HAWAII’S BIG ISLAND: The Kona Side

Kona, Hawaii, King Kamekameha Heiau

A little over a year ago, in April, I was in Hawaii with Art, who was attending a conference.  The conference was in Kona, on the Big Island (Hawaii), and while Art was at his meetings, I spent part of each day doing my own work, and part enjoying the local sights. This was our third visit to Kona and I was looking forward to its more relaxed pace of life.  Most people think of Kona as a jumping off place for trips to the volcanoes or the luxury resorts up the coast, but I find that the town has its own charm.

The main street of Kona, along the waterfront, is full of shops for tourists, but it also has several spots of historical interest including the first church in Hawaii, founded by Christian missionaries.  I love the museum across the street from the church where you can learn the history of the island both before and after Captain Cook.  On a previous visit I happened to be at the museum when a docent was giving a tour.  Afterward, when I went outside, a group of little girls were having a hula lesson on the front lawn.  This time there were no dancers, but I noticed that the palm trees had signs warning tourists to “Watch Out for Falling Coconuts”!

We were staying at the King Kamekameha Hotel and from the balcony of our room on the fifth floor I could see the ocean peeking though the palms of the courtyard below.  On a small island just beyond the hotel was a traditional Hawaiian structure, honoring King Kamekameha.. In front of the hotel, colorful canoes were stacked up by the beach and in the late afternoon each day I watched local rowing teams take the long canoes out into the bay to practice their racing skills.

We always wake up early when we go to Hawaii because of the time difference, so our routine was to get breakfast at our favorite eatery, Buns in the Sun (located in the nearby shopping mall and selling delicious sticky buns), and then take a walk in the old airport park.

Community Garden at Old Airport, Kona

Some years ago, the airport for Kona was enlarged and  relocated several miles to the north.  The old airport, along the beach just at the edge of town, has become a park with picnic tables on the beach side of the former runway (now a parking lot), and a walking/jogging trail on the other.  The land along the walking trail has become a community garden and half the fun is admiring all the different plots and the variety of plants. The other entertainment is watching the cats.  The park is filled with feral cats, all looking quite happy and healthy because of the “cat ladies” who bring food every day. 

Kona Farmer's Market

When I am in Kona I also enjoy walking along the waterfront, doing a little bird watching, and sometimes catching sight of dolphins in the bay.  The other wildlife seen all over the island are the mongooses.  Brought to Hawaii originally to prey on rats in the sugarcane fields, they have proliferated and become pests. On one of my afternoon walks I went the farmer’s market where people sell locally grown coffee, macadamia nuts, papayas and other tropical fruits, homegrown vegetables, exotic looking plants, and souvenirs.  That evening we at at Jackie Rey's, a local restaurant recommended by a Hawaiian friend, where we had a delicious meal.

On one of Art's free afternoons we treated ourselves to a game of golf--the challenge being to avoid hitting the ball into the ocean or piles of lava. When the conference was over we headed back to Los Angeles.  I had enjoyed my third visit to Kona.  To read about what we did in Hilo at the beginning of this trip, go to my April 30, 2012 post, Hawaii’s Big Island: The Hilo Side.