker of RI, Mass, & CT (I'm assuming there must be another one with Mass, Ct, NY?).
DeleteThe Big Island is my favourite island in Hawaii. We always include a stop there.
ReplyDeleteI keep saying I can't pick a favorite until I get to see the other islands that we missed! So far my husband isn't buying it.
DeleteIt's good to see Hawaii again after the huge catastrophic fires in Maui. We spent many wonderful days on several of the islands over the years. I think $30 is a lot for the views of the falls, but you contributed to their economy, which is much needed. Your post brought back lovely memories. Marsha :)
ReplyDeleteSo very true!
DeleteIf you are going to frame any of these photos, how on earth are you going to pick? Such a beautiful trip!
ReplyDeleteWe really did get so many lovely photos!
DeleteThese are wonderful. As much as I love waterfalls, I reallylove the pic with the moss covered rocks in the gorge. Lovely. Such a beautiful place! #WeekendCoffeeShare
ReplyDeleteI was so glad the boys picked the botanical gardens after we had walked through them. The hike would not have been nearly as beautiful!
DeleteYour beautiful photos caught so many memorable moments from your trip! Thanks for taking us along with you! So fun and I learned a lot, too!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you so much.
DeleteSo super lovely. Your Hawaii trip looks wonderful and I have been enjoying the pics.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you. I am so glad you've enjoyed them.
DeleteHi Joanne, there is so much more to Hawaii than I thought. It certainly offers more than surf and sand. Thanks for sharing and I've selected your post as one of my favourites to be featured in this coming week's #WeekendTrafficJamReboot. x
ReplyDeleteIt sure does and thank you so much for featuring my post this week!
DeleteWaterfalls AND a garden sound like a dreamy day. The flight home sounds not so dreamy. The price to pay for travelling, right?!?!
ReplyDeleteRight?! It was a really beautiful day.
DeleteJoanne, these photos are truly breathtaking! I love waterfalls, but I'm not sure I'd walk that far! That flight home sounds horrifying. I'm so glad you have the wonderful memories and photos to make up for it.
ReplyDeletehttps://marshainthemiddle.com/
Thank you; neither fall was all that far but we did have to wait behind other people on the paved path.
DeleteThat trip home is no joke. It would be a long way to go for just a week. I am a sucker for a waterfall too. Glad you had a wonderful trip.
ReplyDeleteThat had been my husband's argument-- that it was too far to go for just one week and I am so glad he talked us into waiting a few years until we could take a longer trip to make it more worthwhile. We had a blast.
DeleteIt is all so lush!
ReplyDeleteIt really is; on certain sides of the island.
DeleteYou captured some beautiful photos. Gorgeous. I love waterfalls.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I love waterfalls too!
DeleteBotanical gardens are my favorites, this one looks like a must see to me. Loving all those cute lizards everywhere! The waterfall looks fantastic too surrounded by everything green. So pretty! Definitely adding Hawaii to my bucket list.
ReplyDeleteWe really loved the botanical gardens too; it was so funny that we hadn't really noticed any lizards anywhere but we spotted this same species over and over again all through this garden.
DeleteY'all really made the most of your trip!! So many fun times and so many beautiful pictures!! That journey home did sound tough, though. That is a lot of layovers!! When we went to Hawaii, thankfully, we were able to fly nonstop from ATL to Honolulu, but man, was that a LONG flight.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we actually didn't want a nonstop flight because I just can't sit that long... but I would have loved just one layover on the way back home like the way there. I never get why plane routes aren't ever even remotely the same coming and going!
DeleteWhat an incredible trip! It's almost like you need a vacation from the trip home haha!
ReplyDeleteIt sure felt that way but luckily we recovered quickly and had the best memories to look back on.
Deletearem
ReplyDeleteOh, my gosh. What spectacular photos. What a grand time you must have had. Aren't you glad we don't have to pay for film any more?? And we can take a zillion photos and see them right away!! Cannot wait to see how you scrapbook this vacation. Hope you will share all of the pages you create. The plants are just so lush. And the waterfalls. Have always wanted to shampoo my hair in a waterfall!! That French toast looks divine. Wonder if I could find a recipe on Pinterest?
Aw, thank you! I am SO glad we don't have to deal with film anymore; we would have been changing out rolls left and right! I bet you could find a similar recipe on Pinterest but I'm not sure if you could find the actual bread they used anywhere. I saw it in a few grocery stores in Hawaii it's usually pink or purple in color and it's made by a company called Punalu'u. But I bet any soft and sweet bread would work.
DeleteHawaii, how beautiful. Sounds like you need a vacation from the vacation, rest for sure! I enjoy looking at your images. We don't travel much and this is always a fun way for me to visit places, thru the eyes of others!
ReplyDeleteTake care and best wishes.
Aw, thank you! I love traveling vicariously through other bloggers as well.
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