02/04/26- The first trip of the year has arrived and it’s the Big Island of Hawaii. I wake up around 6:30am to allow time to get packed and order Subway for our travel. I have to wait until 8am when they open to order through the app, which cuts close our 8:20am pick up time. Luckily our daughter is able to share her morning with us by dropping us off at the airport.
We use the kiosk to get our bag tags, drop them off with literally no line and swiftly fly by security before arriving at our gate with two hours to spare. It’s a boring wait, so I spend it by checking out others and playing the game of, “I wonder which annoying weirdo will be sitting next to us on the plane”. Of course my eyes go first to the newborn baby. Sure enough, that is who sits behind us after we board.
The flight last six hours with the baby crying for about half of it. There‘s no meal service (hence the Subway sandwiches), and the only entertainment is on our own phones. At least my wireless service provider allows me free internet for the entire flight.
We land shortly after 3pm local time in Kona and have a brief wait for our gate to open before disembarking onto the runway outside. The walk toward the airport gate looks more like we just got off a boat than a plane, with the terminal being completely outside. Even baggage claim was open air.
After grabbing our bags, which literally were coming around the belt as we arrive, we board the free shuttle to Dollar Rent-A-Car. Three minutes later we are first in line to get our rental. This is super fast for us and very impressed with the efficiency. Our Kia Soul is large enough for our luggage and easy to maneuver the twenty-five minute drive to our AirBnb at Kona Shores.
This place looks terrific. We have a full kitchen, separate room, nice patio and all looks new. We spend about an hour getting settled, flipping switches, cranking the a/c and to briefly rest before grabbing our cameras to head outside.
Our place is located right off the beach which allows us to climb rocks and get a gorgeous view of the waves crashing as the sun sets in the distance. What an awesome view and a great first impression. Ain’t gonna lie, the waves came pretty close to soaking us sometimes as we maneuver over the loose rocks, but it’s totally worth it.
Not too much else on the agenda today as we need sleep, so we finish the night by grabbing some groceries for our stay and plan out our first adventure tomorrow. Aloha
02/05/26- A restful night with a comfy bed and the place stayed nice and cool. What more can you ask for? With the time difference we get up around 8am but still feeling groggy. It takes a few hours before we are ready to leave and luckily it’s to a place we both are very excited about.
Takes only ten minutes to Kahalu’u Beach Park for snorkeling. According to what we read, this is one of the better places to go to for clear water and to see plenty of fish. Parking is $12 at the venue, but luckily we find street parking for free right across the street. Already a win.
We grab our beach chairs and snorkel gear (courtesy of our AirBnb host) and prepare to find shade on the black sand beach when we notice they have a covered area with tables. Forget the chairs as this looks much more inviting and secure.
We take a few photos and toss the nerf around (who knew she could throw) before putting our masks on and head for the water. We’re a bit nervous about the tide at first as not many people are actually in the water, but after talking with the lifeguard it sounds like it will be decent, albeit a strong current every now and then.
Putting our fins on in the water is a bit of a challenge as the tide changes directions, almost sending me to the rocks, but it’s not long before we’re swimming along with a nice 78 degree water temp. Immediately we see fish swimming around but it’s not until we get further out into the depths that we encounter schools of all colors whizzing through the current and feeding on the reef.
It’s a fun time but after awhile our muscles feel the pull and we head to shore. We were hoping to see a sea turtle today but it’s not to be. We did see a dude… on a surfboard… while sitting in a chair. All that was missing was a cooler of beer.
Feeling hungry, we stop at our AirBnb to change clothes and head back to the airport for our new rental agreement (grabbing some hamburgers along the way). We ended up having two reservations for our rental car (one for a day and the other for the remaining). Why you ask, well let me tell you… cost. To rent a car for the entire trip would cost double than to have two separate reservations for the same amount of time. Didn’t make sense before and still doesn’t now but that’s what we did.
Afterwards, we stop to see the historic town of Kona. Not much here but a few shops lining the strip, but it’s something to do for about an hour with free parking.
Now it’s time to once again go back to our hotel for a few hours to rest up for our night adventure. Shortly before 6pm we drive to Dolphin Discoveries to check-in, grab some gear and then head over to Keauhou Bay. It’s a bit nerve racking trying to find the place with a time limit but we catch our boat in time to night snorkel with manta rays. You heard me right.
We are taken out into the open water, drop from the edge of the boat and grab onto a floating pontoon. A blue light illuminates us as we all look below for a sighting, all the while holding on for dear life as the waves rock us.
It takes five minutes or so but soon a manta ray swoops underneath. Not long after another joins and literally swims right up to me, bony mouth open and all. I thought it was about to attack so I just kept filming. I mean might as well document while I can. What an epic show they put on and a complete must do for anyone given the chance.
After about thirty minutes, we climb back into the boat just as my stomach starts to feel queasy (most likely from all the waves). Luckily I don’t feel sick but the nausea does last until we get back to our AirBnb.
02/06/26- Wake up, eat breakfast and get ready for our day out… same-o, same-o. Except for one minor detail. We need to get Sharece some long pants and a jacket. Hmmm Jeff, why would you need that in Hawaii? Well, apparently their mountain, Mauna Kea, can get pretty cold and windy and we didn’t think about this coming in. No worries, we leave a bit earlier and Wal-Mart is on the way so Sharece runs in for her warm clothing and presto we are on our way.
The drive takes an hour and a half. We can’t ask for a better day as there’s hardly a cloud in sight (unusual for this side of the island). By the time we reach Waipio Valley Lookout, we jump out the car and dart down the short hill to see an incredible view of the valley and coastline. All the greenery is lush, the sky nice and blue and our cameras can’t get enough. It is a touch warm at 80 degrees so we escape to the shade every now and then, but the view is simply amazing.
Next up is Akaka Falls which features a 442 foot waterfall in the middle of a rain forest. It takes an hour (with a quick stop for sandwiches), then have to pay $22 for parking and admission. It’s worth it as the funds go towards preservation, and the hike only takes five minutes to reach the lookout spot (with some stairs involved). Unfortunately, the view is a bit far and you can’t see the pool of water at the bottom. They had another falls on the trail but don’t feel like taking the longer route for it, so we opt to drive to the next location on our list.
The thirty minute drive takes us through the city of Hilo, which feels like we didn’t miss much by not touring the area, and arrive at Rainbow Falls sometime after 2pm. Again we have to pay $22 for parking and admission, but this time the viewpoint is just past the entrance. Weirdly enough I’m greeted by a chicken that walks right up to my side of the car as I get out.
This one is only about 80 feet tall but we can get the full view of it, however, the sun starts to escape and we aren’t able to see the rainbow ring. The parking pass does allow us to view another place a mile down the road called The Boiling Pot. Not much to it but a far away view, probably why it’s included, but there is a sign that says 27 recorded deaths have occurred here so there’s that.
Last on our agenda today is Mauna Kea (which means The Mountain but is actually a dormant volcano). The elevation to the summit is 13,800 feet; however, we don’t have a 4x4 vehicle to make the journey so we opt to stay at the visitor center which is still quite high at over 9,200 feet.
Our ears pop several times making the drive up in our Kia Soul rental, and we are getting discouraged by the cloudy skies that seem to have formed rapidly. The guide at the visitor center did expect the clouds to move past by sunset so we rest in our car for the next hour plus. The wind is picking up which adds more chill to the 54 degree weather, so thankfully we picked up those warmer clothes earlier.
About 40 minutes before sunset we begin the trek up Pu’ukalepeamoa (or Sunset Hill) to its summit. The view is amazing as we literally feel like we’re walking amongst the clouds, which makes the twenty plus minute hike up bearable. I’m thoroughly impressed with Sharece completing the climb and very glad the cloudy skies part enough for a splendid view. Wow!
The temp is now around 30 degrees, which means it’s time to go. But before we drive back to the AirBnb we take in the stars as they sparkle through the night’s sky. What a great day. A ton of driving but very happy the weather held up. Of course it does start raining on our way back and the fog rolls in making it very difficult to see at times, but we manage to stay safe.
02/07/26- Today’s weather forecast shows mostly cloudy throughout the day, but I still see sun. Not wanting to waste it, we grab our swim wear and head to the beach.
We find a perfect spot to set up our chairs making it feel like our own private area. The sounds of the waves crash continuously as we enjoy the relaxation, and stay for a good hour before changing clothes and driving south toward the Volcano National Park.
Along the way we notice the dark clouds hovering over with touches of rain here and there. Luckily it doesn’t last long as we take a pit stop at Punalu’u (Black sands beach, which was created by lava flowing into the water and popping back onto shore). The place is packed but we mainly stop over to see the sea turtles and find one laying out in the sand as chill as can be and seemingly not caring about anyone around.
We finally reach the volcano park around 3:30pm, a bit later than expected but should be enough time to cover what we want to see. The fee to enter is normally $30 per vehicle but free with the America the Beautiful park pass we have.
After a brief stopover at the visitor center, it takes only three minutes to drive to our first place, Uekahuna (the summit of Kilauea volcano). This is where it starts raining as we walk the short trail to the lookout point. The crater is pretty large with a huge steam stack rising from one end showing how massive this volcano really is.
We drive a few minutes down to Wahinekapu (the Steaming Bluff). This has the same view yet from a different angle further away. The highlight is the steam flowing out of the rocks that have an intense heat to it. It’s here that the rain stops, allowing us more time to enjoy the scenery.
Lastly, we travel to the other side of the crater to Nahuku Lava Tube, which consists of a large cave created by ancient flowing lava. It looks and feels so eerie with orange lights illuminating the path and so very cool to see. Parking is limited this close, and many have to resort to hiking a mile, but we get lucky finding a spot nearby.
With the sun soon to set, we drive to Kilauea Overlook for a night look at the red glow eliminating from the crater. We can see it reflecting in the steam but the rain is pouring again, making it difficult to get a good photo. So we drive the two hours back to our AirBnb, getting home around 9pm.
Overall it’s a decent day, even without the sun for most of it. I mean, the clouds did add to the mystic of the crater so not bad at all.
02/08/26- A well deserved good night’s sleep as we have no set plans for today. The sky is full of clouds with the rain pouring in presumably all day so unsure what‘s on the agenda anyhow.
We look through travel videos to see what we could do yet almost everything is outdoors, but we spot a distillery tasting in Kona that looks promising. I call ahead to confirm they’re open due to the Superbowl going on and they are. Score!
The 12th Hawaiian Distillery is less than ten minutes away and has five local tastings for only $5. Most are honey infused and taste quite good, although very strong by themselves, so we had a splash of soda with each pour to even out the burn and it’s quite good. They even make a smoky, old fashioned drink which I would highly recommend. We stay for a few hours chatting up with another couple there before grabbing some burgers on our way back to our AirBnb.
02/09/26- Our last morning in Hawaii. Our flight isn’t until 2:40pm and we are able to extend our checkout to 11am to better match up. We fill up our tank, grab some subway sandwiches for the long flight, drop off our rental car and take the free shuttle to the airport.
Checking in is simple and security basic (so glad I don’t have to take my camera equipment out of my backpack now as that’s always a pain). While waiting for our flight, as we are over 2 ½ hours early, we overhear from another incoming crew that their flight in was a bit bumpy. Apparently we are under a wind advisement today so this should be interesting.
Waiting in the outside terminal and then walking up to the plane makes me wonder what happens when it pours down rain. I would think everyone would get soaked before their flight which doesn’t make much sense. They must make a killing on selling ponchos at that time.
We board the plane, find our seats and somehow Sharece has the entire row to herself. Good for her. The five hour flight back has some jitters to it, mainly toward the end, but we make it back to San Diego before 10pm.
It was a short adventure for us this time and happy the weather held up as it did because the rain is supposed to keep going this entire week. I will say I won’t miss the 15 mile per hour zones in one lane traffic, but everything else helped make our vacation well worth it.
I do have to thank our AirBnb host who gave us a great place to stay, Alaska Airlines for taking care of our round trip flights with miles and the people we met in Hawaii who were all very hospitable and helpful along the way.
END OF BLOG
