Pretty sweet sunrise view from our deck, huh? Unfortunately, I'd already been awake for a couple of hours at this point. After such an early turn-in the night before, I found myself wide awake at 3:43 AM (slept like a rock for almost 8 hours). This turned out to be not such a bad thing; infact, I was rewarded with some incredible stargazing out on the deck. Captain Cook is such a small and isolated place that there's very little in the way of manmade light to get in the way of this pursuit. A quick audible led me briefly back inside to fumble toward the fridge and grab a brew, the only thing I could think of that might possibly make the situation more enjoyable. (Yes, a beer at 4AM. Am I ashamed? No, I am not.)After settling back into my chair and propping my feet up, it didn't take long to settle into a state of near hypnosis, lulled into complete relaxation by the twinkling of the impossibly bright stars, set to a soundtrack of light breezes, the lapping of waves down in the bay, plus crickets, frogs and assorted other critters with more legs than I. By 4:45, joining the mix were some roosters whose services were entirely unnecessary on this particular morning. At 5:30 the stars began to fade and the sky over the hill began to lighten. 6AM appears to be the designated wakeup time for every bird in the general vicinity, and the start of an uninterrupted chorus of mostly unfamiliar chirps, shrieks, whistles and warbles that lasted well over an hour. At 6:30, the sunlight began to pour over the hill (as pictured above), and shades of grey turned to brilliant greens. Just a wonderfully relaxing and recharging start to the day.
After breakfast on the deck, we loaded up our snorkel gear, rented a sea kayak and headed down the hill to Kealakekua Bay. A half hour paddle over calm waters brought us to the Captain Cook monument, where the captain met his unfortunate demise. There's a huge underwater state park surrounding the monument with the best snorkeling we've experienced. Very clear waters, plenty of sunlight, loads of colorful fish, coral, anemones and whatnot. The view from the kayak as we're approaching the monument.
And here's the view on the way back across the bay. The cliffs are called Pali Kapu O Keōua (forbidden cliffs of Keōua), and were once the burial place of ancient Hawaiian royalty.
We worked up quite an appetite with all that swimming and paddling, so after a brief stop back at the B&B, we headed north 20 minutes to Kailua-Kona, the main tourist hub of the Big Island. We ate lunch at Humpy's Big Island Alehouse , whose bar manager, Bill, I made contact with through the Beer Advocate website. Not a bad spot at all. Tasty (and gut-bustingly proportioned) food with a nice selection of Hawaiian and mainland brews. Friendly and informed service, nice waterside location, sunny and breezy lanai. Plus Bill hooked us up with a couple of complimentary drafts and tips on what stores to find the best selection of local beers (we soon took advantage of these tips). Good times all around.
We got back to Captain Cook in time to sneak in a trip to Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. This was the site of a pu'huhonua, place of refuge, where defeated warriors and those individuals who had broken a kapu (sacred law) could escape certain death. The National Park Service is really doing a nice job with the restoration and reconstruction of the complex.
This is the Hale o Keawe, a rebuilt version of a temple and mausoleum where ali'i (noble chiefs) were laid to rest. Ki'i (carved wooden images) guard the outside.
Rhonda getting chummy with another couple of ki'i.
The foundations of many buildings are visible.
Got back just before dark and briefly chatted with a young German couple (drinking Bud Light, naturally) before enjoying a couple of fine local brews out on the deck. Turned in early again.
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