The Big Island Day 2

We got up early on Tuesday to drive across the island. It isn't very far across, but it is a drive between the two mountains and the roads aren't always the best, so it took almost 2 hours. The west side of the island is very different from the east side. This is where Kona is, which has lots of resorts and tourists. It is hotter and drier on the west side too.

We started off by driving through Kona coffee country. There is an area about a mile wide and 20 miles long where the conditions are just right to grow coffee really well. To be "Kona" coffee, it must be a specific type of coffee tree and be grown in this small area. We stopped in at a few different coffee farms for samples. We did a tour at Greenwell Farms, which is one of the biggest producers and processors of Kona coffee. It was really interesting to learn about how coffee is grown and processed.




We then drove to Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Park. This is a historical sacred site and was a place of refuge for warriors. We then drove back to Kona and had lunch. We drove around town and looked at some shops before heading back to the other side of the island.



On our way back we drove a different way, through the northern side of the island. It was interesting to drive through all the different climates and topographies. For miles and miles there were just lava fields in all directions. As we got further north and east is started getting more lush and green. There was an area that was really green and hilly, not any tropical vegetation, lots of cows and sheep grazing, it almost seemed like Arkansas. We drove down the east coast along the ocean. For part of the way we went along an old highway on a scenic drive. This area was like a rainforest, very green with lots of big trees and plants. We stopped at the Tropical Botanical Garden. It was very cool. Lots of really pretty plants, including some really nice orchids. The Garden was on the coast, so there were some good views and pretty waterfalls. After leaving the Garden we went to a little restaurant that makes smoothies from fruit they grow on their farm. So we got a tropical fruit smoothie and some homemade Kona coffee ice cream, they were both really good.





We got back to Hilo with some time to spare before our flight, so we drove around town for a while. We watched paddleboarders and surfers and walked around some shops. We really liked Hilo, it was a cool town. We got back to Justin and Heather's about 9 pm after a long, but very fun, two days. There are more pictures on Picasa.