Hiking instead of biking - our specialty

We have planned another adventure for today - we want to hike to Captain Cook Bay, a tour we already took last year and which impressed us even then. Therefore, we welcome the Hawaiian day a bit earlier than usual at around 6:20 am - but we won't miss breakfast on our terrace today either!

Then quickly pack the remaining things - not too much, because we have to carry it all on our shoulders for quite a while... After a 40-minute drive, we arrive at the rather inconspicuous parking lot - but we already know it and we know we're in the right place. Put on the sneakers and off we go. At first, the hiking trail is very well visible, not too long ago it seems that the reeds were cut here, so we have a clear path... But at some point, the "gardeners" seemed to have had enough, because after about 20 minutes of hiking, we no longer have the privilege of a tidy path, because from here on, the reeds have grown so densely that we can only guess the way ahead, but see for yourselves in the pictures... Overall, the path seems much more overgrown than last year and we are glad that we hiked the same route last time, otherwise we might have turned around today, doubting the correct route! But the way there is the easier part of the adventure, with some slippery spots, of course - after all, it's all downhill. But in the back of our minds, we know that we have to go up all of this on the way back.

After 1 hour and 20 minutes, we finally arrive at the bay below, which is actually in the blazing sun, which made us doubt it along the way when we felt a few raindrops on our skin. But the Hawaiian weather gods are on our side. Into the snorkel gear and into the water, and here we are definitely rewarded for the strenuous journey. Unlike the snorkeling bays we know, the reef here is by far the most impressive, it's amazing how it suddenly drops into the depths. The world of fish is equally sensational, in fact, we discover some new species of fish that we have never seen before. And for the first time on this vacation, we catch sight of a starfish, and a very special green one at that...

In total, we have two snorkeling sessions and we are glad that we arrived at the bay so early. Because gradually, it fills up with many tourists who are brought by different boats or kayakers who have paddled here. Somehow, all these people disturb the idyll of this place, and when snorkeling, one has to be careful not to bump into one of those kayaks... If access to this "paradise" only went through our hiking trail, the bay would certainly be a lot emptier, which we would definitely approve of...

Here's a glimpse of our snorkeling experience:

https://vimeo.com/364235760

After storing the underwater world in our heads, we start the return journey, it has become much warmer by now, but we have taken precautions and brought enough to drink. In the end, the ascent takes hardly more time than the way there, by now the slippery paths have dried a little and uphill, there are better footholds in many places than on the way there...

When we reach the car, the air conditioning is set to maximum and off we go home, where a well-deserved meal awaits us. From here, in the afternoon, I will go to the swimming pool, while Mom strolls through Kona and follows the Ironman preparations. 

We once again watch the sunset from Kahalu'u Beach Park, this time there are hardly any clouds on the horizon, and there are quite a few other people watching this spectacle besides us. And with such a sunset, tomorrow can only be another unique day with lots of sunshine and maybe new experiences awaiting us.