We went south of Kona, to Kapalukapu Bay, just on the south side of the Captain Cook monument. Specifically Manini beach, another of the sacred places of the Hawaiian people. It was not the kind of beach you swim at – covered in sharp lava rocks and broken coral. Nature’s fury was awesome to watch with giant waves coming in and crashing on the rocks! Unfortunately the dolphins and whales which had been spotted in the bay earlier that morning had already gone.
We had our beach chairs on the lawn, just enjoying the show, and the bravery of the surfer dudes, and were happy to feed the little birds some of our peanuts.
No, we didn’t go down to see the monument – it was a 3.8 mile round trip without shade, with a 1400 foot drop over the cliff down to sea level, in 31 degree heat. The monument is a bit of a reminder of colonization (1778 landing) and the Hawaiian people still consider themselves Hawaiian, not American (just occupied by America for a bit over 100 years).
The drive down to the beach was harrowing at times – dropping down the side of the hill at a steep enough rate to need switchbacks, with the road at the bottom being single lane.
