The last time we were on the Big Island of Hawaii, there were only three of us. We were originally going on this trip with our friends S&H & their kids, but they got sick at the last minute, and had to bail, which was a huge bummer, since we’d gone together the last time.

I liked the Big Island last time we were here, but I also didn’t really “get it”. That is, why you’d come here, as opposed to any of the other islands. It’s a really unique landscape, for sure, with all the volcanic fields – but at the same time, those fields are basically uninhabitable. So you had Kailua-Kona, resorts up in Waikoloa, and that was about all we were able to see. Again – nice, but basically “a small town & some resorts”.

This time, we got to see a lot more – the kids were old enough to endure some more time-consuming endeavors. We went snorkeling at Kalahu’u Beach, we did a stargazing tour, and then a full-day tour of the whole island. Other days, we just chilled out at the beaches nearby (the beach at Hualalai was great), or went to the pool at the Hilton nearby, which our rental included a pass for. It was still a pretty relaxed vacation, but we saw a lot more.

I think my favorite thing was pretty odd – it was just standing in the steam from the steam vents at the Kilauea crater overlook. We also went to the black sand beach at Punalu’u, and there were a bunch of sleeping turtles, and one feeding in the waves. Both times we’ve been to black sand beaches have been with tours, and one of these days I’d like to spend a bit more time just taking it in leisurely. They’re not say… comfortable, since the black sand is just pulverized lava rock (instead of chewed up coral), but they’re such interesting looking places to just hang out in.

Rainbow and Akaka falls were also really beautiful – though weirdly, the way they’re set up for viewing means that neither really gets that sense of *majesty*, since Akaka Falls is really tall, but you can’t get very close. You can get closer to Rainbow Falls, but it’s also only like… a fifth the height. So both end up being cool, but not really impressive in the same way that waterfalls can be when you can get closer to them.

We had some really great food at Tenkatori – a little Japanese fried chicken stand in a food court in Kona. It’s part of a chain, but holy cow, the chicken was delicious. Best kara-age style chicken I’ve ever had. Lava Lava Beach Club was a nice environment, and the food was pretty good, and we had some takeout at Hawaii BBQ Deli, which was a Chinese hole-in-the-wall with huge portions – decent, but fairly unremarkable, in Waimea. We also went back to Kawaihae Kitchen, which we’d gone to the last time we were there, and had Nori Chicken, which is basically just chicken thighs wrapped in nori, and then cooked sort of mochiko chicken-style.

Kawaihae Kitchen, and then hanging out at the Queen’s Market were minor nostalgia bombs. Remembering what it was like coming here when Jin was 2, when we still felt like “new parents”, but had a really lovely trip with friends – being able to feel the echo of that was just a really nice feeling.

Overall, a great trip. I think there’s a pretty non-zero chance that when the kids are one day out on their own, we’ll spend more time somewhere in HI.