Mauna Lani, HI - Day 2
Saturday, April 17
It’s no secret that the ocean makes me nervous. Don’t get me wrong— it’s beautiful to look at, but battling its powerful waves and currents is not my idea of a good time. So, when Andi suggested we go paddle boarding for a date together this morning, I was apprehensive. The condo we’re staying at this week has two paddle boards for guests to use and Andi said he knew of a calm spot on the ocean that would be a perfect spot to go, so I decided to go for it. No regrets!
The Kohala Coast can be windy, especially as the day goes on, so Andi and I decided to hit the water early this morning. We drove down to the Mauna Lani Beach Club, just a few minutes from our condo, and entered the ocean in their calm, protected bay. The water was gorgeous here! We practically had the place to ourselves at 6:45am.
With calm waters, the ocean didn’t feel any different than paddle boarding at home on our lake. It was really enjoyable. Andi noticed something in the distance right away, so we paddled out to see what it was. Dolphins! A pod of about 25 spinner dolphins were swimming in the bay. Also nearby was one other paddle boarder and a couple snorkeling. The pod of dolphins let us all paddle up / swim right next to them and they seemed to like the attention. Whenever the snorkelers would get close, the spinner dolphins would swim around them and then jump and spin in the air. It was incredible!
Andi and I sat down on our paddle boards and floated beside the dolphins for over an hour just watching them swim and jump. They were so close to our boards, we could have reached out and touched them if we liked. It was so neat to hear their breathing as the dolphins came up to the surface for air.
After a while, Andi and I decided to paddle board around the bay. We cruised around and looked at sea life below us and the black, rocky cliffside. The ocean was so clear we could see right down to the bottom and saw lots of colorful fish swimming below us.
Someone must have spread the word that dolphins were swimming in the bay because around 8:30am a few boats and other snorkelers joined us in the water. As if the attention was too much, the dolphins then swam away. A man who’d been paddle boarding around us all morning said he lives in this area and has never seen dolphins in this bay before. Quite the treat we experienced seeing them here this morning.
When the beach started to get busy around 9:00am, Andi and I decided to return home to Janie and the kids. Of course we hadn’t brought our cell phones paddle boarding this morning so we didn’t have any pictures to capture this incredible moment. I ran back to the SUV in the parking lot and grabbed my phone so at least Andi and I could have one picture of our paddle boarding experience together.
I’m so glad I faced my fear and went paddle boarding on the ocean this morning. A one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to turned out to be!
Back at the condo, Janie and the kids ate breakfast and then decided to go swimming at the Palm Villa’s pool. Andi and I made ourselves a nice breakfast with eggs and veggies and sat on the patio enjoying the warm morning sunshine. After we ate, we joined everyone at the pool for the rest of the morning.
The kids were beat after swimming, and I could tell they were craving some down-time. Tory and Janie played cards on the patio for a bit while Aden sat on the couch with his iPad. Swim. Beach. Chill. Repeat. That’s the Hawaii life!
Around 3:00pm, Andi’s friend Clark and his girlfriend Lindsay came over to the condo. The four of us were going to one of Clark’s horticulturist friend’s house this evening for dinner.
Brian, the host of tonight’s dinner party, was one of Clark’s first friends when he moved to the Big Island eight years ago. They met through a mutual interest in landscaping and horticulture. Brian and Andrea’s home in Kona is a Hawaiian garden paradise. As we drove into their residential complex, it was like entering into a tropical jungle with palms and plants flourishing from every angle.
There were several familiar faces at the party including Clark’s best friend Tony and his girlfriend Autumn, and Brian & Andrea’s son Alec & his girlfriend Krystle who happen to be the caretakers of the airbnb we stayed at in Hilo. (Brian and Andrea own that house in Hilo.) Even though the Big Island is a large land mass, I appreciate what a “small community” it feels like noticeable after being here only a month. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly.
Clark asked Brian to lead us on a garden tour of his property, so a group of us followed him through the lush grounds of ferns, exotic palms and fruit trees. There are over a dozen different type of mango trees in this development alone, as well as several different types of avocado and citrus trees. It was interesting to listen to Brian’s stories of where certain plants came from, why he planted them and what they offer to the overall environment. Where else would we be on such a tour? Today was most definitely full of unique experiences.
Our garden tour concluded at the neighbor’s overlook to watch the sunset & then we all returned to the house for dinner. Clark picked up BBQ take-out from The Fish and The Hog Restaurant in Waimea and we all sat outside on the patio together eating and enjoying conversation.
What a perfect ending to a great day in Hawaii.
