DISTANCE: 149 miles (240km) roundtrip
TIME: A full day
START: Ali’i Drive, Kona
END: Holualoa Town
POINTS TO NOTE: Pack the sunscreen, as you’ll spend as much time exposed to the sun as you do in the car on this tour. You’ll need at least $50 cash per person to ensure you can rent a kayak in the very casual commerce at Kealakekua Bay. Tandem kayaks are a good option for families with kids who can swim as they can be paired with an adult for safety.
South Kona
Today you go south until there is no more – in the entire country. Skip the hotel breakfast, as you’ll find better along the route. Leaving Kona from Ali’i Drive 1 [map], head up Palani Road to the Queen Kaahumanu Highway (for more information, click here) and follow it south until the highway merges with Mamalahoa Highway at Honalo. Do like the kama’aina and stop in at the family-run Teshima’s on the left, see 1, for breakfast in a pure local atmosphere. Down the road in the town of Captain Cook proper is the Manago Hotel, see 2, where the menu is simple and cheap, and known for its lip-smacking pork chops.
Kealakekua Bay
Makai of town (towards the ocean) is Kealakekua Bay 2 [map], a state marine conservation district and the site of Captain Cook’s 1779 dismemberment by insulted Hawai‘ians. At the bayfront, haggle for a rental kayak with local vendors ($30–60) and paddle to the 27ft (8-meter) -high white monument on British territory solemnizing Cook. Have your snorkeling gear handy to hop in with the spinner dolphins that are always curious and friendly. Jump in at the monument to experience coral colors and fish like nowhere else in Hawai‘i.
Salt spray crashes upon Ali’i Drive in Kailua Bay
Steven Greaves/Apa Publications
Coffee country
All along the highway south of Kona, fresh Kona coffee is sold. Head into any store for a taste and information about what makes Kona coffee so good, but forget the blends as they’re only 10 percent pure Kona.
Head back up to Mamalahoa after your swim, then take the turnoff to Pu’uhonua ‘O Honaunau National Historical Park 3 [map]. Meticulously and accurately restored, it was an ancient refuge where transgressors and kapu violaters were pardoned by priests – but only after out-swimming sharks or scaling stone walls, and vowing to do penance. The grounds are wonderful for idle walking, simple daydreaming or inspecting the full-sized primitive idols and the Great Wall. Towering coconut palms swing melodically above. On the way back to the main road, stop at the 20th-century St Benedict’s Church. The inside of the church is painted with biblical scenes and motifs for those who were unable to read.
Coffee plants and macadamia nut trees give way further south to barren black nothingness – lava flows from 1907, 1919, 1926 and 1950. Take the turn off for South Point 4 [map]. The road is paved, although it is narrow, winding and steep. South Point is compelling and powerful. Sit on the cliff edge near the Kalalea Heiau, where clear blue waters crash against the basalt cliffs, and enjoy the view.
Sleepy, artsy Holualoa
Backtrack along Mamalahoa Highway towards Kona, taking your time and exploring the fishing village of Miloli’i 5 [map] and the hillside artist’s town of Holualoa 6 [map], above Kailua-Kona. Look out for the Kimura Lauhala Shop, Kona Art Center and M. Field, a local waterman’s unique and beautiful art which decorates walls, surfboards, paddles and clothing. The Holualoa Inn (for more information, click here) offers a good alternative to staying in Kona or Kohala. The charming town has an art walk with food and drinks the first Friday evening of every month.
Grounds of Pu’uhonua ‘O Honaunau National Historic Park
Steven Greaves/Apa Publications
Food and Drink
1 Teshima’s
79-7251 Mamalahoa Highway; tel: 808-322 9140; www.teshimarestaurant.com; daily 6.30am–1.45pm and 5–9pm; $
Grandma Teshima’s mission was excellent food and service in a comfortable atmosphere and that’s exactly what Teshima’s offers. This family-run restaurant has served generations of local residents. Try the Big-Island famous tempura and sashimi.
2 Manago Hotel
82-6151 Mamalahoa Highway; tel: 808-323 2642; www.managohotel.com/rest.html; Tue−Sun 7–9am, 11am–2pm, 5–7.30pm; $
They’re as proud of their pork chop as they are of the fact that everything on the menu costs less than $15. Food is simple, straightforward, hearty and a welcome break from the land of $10-plus cocktails further north.