Christmas Greetings 2023

 

🎜  Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say

On a bright Hawaiian Christmas day,

That's the island greeting that we send to you

From the land where palm trees sway,

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright

The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night,

Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way

To say Merry Christmas to you! 🎝

When we returned to San Diego after spending five weeks in Hawaii, it seemed like we had just dropped into the center of Whoville's Christmas Square. While Hawaii had the occasional festive ''Mele Kalikimaka'' decorations, it was nothing compared to the multitude of bright lights, inflatable santas, and last-minute gift ads that bombarded us as we returned to the mainland. It made us appreciate the fact that, although they don't put on a big holiday display, Hawaii's ''Aloha Spirit'' of kindness and harmony reflects the real essence of Christmas all year long.

And as we thought about it, this same ''Aloha Spirit'' has filled so many of our days during our past year of travel. We are grateful for the Aloha Spirit felt in ... 

... the sharing of knowledge and skills during our

Habitat for Humanity build,

... the smiles of dear friends who warmly welcomed us back

to Colombia once again this winter,

... the laughter of

of children we have met along the way,

... the ''amor'' (love) of learning shared while serving

as volunteer English teachers in Medellin,

... the support of family during

difficult times,

... the warm welcomes of family and friends

as they opened their driveways and homes to us,

... the enthusiasm of new friends who introduced us

to some of their favorite local treasures,

... and the generosity of sharing meals

... and time with us when our

travels bring us back together once again.

What a joy to experience the colors of the season and the Aloha Spirit wherever RVentures take us!

May your Holidays be filled with laid-back island vibes

as you gather to celebrate the

Best Aloha Ever!

Mele Kalikimaka!

Merry Christmas to you!

The Many Personalities of the Big Island of Hawaii

How does one capture the essence of the Big Island of Hawai'i in just one photo? While it is common to see vast fields of black lava still being deposited on the island thanks to its four active volcanoes, there are also ... 

Lush tropical rainforests,

Pristine sandy beaches,

Breathtaking coastal views,

Rich Hawaiian history,

And lots of green sea turtles who seem to enjoy the laid-back beach life as much as the tourists!

With so much to enjoy, we're grateful to have been able to spend a week on the dry, sunny Kailua-Kona side and a week on the lush, rainy Hilo side of Hawai'i.

The Big Island of Hawai'i lives up to its nickname as it is massive in size compared to the other seven major islands of this archipelago.  It is also the ''newest'' Hawaiian island with volcanic eruptions occurring as recently as three months ago. Two massive mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, divide the island and provide some eruptive ''entertainment''. They could ''technically'' be considered the highest mountains in the world, except for the fact that much of their base is underwater. Another fun fact ... the Big Island of Hawai'i contains 8 of the 13 recognized climate zones, each with its unique ecosystem. From humid tropics to arid hot deserts to alpine cold ... with snow on top of Mauna Kea, it's no wonder that the Big Island seems to have many personalities for visitors to enjoy.

Kailua-Kona Highlights

Located on the leeward (ie: dry and lots of sunshine) side of Hawai'i, Kailua-Kona's personality shines forth with its beautiful beaches and arid climate. As a result, it is the most populated part of the Big Island and the most popular for tourists to visit.

Thanksgiving on the Beach: The Big Island's Social Personality

We stayed in the lower level apartment of a delightful couple in Kona who invited us to their group's Thanksgiving feast on the beach. What a delight to socialize with the locals ...

as we enjoyed island music,

and a traditional Thanksgiving meal with Hawaiian flare.

Pololu Valley Lookout: The Big Island's Dramatic Personality

We drove up to the ''end of the road'' on the north shore to enjoy the dramatic seaside beauty of the Big Island's cliffs and valleys. A half mile hike with an 850 foot descent rewarded us with ...

fantastic views,

as well as a beautiful lunch spot on the beach below.

National Historic Sites: The Big Island's Ambitious Personality

There is one Hawaiian name that you need to memorize because he is sort of a ''big deal'' on the Big Island. King Kamehameha was an ambitious warrior who united the individual Hawaiian islands into one royal kingdom in 1810. 

The Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Park preserves the site where Kamehameha built a Hawaiian temple using hundreds of thousand volcanic stones. The movie at the Visitor Center told the fascinating story of how he defeated a rival warrior to unite the islands. Still standing today, this ''heiau'' is a sacred site that symbolizes the peace that unites all of the Hawaiian people.

Further down the west coast, the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park preserves a spiritual sanctuary of the Hawaiian culture. Visits to this sacred place instill a deeper understanding and appreciation for the beautiful Hawaiian culture.

 

Variety of Beaches: The Big Island's Colorful Personality

With sunshine the norm on the Kailua-Kona side, the beaches are a popular hangout. Due to the mysterious workings of nature, these beaches are quite colorful with their ...

green sand,

white coral,

and black lava decorated beaches.

Of course, Mother Nature's sunset colors make many of the beaches a cozy resting spot for the island's green sea turtles.

Turtles and Birds: Big Island's Amusing Personality

There is no shortage to the wildlife waiting to entertain visitors.

Green sea turtles play ''hide and seek'' in the water,

and on the beach ... watch your step!

Our early morning entertainment involved watching the birds battle it out to be crowned ''king of the bird feeder'',

in which the wild parakeets prove to be the clear winners.

Coffee Farm Tour: The Big Island's Energetic Personality

With just the right amount of sunshine, warmth, and rain, coffee farms thrive on the hillsides of Kona. When we visited Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farm, we could feel the ''energy'' ...

that is stored in these colorful coffee cherries,

and is released in the roasting and brewing process

to make each cup of Kona Coffee a truly ''heavenly'' experience!

Finding the ''Aloha'' Spirit: The Big Island's Kind Personality

It was the kind personalities of the people we met that really made us feel a part of this island paradise. The ''aloha'' spirit was alive in ...

our Airbnb host who shared stories, recommendations, and a Thanksgiving meal with us,

the members of a local church who welcomed us with a seashell lei,

and ''Mama'' who warmly invited and insisted that we join in on the food and fun at her family gathering when I happened to wander into the ''event room'' of a local brewery. 

Hilo Highlights

After a week in Kona, we drove an hour and a half over the ''saddle'' road ... the low point that divides Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, to the town of Hilo. Hilo has much more of a small town feel, and because it is located on the windward or rainy side of the island, it is bursting forth with the natural beauty of waterfalls, rainforests, and blooming gardens.

Let it Rain: The Big Island's Practical Personality

Practically speaking, you need rain as well as sun for your garden to grow. And the beautiful gardens really appreciate all the rain that falls on this side of the island. We found that the people here embrace the rain and design their homes to be able to enjoy the outdoors even on a soggy day.

 Our Airbnb cottage was equipped with a large covered deck so that we could still eat outside or relax in the hammock even when Mother Nature was ''watering'' our garden.

Often times the rain would come and go, so we just learned to always have our umbrellas with us while we enjoyed the beauty of a hike along the coast on a drizzly day.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: The Big Island's Hardworking Personality

Our first order of business was to visit the national park that is located on the Big Island. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park contains two of the world's most active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa, and was an easy drive from Hilo. One could say that these volcanoes are very hardworking as their frequent eruptions and lava flows are constantly reshaping the park's trails and roads and adding to the Big Island's land mass. 

While there was no active eruption occurring at the time of our visit, steam could be seen rising up from the caldera.

According to Hawaiian tradition, Pele is revered as the volcano goddess. She is said to dwell in the lava and direct the natural forces associated with volcanic eruptions. 

Park Ranger Dean led us on a hike along the crater rim and both educated and entertained us with his scientific facts and Hawaiian folk stories.

Fissure 8 Tour: The Big Island's Dynamic Personality

In 2018, Kilauea erupted almost continually over a four month period, and the dynamic forces of its lava forever changed the landscape of the southeastern part of the Big Island. It also wiped out over 700 homes changing this community in a huge way. Melissa was one of the fortunate ones in the Leilani Estates neighborhood as the lava flow stopped just as it reached the edge of her back yard.

Today she leads tours out to what was once a vibrate green area of her neighborhood.

It was a surreal moment to hear her stories, pick up the light lava rocks, feel the steam still escaping from fissures and see the distinct line between lava and human dwellings.  

But nature is resilient, as we saw with the hardy small ferns and other plants that are rising up from the lava.

From the top of the ridge, we could see some of the 875 acres of new land that this eruption of Kilauea created.

Chocolate Farm Tour: The Big Island's Joyful Personality

Who doesn't get happy with the mere mention of ''chocolate''? Well, I sure did when Doug signed us up for a highly rated chocolate farm tour near Hilo. Hamakua Chocolate Farm was started by two hardworking and talented men who wanted to share their love of exotic plants and good food with others.

As we walked around their six acre farm, they told us the story of how these funny looking cacao ''fruits'' get transformed into the Food of the Gods.

The pod is carefully cut open revealing the seeds that are surrounded by a sweet juicy layer.

The seeds are then fermented, dried, roasted, and ground in a mixture that ...

we all know and LOVE!

What made their chocolate stand out from the other chocolate farms that we visited is that they liked to ''experiment'' by adding non-traditional spices and other ingredients like Kalamata olives, black pepper and chai, and even small bits of a local cuttlefish. The results were quite surprisingly ... delicious! 

After we left their cacao grove, we descended to the lower portion of their property where they have developed an exotic plant garden. Vanilla plants, cinnamon bushes, 

and a visit to the tree house that was accessible via a swinging bridge brought out the joyful kid in all of us. 

Hawaii's Newest Beach and Hot Tubs: The Big Island's Laidback Personality

With each volcanic eruption, some of Hawaii's most valued spaces, the beaches, are formed. We drove out to the far southeast part of the island to visit one of Hawaii's newest areas to relax and enjoy ...

the new Pohoiki Black Sand Beach

and Hot Springs!

It is a bit of a drive to reach this farthest point on the Big Island. The former road was buried under lava, but recently, the road that was rebuilt ...

leads to some amazing views. 

More Turtles: The Big Island's Charming Personality

Sea turtles don't seem to mind the fresh lava rocks, and they also embrace the serenity that is found in the ''less populated'' beaches found on the Hilo side. Here they can ...

hang out with their buddies

and charm the occasional curious visitor who successfully hikes down the muddy 2.5 mile path that leads to their secluded hangout.

Rain Forest Beauty: The Big Island's Exuberant Personality

Despite the rain, or perhaps because of it, I have become a fan of the rainforest portions of the Hawaiian islands. Its exuberance is found in ...

the lush seas of green,

 the humongous plant leaves,

and the colorful and delicious fruits and vegetables that end up at Hilo's many farmer's markets.

 ''Be ready for anything'' became our motto as we enjoyed the varied and beautiful personalities that come together on the Big Island of Hawai'i.