Waikoloa, HI - Day 3
Saturday, March 20
Gorgeous, sunny, warm weather every single day — I could get used to this!
Andi and I were awake before the kids this morning, so we decided to go for a walk on a primitive beach trail that weaves along the waterfront section of the Hali’i Kai resort property. Turns out, the Ala Kahakai beach trail looked more enjoyable than it was! The “trail by the sea” cut through a field of lava rock which was really difficult to walk on. The view of the ocean was spectacular though. It was also nice for Andi and I to spend a few minutes of quality time together.
After our walk, Andi made breakfast for the kids while I went to the gym. Then, we set off for a day of adventure on the north side of the Big Island.
First up— Andi wanted to visit a farmer’s market in the nearby town of Waimea. The drive up the coastline was beautiful, quickly changing from dramatic black lava fields to green, grassy rolling hills. It was a sunny and warm 82 degrees when we left our condo in Waikoloa on the northwest side of the island, so none of us expected cooler temperatures and drizzling rain in Waimea just 30 minutes away. Shame on us for not being more prepared — we brought rain coats and sweatshirts with us on this trip, but didn’t have them along with us in the car today. It was chilly!
The Waimea Farmer’s Market was large and busy with people and dogs milling around to the different vendors. I love all the smells at a farmer’s market — there were all types of tasty foods from crepes to egg rolls available. Unfortunately, the kids were miserable standing in the cold, misting rain in their tank tops & swimming suits. We made a quick hot-lap around the farmer’s market grounds and then decided to leave and go to a smaller farmer’s market happening on the coast in another town called Hawi.
The Hawaiian landscape changed once again as we drove north from Waimea toward Hawi, entering into the Kohala Forest Reserve. Large trees lined each side of the roadway. We arrived in the quaint little coastal town of Hawi about 30 minutes later. The farmer’s market there was small with only a few vendors, but we found some fresh arugula to purchase and some vegan date balls (or seed balls as Aden called them).
By now, we were all hungry and decided on a restaurant called Bamboo for lunch. Neither Andi or I had high expectations for a top-notch dining experience, but we were both pleasantly surprised! The food was very good and the service was excellent. Tory finally got to order a decadent strawberry banana smoothie with whipped cream and a cherry on top (she’s been craving one of those since we got to Hawaii!) and Aden chose a mango ‘slushie’ which was basically a healthier smoothie with pureed fruit.
After lunch, we browsed through a few of the shops in Hawi and purchased some fruits and vegetables that we weren’t able to procure at the farmer’s market. Aden has had his heart set on trying starfruit, so we picked up a few of those, and also bought a chocolate sapote fruit which supposedly has a chocolate mousse texture. We’ll see!
From Hawi, we ventured further east to the Pololu Valley Lookout, a scenic overlook with a short, steep hike down to a black sand beach. The short .6 mile trail was busy on a Saturday afternoon, but there was lots of space to spread out on the beach once we got there.
On the black sand beach, the kids busied themselves building boats out of driftwood and then sailing them in the calm brackish water by the ocean. Andi and I relaxed on a nearby log and took in the sights. This was a great people-watching beach — people skipping rocks, camping, building structures with pieces of driftwood, kids playing in the black sand and swinging on homemade tree swings.
After a while, Andi and I realized we left our sunscreen in the car so we decided to get out of the sun and make our way back up the steep cliffside. Tory hasn’t quite discovered her hiking legs on this trip, so we took lots of breaks along the way as we made it back to the car.
Andi promised the kids Hawaiian shaved ice after our hike, so next we drove to a roadside cafe called Sweet Tooth. The ambience of this outdoor cafe was so fun — very eclectic and inviting with jazz music playing on a record player nearby. The owner said she had her partner just opened this cafe a month ago with the COVID stimulus money they’d received — “a dream realized,” she said. “I’m Italian, so I love to feed people.”
We ordered two shaved ice and a warm chocolate chip cookie sandwich to share between the four of us. Yum! The shaved ice was tasty, but the cookie sandwich stole the show.
With full bellies, we made the hour-long drive back to our condo at Hali’i Kai Resort in Waikoloa. I find myself startled by the beauty of our surroundings here; I don’t think it’s quite hit me yet that we’re living in Hawaii for the next few weeks.
Tory and Aden wanted to swim when we got back to the condo, and Andi and I wanted to watch the sunset, so we all walked down to the pool area together for the last 45 minutes of daylight. It was really windy, but beautiful as we watched the sun go down on the day. There were even humpback whales swimming nearby, some so close we could see their tails popping out of the water as they swam by.
What a busy, fun day exploring the northern coast of Hawaii. Tomorrow, we’re planning to spend the day with Andi’s friend Clark. Maybe he’ll show us some of his favorite local hangouts.
