Friday, January 03, 2014

The Big Island: Day 6, Part I

For Christmas Eve, we went to Kona by ourselves.  We did a lot of sight-seeing, hence the two-part post.

First Stop: Target

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This Target has an “Aloha Shop” where the “Dollar Spot” is usually located.  We picked up some souvenirs, including Kona coffee for D’s co-workers and a Hawaiian Hello Kitty t-shirt for k (in the girls’ section).

Next, we had breakfast at Island Lava Java, which is located on Alii Dr., the main strip.

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Kalua Pork Omelet with Portuguese Sausage :: Cinnamon Roll and Kona Coffee

The breakfast here was really good!  I can see why it is popular with the tourists.  They also had live music that morning (Jack Johnson cover band), maybe because it was Christmas Eve?

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The ocean was right across the street.

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We walked by the Crocs store and couldn’t resist this photo op.

Next we drove down to Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park.  We had seen this place featured on Travel With Kids and wanted to check it out.

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We did a self-guided tour which was easy with the aid of a brochure and numbered exhibits.

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The water was so clear, and we saw multiple sea turtles.

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The kids had fun playing with this ancient game.

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People were snorkeling in the adjacent bay.

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We wanted to make sure we found this trail because I had already stamped it in my passport book.  It was closed, but it was too hot to hike anyway.

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For lunch we returned to The Big Island Grill, which seems to be a local favorite. 

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B.I.G. Saimin :: 2 item combo with Chicken Katsu and Teriyaki Chicken

This is a no-frills place in terms of atmosphere, but the portions are huge and the food definitely has that “Hawaiian” flavor.

Well-fueled, we were ready for the next half of our day….

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