Backtracking the blog a little:

The Hawaiian Islands are not a favourite of cruisers. Safe harbours are scant, marinas fairly non-existent and the welcome less that exuberant. That said, there are some great sites on land. My 2 months here were
supposed to be a investigation by land and sea of most of the islands but, like so many, Covid ended that plan. Having a strict quarantine of 2 weeks for each island visit along with all the closures of parks, pubs and
promenades prompted me to stay in Hilo.

With the need for provisioning looming, I decided it was time to rent a car for that and do an excursion cross island as well. The logistics were onerous, but eventually managed to get to the beach, ride my bike to the airport
and hit the road without incident. The transition actually took 3 trips between the boat and the beach, but there is such a thing as too much detail, Proust notwithstanding.

I made friends with several of the paddlers that frequent the Hilo Harbour and one happened to work for Federal Parks. Jill and her husband Howard regularly paddle the harbour and n one visit, she suggested she could get
me into Volcano Park where she works. This is one of the best sites on the island and I jumped at the chance. We met in the village of Volcano and she snuck me past the guards. We walked the back trails around the cone.
This is the Mauna Loa volcano that spewed lava down the south side of the island in 2018. I was surprised that it was not noticeably hot, although there were still a few steam vents around. Having an eye witness guide was
very helpful and I was overjoyed to at least see one of the Islands treasures.

From the park, I drove back to Hilo then over the Saddle Road (between the two big volcanoes) and to Kona, specifically Kahaluu Beach for 2 nights in an old mansion converted to vacation condos. A drive south down the
coast revealed that all of the state parks were closed (no surprise) but I did manage to see Puuhonua where the Captain Cook memorial is. Essentially, I was looking for a place to go snorkeling the next day The guide book
mentions many excellent sites but access was blocked. It was a nice drive nonetheless, including a view of the coffee plantations. Along the shore, in the unmarked spots, local surfers and snorkelers were everywhere, and
the beach across from my condo was no exception, so I decided that it would do Take out for dinner (yeah) and a whole shower compete with endless bountiful hot water topped off the evening.

A bright clear hot morning greeted me so I unpacked my bike and headed north along Alii Ave. to see what the big attraction is in Kona and get some breakfast. The sites were plentiful with lots of beaches, historical
buildings and a tourist mecca in Kona (all closed), but breakfast was elusive. Two hours of touring and peddling was enough so back to my condo for a banana.

At the conclusion of a well-earned nap, I walked across the road to the Kahaluu beach and was delighted to find some of the best snorkeling I have come across. After traversing a low wall, the 2' of water revealed a plethora
of fish of many different sizes, coral, and even a turtle to swim with. There was an acre or two of area to swim in behind the breakwater, and many different depths as well. Very satisfying.


The next morning, I drove back up the Kona coast, across to Waimea along the north side of Mauna Kea and back to Hilo. I was awed by the changes in scenery in such short differences. One can drive in BC for several
hours without much of a change but here the 100 km diameter island revealed beaches, lava fields, volcanic peaks, farm land, forests, and wonderful ocean views. Very glad I got to see a least a part of Hawaii. Finished up
my provisioning in Hilo and settled down for a last night at anchor.