February 26 - Kona

Thursday, February 26, 2026 

8:00 am to 7:00 pm

Good morning from the Big Island of Hawaii.

Kona is a tender port...a place where the ship anchors off-shore and then shuttles guests back and forth using the lifeboats. For crowd control, everyone needs to get a tender ticket and then they announce groups by number when a boat is available to load. The tickets were available in Crooners Bar (no charge) so that is where we headed after breakfast. Our group was given tickets with #5. We sat in the Piazza until our number was called at 8:45 am. 

Getting on the tender as it bobs up and down in the water is challenging...
...even more so with a bad knee. Timing is everything!

Bob had already made a call to Enterprise to let them know that we were running a little late to pick up the rental car we had reserved. It was 9:05 when we reached land and we walked the short distance to the big banyan tree where we knew Enterprise would send their shuttle. Bob called the office to let them know we were ready to be picked up, but he was put on hold...and waited and waited. He finally gave up and Jon called an Uber. We walked around the corner to a hotel where the traffic was less congested and the Uber picked us up there.

When Bob started filling out the papers for the rental car at the Enterprise office, he realized that he had left his driver's license in his pants pocket from the night before. 😖 (You need a photo ID to get on and off the ship and he had used it in Kauai and forgot to put it back in his wallet.) Trying to go back to the ship to get the license would have easily chewed up more than an hour...time we did NOT want to waste on a port day. Jon was willing to be the primary driver so he paid for the car with his credit card and we were on our way. The silver lining to this story was that Bob DID have his Global Entry photo ID and was able to get back on the ship at the end of the day. 

Throughout the cruise I tried to keep track of any shared expenses so we could "settle up" at the end. Bob knows I always want him to keep receipts when we travel but Jon did not always do such a good job. 😒

Over the months leading up to the cruise, I had prepared Google maps for each island with routes planned out for places I thought would be interesting to see. Our first stop was at a farmer's market set up in a parking lot near the pier. When we pulled in we realized that it was a pay parking lot. (And I was having flashbacks to getting ripped off for parking yesterday in Kauai.) You were supposed to scan a QR code on a sign and pay by credit card. I did not think it was worth paying for the short time we planned to be there (the market was not very big) and just wanted to leave. Bob and Jon convinced me to stay and they stayed in the car while Michelle and I looked around a little (very little!) and we just skipped paying the fee. 

I decided it would be smart to head to our furthest destination first, but on the way I saw that we were going to go by Greenwell Farms Coffee Plantation. They offered free tours but they were 60 minutes long and we didn't want to spend that much time. We did however sample MANY kinds of Kona coffee they had available. The coffee was very good...but very expensive. 

Since we had already messed up the order that I had planned the stops on my route, we went ahead and next drove to the Painted Church. The church building was white but had the name "Painted Church" because of the murals painted on the interior walls. We had visited here in 2024 but Jon and Michelle had never been. From the Painted Church website:

This present church was erected in 1899 by Father John Velghe. Without any professional training and using house paint on ordinary wood he beautified the church with his paintings. In those days few Hawaiians could read and so he taught with pictures-most successfully.

An interesting fact...the paintings of almost all of the murals have retained their bright colors except for the one that depicts Hell. It has faded and become discolored. 

St. Benedict Catholic Church - "The Painted Church"

Cemetery outside the church.

The Handwriting on the Wall at the Feast of King Belshazzar.
On the wall is written in Hawaiian, “Ua Emi Loa Oe Ua Pau Kou Aupuni / Make No Ka Pono” literally, “You are found wanting. Your kingdom ceases. Should die.”

The faded "Hell" mural.

Temptation of Jesus. The devil is being cast down along with a crown, a scepter and bags of money.

Some of the beautiful flowers growing around the Painted Church.

Finally we made it to where I had planned to start our day...at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. (I find it so fun to try and pronounce the Hawaiian names!) Bob's America the Beautiful pass got us all in for free and we first watched a movie in the amphitheater. And for anyone who is hoping to snorkel while visiting Kona, there is a great spot right by this park called "Two Step". (That isn't the real name, but it is called that because there are two natural steps to get down into the water.)

Two Step Snorkeling Site is right by the park.

Again, this was a place Bob and I had visited in 2004 so I saved my knee and didn't walk around as much as the others. I found a place to sit and just enjoyed watching that beautiful water. A lady stopped to talk to me and said she had seen a whale so I kept my eye out for spouts...but saw nothing. What I did see were a lot of fish close to the shore in the shallow water. 

Lots of small yellow fish!

Just outside the park was a beach with a picnic area. We had eaten a snack here the last time, but this time we hadn't planned for a picnic so we stopped briefly and then left to go find the restaurant.

Wild goats along side the road.

The picnic area was beautiful!

While I had been waiting on the others, I used my phone to locate a place to eat nearby for lunch. I found a restaurant called Kaaloa's Super J's that caught my eye...it had over 1500 five star reviews on Google! The restaurant was not far away and when we got there we discovered they only had three items on the menu. The price was based on whether you wanted one choice, two choices or three choices!

The restaurant felt more like a kitchen in someone's home.

The open kitchen right behind the counter where you ordered.

Bob ordered pork laulau and I got the kalua pig and cabbage. Once we saw how HUGE the portion sizes were we realized we should have just shared a plate. Jon also bought a slice of mango cake which we all shared. The food was delicious and felt very authentic. We dined at a long, shared table made of a piece of raw edged lumber. 

Pork Laulau (the meat was wrapped in taro leaves) 

Pork & Cabbage. 

Besides my self designed tour, we were occasionally listening to the narration from the Guide Along app on my phone. As we were driving, it was hard for me to imagine living in such a beautiful place where flowers grow with such little care. Bob has a potted croton at home that gets handled with extreme TLC just to keep it alive! 

Our last official stop was at Kealakekua Bay. The bay is a sacred area in Hawaiian culture, historically recognized as the "pathway of the God" and the residence of the deity Lono-i-ka-makahiki.  Bob roamed around through the forest area while Jon, Michelle and I sat and watched the birds and fish. We could look across the bay and see the Captain Cook Monument which marks the site where Captain James Cook was killed by native Hawaiians. The monument is only accessible by boat or a long hike.

Explorer Bob

Snorkel boats around the Captain Cook Monument across the bay.

We stayed on the coastal road to get back to Kona. The car needed to be returned by 4 pm in order for us to get a spot on the last shuttle back to the port and we had just enough time for a quick stop at Walmart. Bob and I got a 12 pack of Coke to take back on the ship and Jon and Michelle bought some pop and a bunch of snacks (since you never know when you might get hungry on a cruise ship!) 😄 Jon also bought a pint of chunky monkey ice cream but then realized he had no spoon. Luckily the gal working at the Enterprise office just happened to have a plastic spoon that she gave him so he could eat it before it melted.

The Enterprise shuttle dropped us off right at the tender pier and we immediately walked on to a waiting tender boat. The boat left right away and we didn't even have to wait until they filled it completely. Since I hadn't made dinner reservations for our port days, I went onto the app as soon as we returned to the ship and reserved a table at the regular 5:20 time. That meant we were seated at Table #51 with Lokesh and Ian.

Heading back "home".

The evening entertainment in the theater was a second performance by Company of Men whom we had just seen the night before. It was to be a different show, but we decided we would rather enjoy a leisurely meal and skip the show. It was 7:15 pm before we left the dining room.

One of the dining room supervisors came to our table while we were eating and told us they had reserved our table 51 for every night of the next leg of our cruise so we will get to stay with Lokesh and Ian!! We are still wondering if the itinerary for our Mexican cruise will have any changes after all of the violence that is taking place.

We were all dragging after three port days in a row and decided there would be no card playing. There was a little bit of balcony time and then Bob and I got ourselves organized for the next day...our last Hawaiian port of Maui. I made SURE he had his driver's license!

Spending time on "our porch".
Bob is wearing the nightshirt our daughter in law gave him for Christmas! 😊😴

Kona

 Friday, February 9, 2024

Early morning approach to Kona on the Big Island.

The ship was anchored offshore by the time we went to breakfast. (There is no dock at Kona so the lifeboats are used as tenders to shuttle passengers to shore.) We ate outside by the aft pool but because the ship was stationary, there was no breeze and the smoke from the starboard side smoking section drifted over. It wasn't the most pleasant breakfast. 😒

Our backpacks were extra heavy because we packed snorkel gear, swimsuits and beach towels just in case we decided to stop at a beach. Bob was generous and once again carried mine AND his backpack (although he did make a comment in the elevator about being a pack mule.) 😄

Tender tickets were supposed to be available in BB Kings starting at 7:30 am but when we headed down to Deck 2 a crew member (actually Daisy from Guest Services) said no tickets were needed and we should go directly to Deck A. When the elevator doors opened we were directed to a line but I think we might have ended up in the middle of an already formed line. Things were moving quickly though so I don't think we were much of a problem.

As it was being loaded, the tender was bouncing and banging into the ship. I think it was one of the roughest tender boarding that I have experienced. As soon as I started to step over to the tender, it rose up. I paused just long enough that it came back down and then I quickly stepped over. With my bad knee I was worried that my leg would buckle and I would come crashing down.

The actual tender ride wasn't too bad once we untied from the ship and we reached the shore quickly. I had reserved a car from Enterprise and we were instructed to call them when we reached the shore and they would send a shuttle. I made the call and the lady I talked to said the shuttle was on the way already. We were to get picked up by a large banyan tree across the street from the dock. Just as I hung up from the call, the shuttle van was pulling in! The Enterprise office wasn't too far away but it was all uphill from the tender docks and would not have been a fun walk with our heavy packs.

Banyan tree near tender dock.

Taking care of the paperwork at the rental agency was quick and we were soon on our way. Somehow in the process of switching cabins I had lost my Chapstick so our first stop was at a nearby Walmart. The display of Maui potato chips right by the entrance door caught my eye and we purchased a bag of the onion flavored chips along with the Chapstick.

Our plan was to follow the Guide Along app tour but it was confusing trying to figure out just where the tour began. Using Google maps (and making a couple of wrong turns) eventually we hit the spot where the commentary began. We drove along the coast through the touristy part of Kona but had to skip some  of the spots that the Guide Along app suggested we stop just because there was no parking...Magic Sands, Blue Church, etc.

We did pull into Kahalu’u Beach Park and found one open parking spot. After we got out of the car I remembered that this was one place that was recommended for snorkeling and that I thought might be good to stop at later in the day. I also remembered (and saw a sign) that parking was $12 for 4 hours. As we were standing there a man approached us and started talking. He was a volunteer who was just there to give snorkeling advice and answer questions. I liked that the entrance into the water was easy (especially compared to the other well known snorkeling beach, Two-Step.) The man told us that the beach was extra crowded because there was a group of handicapped people who come once a month. I especially liked that they had a carpet laid out as a walkway into the water. The guy pointed out the sandy areas in the water where it would be OK to stand up to avoid stepping on coral and also told us that only reef-friendly sunscreen was allowed. They even had a free dispenser where you could get small amounts of the special sunblock. We left thinking we might return later in the day, but we didn't make it back.

The foliage we saw as we drove was nothing less than amazing! It is mind boggling to think how much effort we put into growing flowers and plants during the summer in Minnesota and in Hawaii they are tree sized and grow all year round!

The Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park was our next stop. It is the site of the first contact between Hawaiians and Westerners with the arrival of Captain Cook in 1779. Hikiau Heiau, a religious site, was located here and by looking across the bay we could see the Captain Cook Monument in the distance. The monument is only accessible by a long hike or by taking a guided kayak tour from one of three commercial vendors who have permits.

Zoomed in view of the Captain Cook Monument

The furthest south point on our drive was the Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (also known as a Place of Refuge.) Our lifetime America the Beautiful pass got us entry for free. A ranger led program was starting just as we arrived so we made our way to the amphitheater. One fact shared...the religious carvings are replaced about every 30 years and the ones there now are due to be redone in a few years. They are very gray and worn looking. The female ranger opened and closed her talk with a beautiful Hawaiian blessing.

While we were at the program a friend from home texted and said "where are you?" She went on to say that a 5.7 earthquake had hit the Big Island a little over an hour ago and the epicenter was in Pahala, about 30 miles from where we were! We hadn't felt anything but the captain confirmed the earthquake when we were back on the ship later in the day. After checking earthquaketrack.com it was apparent that earthquakes on this island are not a rare occurrence but this one was larger than most.

Our location in relation to earthquake (red marker)...about 30 miles.

Following the program we walked through the grounds of the religious site which was set on the lava rock beach. The Two-Step Beach I mentioned previously was just across the bay and we could see many people snorkeling from the rocky beach. (The beach's name, Two-Step, comes from the fact that the lava rocks formed a natural two step entrance into the water.) The sun was hot and my knee was getting sore so I let Bob explore to his heart's content while I headed back to the shade of the entrance building.

Two-Step Beach

When Bob returned, he asked the man working at the gift shop where we could find some place  for a picnic lunch. We were directed down a dirt road to a picnic area right on the beach. We found a picnic table overlooking the water and watched the waves crashing onto the shore while we ate the lunch we had brought along. Close to the water's edge were tide pools to be explored. The shade from the palm trees and the cool ocean breeze made for a very pleasant lunch.

Our picnic spot.

The Guide Along app suggested we next make a stop at the Painted Church. St. Benedict's Catholic Church was built in 1899 by Father John Veighe. At that time few Hawaiians could read or write so the priest taught lessons by painting murals using house paint on ordinary wood. The original art still remains and interestingly enough the one mural that has faded the most is of Hell.

The Guide Along app instructed us to turn off of the main highway onto Painted Church Road and said it would only be about 2 minutes to reach the church. We were so busy gawking at all of the amazing foliage growing along the narrow road that we drove right by the church. (In our defense, the sign was very faded and not easy to read.) 

We drove for some time still in awe at all of the flowers, trees, cacti, etc. growing along the roadside but finally realized that we must have missed the turn. We ended up making a large loop and eventually made it back to the church. There were only a few people there when we arrived and as I walked into the church one woman sitting in a pew began singing Amazing Grace. Truly a special moment!

St. Benedict's Catholic Church...the Painted Church 

Hell

The Handwriting on the Wall

The Temptation of Jesus

The day was going by way too fast. In order to get the shuttle back to the port we needed to be at the Enterprise car rental office no later than 4:00 pm. The traffic was horrendous (typical for Hawaii we decided) so it was good we allowed a little extra time for the return trip.

The clouds and rain that had been building over the mountains in the afternoon reached Kona about the time the shuttle dropped us off at the tender dock. Fortunately it was a short wait so we didn't get very wet. We grabbed a seat by the door when we got on the tender, just in time before the rain came down hard.

Dark clouds forming over Kona.

Back on the ship we hustled and got showers and changed in time to make it to our 5 pm dinner in the main dining room. The ship was still anchored and we had a nice view of Kona as we ate. We even got to see a small rainbow!

Our dinnertime view.

When we left the dining room we went out onto the promenade deck and walked outside from the back of the ship to the front where the elevator took us right up to our new room. The sun had just set and we sat outside on the balcony enjoying the orange glow in the sky.

The entertainment on the World Stage was Elliot Finkel whom we had just seen a couple of nights ago. Although he is a very talented piano player, the style of music he had performed just wasn't our favorite so we decided to skip the show. Bob watched a movie on TV while I updated my blog and got things organized for our next port, Hilo. This would be our last stop before five days crossing the Pacific.