Day 8- Today was a little more relaxing. John and I left the kids with their Ipads at the Condo, and we went on our own snorkeling adventure. We found a beach that was about 10 minutes way called 49 Black Sand Beach, and it had the most amazing snorkeling that we found on the Island. It was really nice, because you only had to go about 5 feet from shore and there was a huge drop off with instant coral and fish. It was nice you didn't have to go super far out to see fish and coral. We saw a turtle, angel fish, the State fish, and many more. We saw so many kinds of fish. It was so pretty and amazing. And we were able to fully enjoy it and not worry about what the kids were doing. After a couple hours we headed back to the condo, and the kids hadn't even moved.
We took the kids out to Queen's Marketplace to a restaurant called "A-Bay's". It was really good. I had amazing fish tacos, John got a Poke bowl (not my thing) and the kids got their usual fries and chicken strips. Then we stopped at Starbucks and I got my exclusive to Hawaii Pineapple cup. That was pretty cool. And then we just walked around and window shopped for a little while. Then we headed back to the pool to swim. And then we brought the kids to 49 Black Sand Beach to snorkel. They did really well and really enjoyed all the fish. Then, they just had fun playing by the shore for a while. We stayed for sunset, and then we headed back to make Spaghetti for supper. After supper, we tucked the kids in with a movie, and John and I headed out for some drinks. WE went to Kuhleana Rum Works and each got a fancy rum-themed drink. They were amazing. Next we went to "Foster's Kitchen" and each got another drink, and then somehow got talked into ordering a Banana Pudding dessert. It was amazing. It was a pastry, filled with homemade banana pudding with caramel sauce topped with rum-soaked bananas. It was the best thing ever. After this, it was about 9:30, so we felt like we better get back to the kids. We went back, and put everyone to bed. It was a great Sunday in Paradise.
Day 9- Memorial Day. It sure didn't feel like Memorial Day. Today was really cool. We drove to Hawaii National Volcano Park. It took a solid 2 hours to get there, but it was so worth it. We started at the Visitor's Center and then went to see the steam vents and the scenic overlooks. So cool. It was amazing to see a volcano, and all the craters. I have never seen anything like it. We also went on a hiking trail that had amazing views and we walked through the Thorston Lava Tubes- which was the highlight of the day for the kids. We also hiked down to the craters and walked the trail of Devastation, it was so amazing. It was quite the hike down there, but the kids did great.
After the hike, the kids were done with the Volcano Park, so we headed to the free zoo outside of Hilo. It was a really good zoo. There were many parrots, birds, crocodiles, monkeys, turtles, sloths, iguana, and even a white and orange tiger. The kids really enjoyed walking around and seeing all the animals. It was fun. After the zoo (which was warm) we all thought ice cream sounded good and we decided to go back to Makani's Magic Pineapple Shack. It was amazing again. John, Elliott, and I all go Ube soft serve and Emma got dragonfruit soft serve. So. Good. Then we started the long drive back.
At about the halfway point, we stopped at Mauna Kea. We drove up to the visitor's center which sits at about 9200 feet. So, it was a cool 43 degrees up there and the air was definitely thinner. It was cloudy, so we didn't have any great views, but it was still cool. Someday, we will go back and go all the way to the top to see a sunset and then star gaze. It is 13,800 feet above sea level up at the summit. Kids have to be at least 13 to go up there, so we couldn't go. Next time. We drove back down and then home to Quesadillas for supper and watched some of Thor-Ragnarok.
Day 10- All of the big ticket items have been completed, so now we can relax and do whatever we want without a schedule of any kind. This morning, John and Emma went snorkeling, while Elliott and I stayed behind and went swimming. Then we played some Uno and Clue on the deck. This is the day Elliott said he doesn't remember what Sioux Falls is like (haha) so we better go back home soon.
We decided to eat lunch at Lava Lava Beach Club, which is a restaurant right on the beach at A-bay. It is a little fancy and spendy, but it was so good. John and I each got a cocktail, and we had a great view of the ocean. We also got some chips and pineapple/mango salsa, also so good. The rest of the food was amazing, and then we had fun playing with their games and taking pictures by all their touristy signs. It was a fun little lunch. We also spent some more time on the beach just enjoying it.
Then it was back to the pool again. The kids made some friends this time, so they were entertained for a couple hours and John and I could just relax poolside. It even started pouring rain and the kids just kept playing. Then we finally pulled them out of the pool for supper. We ran to A-bay to see an amazing sunset, then had brats and hotdogs for supper.
Day 11- We started this morning with another snorkeling adventure. The water was super calm, and we saw many fish. It was amazing again. Then we headed to Kona and ate at Black Rock Pizza again (we had a gift card to use up). It was really good once again. John and I shared an Hawaiian Pizza. We walked around Kona and shopped. Then we got some Dole Whip ice cream-which was really good. I miss all the amazing ice cream from Hawaii.
We also stopped at Ola Brew House, and John and I enjoyed a couple beers while playing Uno and Clue with the kids. They thought it was fun to play cards in the brewhouse. Then we ran to Walmart for a couple essentials and then back to the condo. The kids swam again with their friends. This was the last night in Hawaii. We tried to soak it in as much as we could. After swimming, we had chicken tacos (which the kids served to us like it was a restaurant-it was adorable) and then we watched The Black Panther and called it a night.
Day 12- Our last day in Hawaii. What a trip. It was hard to know how to spend the last day. We went to Hapuna Beach one last time to ride some waves with the Boogie Boards. The kids loved this again. Then we returned our snorkel gear and headed back to the condo for lunch and packing. And laundry. By 3:00pm we were packed up and headed to Kona. We walked around a little. We drove to Magic Sand Beach-saw some surfers on the way- and then we headed to the airport to go home.
We had such a fun trip. We made memories that will last a lifetime. I will always remember this trip.
