February 24: Kona, Hawai'i

Lava tube at Royal Kona Coffee

"Lava tubes are natural, underground conduits formed when the surface of a lava flow cools and solidifies, while molten, fluid lava continues to flow beneath in a tunnel. These volcanic caves can span miles, acting as efficient transporters of lava, often leaving behind hollowed, subterranean structures when the eruption ends and the lava drains."   (US National Park Service)

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Today began by tendering ashore. Kona has no commercial pier. This necessitated Nieuw Amsterdam standing offshore and sending passengers to a small pier in the lifeboats referred ti as tenders because they are being used in that capacity.

Once ashore, we were corralled into a group and pointed at our bus.

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Today's Tour: Kona Highlights 

Visit Kona's Painted Church, set in a quiet country village and known for its dramatic murals.

Travel to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, or the Place of Refuge. This well-maintained National Historical Park was a refuge where absolution would be granted to ancient Hawaiian lawbreakers and vanquished warriors if they were fortunate enough to get here ahead of their pursuers. Today, the park features attractive grounds and interesting displays of Hawaiian artifacts.

Stop along the way at the Royal Kona Coffee store for a sample of coffee before returning to the pier.

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coffee blender

For whatever reason, the tour stops were shuffled, with our first stop being Royal Kona Coffee. Starting a tour with a "buying opportunity" might seem inauspicious; however, the mention of free coffee made it sound like a great idea.

This was the stop where the lava tube was located. Getting to it was (inevitably) downhill, so the climb back to the bus was uphill. We hoped the awesomeness of the lava tube would make the effort worth it. It wasn't, but admittedly, we were jaded after having been through an extensive, well-lit one at the Kilauea National Park on our 2012 cruise to Hawaii. 

From the balcony of Royal Kona Coffee, we could look out over Kealakekua Bay we the famous explorer Captain James Cook was killed by the native Hawaiians, basically for abusing their hospitality and being too arrogant. 

Back on the bus and headed to our second stop, our guide regaled us with information about Hawaii. This included its four major exports - macadamia nuts, mangos, Kona coffee, and tropical flowers - in that order.

We drove past a gas station. $4.39 a gallon for regular.

Kona's Painted Church - St. Benedict's Catholic Church - was a charming surprise. 

The link in the previous paragraph provides more comprehensive information; the Cliff Notes version is that the church was built and painted from 1899 to 1905 by a missionary. We were told that the paintings convey a message. One side represents being in God's light. The other is to be in darkness, and includes a painting depicting the gates of hell. The church is oriented so that the sun shines on the dark side, representing hope and salvation. There is a statue above the altar. Christ can be seen from the wall on the "light" side of the church, but is hidden when viewed from the "dark" wall. 

On the road again, more information was coming our way.

Ancient Hawaiians used Kukui Nut oil as fuel for tiki torches. 

Bromeliads are the tropical flowers that last the longest once picked.

U'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park was interesting. From that link,

A Furious Journey of Life or Death was Determined by the Gods

Imagine you had just broken the sacred laws, the kapu, and the only punishment was death. Your only chance of survival is to elude your pursuers and reach the Puʻuhonua, a place of refuge. The Puʻuhonua protected the kapu breaker, defeated warriors, as well as civilians during the time of battle. No physical harm could come to those who reached the boundaries of the Puʻuhonua. Read More

As we exited the bus, the guide noted that the park would be warm. It was a pleasant, but not hot day, so this statement seemed odd. He was right. Black lava everywhere created a mini-ecosystem with elevated temperatures. It made us want to buy bottles of water, but the gift shop didn't sell them to reduce litter. (Somewhat oddly, knowing this, the tour company did not provide water once we reboarded the bus.)

ceremonial hut and altar

The speed of his weaving was impressive...
until I interrupted his concentration at a critical moment,
making it a good time for me to move on.

People are swimming at the adjacent public beach...and standing on black lava. Hot!

Konane game

a reproduction of an early ritual site

From here, it was back to the town of Kona. According to your guide, the only city in Hawaii is Honolulu.

After dropping us off, the driver had a two-hour drive back to Hilo. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the company had a fleet of buses at both Hilo and Kona. With tourism being Hawaii's biggest industry, nearly three years of few or no customers led to the shrinkage or disappearance of many related businesses. It will take those who did survive years to recover. 

Before boarding a tender to return to the ship, we walked around. The most notable building was Hulihe'e Palace. In an earlier era of Hawaiian history, it was the summer residence of island royalty.

We stopped at an ABC store to pick up a few things before we returned on board. 

ABC stores are everywhere in Hawaii, carrying a wide range of items. A 

Wal-Mart store's list of the most sold items squeezed into a 7-11 would be a huge exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Pam fulfilled a tradition of putting her feet in the water whenever we encountered a beach. This one was right next to the tender pier, making our next action efficient.

Back on the ship, from our veranda balcony, we watched two whales - perhaps a mother and her calf - either playing or nursing. 

At 4:30, everyone was back aboard. Nieuw Amsterdam turned her stern on the last land we will see until we arrive at Fanning Island after three days at sea.

We settled into our passage with dinner in the main dining room and a show in the theater.

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The island of Hawaii (aka the Big Island) has five volcanoes, including Mauna Loa, the largest active one in the world. For extra points on your next geography test, "mauna" means "mountain" and "loa" means "long." Since it is snow-capped, "Kea" means "white." And one last bit of geography: if you put all the other islands on top of Hawaii, it would only cover 65% of its landmass, but the island is only home to 15% of Hawaii's citizens.