Days Four and Five

On day four we got an early start at 7:30AM. Jill and I went on an expedition with my aunt and cousin to go look for what we heard was the best place to snorkel on the island. We stopped at a place called Big Beach which we thought was it, but it ended up not being the site. It was gorgeous none-the-less.

There was a surge that day so that meant no swimming here. We knew that Little Beach was close by according our map and we saw a trail leading up over the hill that the above picture was taken from, so we followed it. Little did we know that Little Beach was a nude beach. They made me take a photo so that we had proof.

After that experience we decided to get back in the car and drive further down the road. We stopped at another promising spot that turned out to be this pretty little cove beach where we got to watch a couple get married. It was the perfect place for a wedding.

My Aunt left us to hang out there while she went to find the snorkel site. She ended up finding it, but unfortunately we would have had to walk over sharp lava to get into the water and with my younger cousin it just wasn't something we could do that day...So we decided to head back to civilization and spend a few hours at the Grand Wilea's beach (one of the poshest hotels on the island). It was a fun adventure.

On day five most of the family went on a deep-sea fishing trip, but those of us who weren't into that went on another trek along coastal roads up around the northwest corner of the island.

We were looking for a place called Blowhole. It's a port hole carved into some coastal lava that when waves come crashing in, it sends a plume of ocean water into the air. We parked up at the top of the coast line and had to hike down to get to the site. Here's a picutre from up above and one down at sea level:

It was incredible being so close to the "raw," untempered coast. The waves were huge. It was like being on a different planet. Very cool!