The Tradewinds are Back

The weather is finally looking a bit more like the Hawaii I know. Mind you, it's still a bit cool up here at elevation in Holualoa, but down by the water, it is pretty nice now.

We wanted to have another go at those valleys we missed, of which Waipio is the best known, and Pololu is furthest north, near Kapa`au. Since we're already near the upper highway of Kona (called the Mamalahoa Highway) we elected to drive over to Kamuela (Waimea - still feels weird to call it that) and from there catch the upper road over to Hawi-Town.

It was windy in Kamuela... picked up some petrol and had a chat to a local guy who reassured me that Waimea is still known by the locals as Kamuela, "still-yet".

Then, we headed up and up and up - didn't remember Hawaii as being so *steep* everywhere - through tundra-like, wind-buffeted terrain and then finally we were greeted with the ironwood wind-break stretch of the highway that I'd always found so magical. We were now at elevation again, and the clouds would flail the jeep with spots of pelting rainy mist, which you couldn't really call rain at all. It didn't even properly wet the road. We arrived in "Hawi-Town", the weather still undecided what it wanted to do. Near the Visitor's Centre was a guy selling roast chicken and ribs that he was roasting right there:

We were all feeling a mite peckish, so Julia and Nanny got pork ribs and I got beef ribs... came with rice and macaroni salad. The tucker was brilliant, if a bit chewy (my ribs were, at least)... so it totally hit the spot. We had a wee chat to the Visitor Centre guy - apparently the main industry growing in Hawi was something called 'zipline' which catered to people who liked riding and adventures. Nothing had replaced the sugar cane, at all. Hawi did look busy - lots of non-locals milling about in the little shops and everything - so tourism must be doing reasonably well.

When we arrived in Kohala just a bit down the road, it was doing that heavy misting/almost-raining thing again, hence the somewhat blurry-looking Kamehameha statue image:

As we drove out to the Pololu Valley, the weather magically cleared, so we got some excellent views into the valley:

Click on image for larger version

Click on image for larger version

We finally tore ourselves away from the enchantment of Pololu Valley and resigning ourselves to the fact that Waipio Valley was going to be a "next time" thing, we drove the seaside road from Hawi to Kawaihae.

The vegetation quickly went from lush tropical to survivalist lava hang-in-there scrub plants like keawe - those nasty trees that dump dead branches with spikes (thorns) that go through armoured vehicles. Don't go on a stroll through that: you'll think you were ambushed. Those thorns are over an inch long and will go through shoe leather!

We ended up at Spenser Park.

Spenser park has seen some significant face-lift since I've been there last "small-kid-time". It was a relaxed, very family atmosphere. We wandered over to the pavilion:

...and watch kids play where we played and... okay, i was probably the ONLY one of us who pretended this was like a castle and we were the inhabitants... yep, sure, it was just me. :D

Spenser Park is definitely good value.

I'd played up Hapuna Beach as this end-all, be-all beach:

It's different, somehow. The rocks are still there, in the middle. Are there cowries? Would it all be the same? Am *I* the same?

No.

Things are different. It's all quite inexplicable, but definitely I'm a local of Brisbane and Queensland now, not a Kamaaina.

"How you feegah?"

We went 'home' to Holualoa...