Hot Ponds, Tide Pools and Mauna Kea

On the first day, we enjoy a delicious breakfast, homemade guava juice, fresh fruit, yogurt, muesli, homemade guacamole, cream cheese, ... The coffee is sensational, Kona coffee from the island. All guests sit together at the table, breakfast is served from 8 am. It's fun and cheerful, it takes forever, but it's fun. Additionally, we get plenty of tips from Irene and the other guests on what to do.

So we pack our backpacks, put in our swimsuits, and head to the hot pond. It's a protected tidal pool by the ocean heated by the volcano. The water is pleasantly warm, you can sit on the lava rocks around it and sunbathe. There are many colorful fish swimming in the pool!

Afterwards, we drive a short distance to the tide pools in Kapoko. After a short walk, you reach a small trail through the bushes, then you climb over the lava to the shore. There are several natural pools separated by coral and rocks. When the tide is high, these barriers are underwater, and the area is protected from the strong shore breaks, which also create a strong rip current here.

We swim, unfortunately, I don't have snorkeling gear with me, but we definitely want to come back here in the next few days, it's magical! The water is crystal clear, many colorful fish, and apparently there are even squid and turtles further out!

In the late afternoon, we drive back to the accommodation because we have plans with Pascale to go to Mauna Kea!

We leave around 5 pm, this time with long pants and warm jackets in our luggage. It feels weird because it's 30 degrees down here and we've been swimming!

At 2,800 m, there is an info center, a little museum, information, and a shop. We skip that and continue after a short stop. Now we drive up a gravel road (only allowed for 4-wheel drive) to 3,657 m. The landscape is lunar-like, barren, and we have long since passed the limit of vegetation. Unfortunately, it's not clear, but it's still impressive.

The observatories on the summit are the largest collection of its kind in the world. For Hawaiians, the mountain is sacred, and they are critical of science in this case. The mountain is the highest in the world, measuring over 9,000 m from the ocean floor. You can still see the craters on the nearby peaks.

The air, or rather the lack of air, is a challenge. At first, you don't notice it, but as soon as you start walking, you feel dizzy. Now I understand what it means to hike in these heights and what altitude sickness is!

It's freezing up here, even though it's still mild at 8 degrees. But the wind is relentless and unbridled. Nevertheless, we hold on until sunset, and it's a great experience.

Grateful that the car has heating and that Pascale took us along, we drive back to the accommodation. Standing on a volcano, the highest mountain, it's a great experience, something you only do once in a lifetime :-)