Honeymoon Adventure Day 3

Up with the sun and inspired. This seemed to be our mantra for the entire trip. The journey we took this particular day required us to drive over 2 and a half hours to the west side of the island, to our final destination in Kona. The positive side to this seemingly dreadful notion of being stuck in the car for more than 2 hours, was the ever changing paradise we were able to see along the way. Tropical rocks and fields transformed into desert plains, back into flowing valleys with horses, into explosive mountains, and finally into a rich coastline, booming with people and resorts.

Our first stop was the birth place of King Kamehameha, who under his rule, united all of the islands of Hawaii. To the Hawaiian people, he was a symbol of their strength, culture, and dedication to preserve their homeland and values. It was somewhat surreal to walk through the very place where he first made his entrance into the world, especially knowing the incredible impact he had on his people. Before we could begin the main focus of our day, snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay, we wanted to get out on the water and kayak around the cliffs and beaches. This kind of excursion is not for everyone as it requires significant upper body strength and synchronization, two things Jerry and I thankfully both have! Being out in the open water was a very humbling experience. At any time we could have been swept away by the pounding waves that smashed against the jagged cliffs. The sure strength of Mother Nature becomes all to evident when you are completely immersed in her. Talk about feeling small!



Upon returning our kayak, we took a short walk over to the dock where we entered our double decker cruise boat. The staff of the Fair Winds cruise were all very insightful, light hearted, and entertaining. They provided us with all of the necessary snorkeling gear, as well as a plethora of information about the boat, island, and it's history. Two beers and 45 minutes later, we reached our destination of Kealakekua Bay, the location where Captain Cook perished. Kealakekua Bay is an underwater sanctuary, heavily protected by the National Parks and Government because of the unique environment and wide variety of sea creatures that thrive here. While snorkeling we swam with what appeared to be clouds of tropical fish, corral in every color imaginable, and even saw a 3 foot shark swimming just feet below us. The pictures we took aboard this amazing part of our trip do not to justice to what was actually seen.





Driving back towards our hotel, the sky around us was on fire. Neatly nestled in the lava rocks on either side of the main stretch of highway were bright white rocks spelling out names and messages. One of my favorite quotes was "YOU ARE FREE". It really seemed to capture the overall conscious feeling of our day. Beyond exhausted from an active, adventurous day, we called it a night after a delicious pasta dinner at a local restaurant. Day 3 had proven to be more than memorable.