Hawaii Weekend Adventures
Exploring volcanic rock at Black Sands Beach
While there has definitely been a lot of work happening while we’re here on the farm, there has also been a lot of time for play. Most weeks we complete our 20 hours of work in 3 days, which gives us a whole 4 days off a week to go on adventures and explore new places! With the bus system that goes around the island being free we have gotten the opportunity to see so many things!
We came to the island prepared to adventure. We purchased snorkel gear, and brought the tent and sleeping pads. There was so much we wanted to see on the island, and knowing there was a free bus that went to a bunch of it, we were determined not to miss out on any of it.
Our first weekend here we were very determined to have a good one. We took our bikes and tent to Hilo, and camped close to the beach for the weekend. We stayed at a place called Arnott’s Lodge, which allowed tent camping on their grass field and offered many amenities.
Our tent set up in Hilo
From here we biked up and down the road we were staying on, and went to many beaches within two miles of the campsite. We went snorkeling at Carlsmith beach, and that’s where we saw our first sea turtle! The turtles here were very green, which made for a very exciting first viewing for me!
We quickly learned on this trip that biking around with huge backpacks and no refrigerator was not going to be the easiest, or most budget friendly way to travel the island. We ate out a lot, and I struggled immensely with a long bike ride with a pack back to the grocery store (and bus stop). Since then we mostly took day trips, excluding our trip to Volcanoes National Park, which allowed us to take less stuff, and come home to our bed at the farm every night.
Pahala is the closest town with a bus stop to us, which is about 5 miles from the farm. One of our most visited places has been Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. It is only about a 15 minute bus ride from Pahala, making it easy to just go for the day! Here we get to see sea turtles napping on the beach almost every time we go. We swim, set up the hammock, and have a peaceful day on the beach. Exploring on the volcanic rock, just past the beach, was also a breathtaking experience. The rocks jut out of the ocean in a way that’s nothing like anything else we’ve ever seen. While the beach seems to be mostly full of people just passing through on their way somewhere else, we’ve found it’s a great beach to spend the day hanging out on.
Sea turtle in Hilo
Another place we have gotten to visit multiple times is Kahalu’u Beach. This beach is great for snorkeling! The reef here is very alive still, unlike a lot of reefs in Hawaii, which means there’s so many fish in the area. There is a sign when entering the water with ten types of fish you may see. When snorkeling Hunter and I both saw all ten of them, plus a couple others! With the timing of the bus, this beach is also perfect to hang out at all day, and then head to Sunset Kai Lanai for happy hour! They have some amazing drinks, and a breathtaking view of the ocean.
Our most exciting and jam packed weekend of adventuring was definitely the weekend we spent at Volcanoes National Park. For this weekend we rented a car, picked it up from Hilo, and packed all of the stuff we needed for a weekend of car camping into it. My itinerary on Volcanoes National Park is pretty close to exactly how we spent our weekend.
View from bottom of Chain of Craters Road
There were so many things about this park that made it like nothing else we have ever seen. Being able to hike through the middle of the Kilauea Iki crater was an insane experience. It reminds you of how small you are, and how much power this earth has. We got to see some insane views, standing at almost 9,000ft above sea level on Mauna Loa Trail.
Many people said that driving Chain of Craters Road was like being on a different planet. I doubted them at first, but they were proved right when we got the opportunity to drive it. There was nothing we’ve ever seen like Volcanoes National Park, and we are both grateful we rented a car to have the opportunity to see the whole park!
We have one more weekend on the island, and most of it will be spent savoring our last moments on the farm, or celebrating Hunter’s birthday in Kona. We are very happy with our weekend adventures, and grateful we got to see as much of the island as we did while we were here. With that being said, we have learned that there are a lot of remote parts of the island that you need a car to explore. We also have learned that the buses aren’t all that reliable, meaning I would definitely want a car if we were coming back!
With our trip coming to a close it feels a little bittersweet. We’re definitely going to miss the nice weather, especially after acclimating, but are excited to hopefully catch some of the last fall foliage, and get our feet back under some snow soon. We’re also excited to be back in the camper with Sunny, and moving onto our next exciting adventure!
