Gooseberry

Dear travel diary,

Friday, June 25, 2021

Thrown on sportswear, we headed south one last time. We visited the Pu’uuhonua Historical Park, where we learned about the refugees and kings of yesteryear. Unfortunately, our internet didn't work well, so we couldn't download the corresponding app. This would have served as an audio guide, so we had to look at the various stations with the small map and imagine what the few sentences meant.

There were also goats living in this park, which were happily snacking on a fruit. Since I didn't know what it was, I picked one to eat at home. From its appearance, you could easily mistake it for a celeriac.

We continued to Captain Cook, a monument that can only be reached by hiking or waterway. So we parked our car at the start of the trail and made our way down to the sea.

The trodden path led us through knee-high reeds at the beginning, which got higher and higher. Until we couldn't see left and right anymore. The path also became narrower and we literally fought our way through the reeds, feeling like explorers. Because of the poor visibility, I twisted my feet many times and stumbled over random stones. After a while, I stopped counting because it happened quite often.

After a while, the path became a little more open again and the ground became rocky. Now we were walking on loose lava stones, which made the descent not particularly easy or safe. I slipped and almost fell with every other step. Also, we were no longer protected from the sun by the plants and it got hotter and hotter. But soon we saw the beautiful coast and also the destination.

When we arrived at the water, we ate our sandwiches first since it was already noon. After another break, we briefly looked at the monument and decided to go back. We had brought our bathing suits, but somehow the water didn't attract us to swim in it. Besides, there were a lot of people and getting in without water shoes would have been painful, I believe.

So we walked back up the hill and only now did we realize how exhausting this path actually is. We were definitely not prepared for such a hike, even though it looks harmless and only lasts about an hour. But somehow we both didn't have the energy for it.

When we finally reached the part with the reeds, it felt like my lungs were being squeezed, as the heat got trapped between the leaves and it was excessively warm. The sweat was running down my face and the water in the bottle had seen better days. My mouth was dry and empty, my legs tired and wobbly, and my back tired from the backpack.

We finally made it and bought something to drink directly at the nearby gas station, which I greedily chugged down. Once in the car, I drank even more and now had a water belly. But it didn't matter, as long as I didn't have a dry mouth anymore.

The journey home was once again accompanied by rain showers and playing Animal Crossing. Today, however, I had to brake properly for a goat, as it crossed the road in front of me. And of course, there were also some car troubles.

As always, it rains on this route and our car decided to display an error message and refuse to drive with cruise control. The sensor is dirty or damaged... Hopefully, we can fix this problem because these long, straight stretches without cruise control are nerve-wracking.

Once at home, I googled the stolen fruit and found out that it is a Noni fruit. This can be eaten raw and is even referred to as a superfruit in colloquial language. Apparently, it is supposed to help with everything and be good for you. Now we just have to let ours ripen a bit until it produces a terrible smell like Gorgonzola cheese - only then is it ready to eat.

Saturday, June 26, 2021

After breakfast, an online board game, and lunch, we went to Hapuna Beach, where we had been before. But this is the nearest beach. Since we have a slightly more relaxed day ahead, it's the perfect program.

It started raining on the way there, but fortunately, the rain cloud wasn't over the beach either. The sun was shining so strongly there that we had to get in the water every 10 minutes to cool off, otherwise, it would have been too hot. After taking a dip three times, we moved to the grass in the shade and tried to lie down there on the hard ground.

However, it became uncomfortable there too after a while, so we drove home, made a stop at Foodland to buy a lemon for our fish, and enjoyed our time at home. For a snack, we had way too much watermelon, which we only realized when we both spent way too much time on the toilet seat.

While preparing the salad dressing, we realized that we didn't have enough oil left, so I went to Foodland for the second time today. Hopefully, we have everything now and I don't have to go to the store for a third time for a product.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

We have never stayed in bed for so long when we had plans. But since we knew this program wouldn't take all day, we could take the morning leisurely without any guilty feelings.

So we had breakfast, prepared our sandwiches, and packed them. But wait, we don't have foil anymore... Ahhh, why didn't we realize that earlier?
We then decided to take the sandwiches in the double-decker plates in the car to wrap them up after shopping. When everything was packed, we still thought it would be safer to take the plates back home for a moment. So we made the effort for nothing because we could have packed the sandwiches at home from the beginning.

On the way to Kaumana Caves, we crossed the bumpy road (roller coaster) one last time and, as expected, encountered the heaviest rain on this route. Nothing surprising since it seems to always rain on this stretch.

It wasn't long before we arrived at these lava caves. Equipped with our mobile phone flashlights, we explored these two caves and discovered that lava can look so different in just one place. There is grainy-looking lava, sticky, smooth, as well as black or rusty red. It's fascinating what nature can create.

We then drove to Wai’ale Falls, which are located right by the road, just like Rainbow Falls. And a little further down are the Pe’epe’e Falls with the accompanying “Boiling Pots”. These pots were several small lakes next to each other, which used to be called Boiling Pots because of the whirlpool that looked like boiling water.

With the McFlurry, which definitely tastes better in Switzerland, we sat on the edge of a park and ate it. During the drive-thru, we also observed a head-shaking spectacle with a huge car in front of us. The rear end of the pickup truck was almost as wide as the driveway due to the widening of the rear wheels, and when turning at the order station, he had to drive over the curb and maneuver around the column so as not to knock it down. Chantal and I just shook our heads in disbelief and don't understand what exactly such a feature is needed for. It certainly doesn't look good and definitely isn't practical.

With an ice cream belly, we drove home on this beautiful route and listened to wonderful 80s songs. In the apartment, I noticed that our Noni fruit was ripe as it smelled terribly like goats. When I cut it open, it made me almost gag, so neither of us could bring ourselves to taste it. We threw it over the wall into the park.