We're Leaving Hawaii

     Did you sing that title with a little Sheryl Crow tune?  Well, just so you know, I did!  I sang it like her song "Leaving Las Vegas," but I put in Hawaii instead.  I seem to always hear song lyrics or movie quotes in my head, and I have to share with others when I do.  I might also be trying to sing and cheer myself up as I'm pretty sad about leaving the beach.  I've loved our morning coffee spot and really enjoyed listening to the waves crash while falling asleep each night.  This spot was the perfect way to end our wonderful vacation.  

     I'd say it's a sad evening for the Deppe Six Pack as we all sit in uncomfortable seats at the Kona Airport waiting for our red-eye flight home, but I think we're also a bit ready for the comforts of home, like air conditioning and our own beds.  It's been two super great weeks!  We've seen and done so much and made memories to last a lifetime for sure, but home is calling our name. 
     Thanks to our late check-out afforded to us by Edgar, our host in Kona, we were able to spend another day at the beach and pool before showering and getting all packed up to head home.  Mike and Drew went for one last snorkel this morning before we all headed to our last beach.
     La'aloa Beach, also known as Magic Sands Beach, was only the second white-sand beach we visited over the past two weeks.  The waves were huge..."wompers" as my brother-in-law, John, taught me they were called earlier on this vacation.   We found some boogie boards in the condo, and Jack was dying to try them out.  He and Nick had a blast riding the waves over and over again, with help from dad of course.  I watched and took pictures, while Drew and Livy read with their toes in the sand.

     For lunch, we stopped by a local spot called "Da Poke Shack" for a poke platter.  Drew, Livy, Mike and I shared the platter while the little boys opted for meatball subs from Subway.  I love sushi, but I was a bit timid to try poke for the first time.  It is sort of like deconstructed sushi, but the fish also had a different texture.  Drew said some of it was like gummy candy.  We all agreed it was good, but not something we'll be craving once we get home.  I'm glad we all tried this Hawaiian dish.

     After a quick dip in the condo pool one last time, we all showered and started packing.  I made sure to get all our sheets and towels washed up and ready for the next renters since our host had been so kind to let us stay as long as we needed today.  That really was the best surprise and made it so nice to be able to enjoy our last day in paradise instead of stressing about how to fill 12 hours from check-out to our flight time without getting salty and sandy.  Once we had everything ready to go, we headed up the coast, on Ali'i Drive to the downtown area of Kona.  It is a packed, tourist-trap area with souvenir shops and restaurants a-plenty, but we found a fun little local brewery that offered good brews, simple food, and great views.  We ate dinner while watching a Hawaiian canoe race.  Those boats are so cool, and just watching them row out to sea and back three times made us tired from afar (good for a red-eye flight!).  We stopped by a couple of shops to check out their wares, and hopped in the rental van to head to the airport.   

     To say it's been a great two weeks is a massive understatement.  We've seen so much, spent time with the entire Deppe family, celebrated an amazing couple and their 50 years together, and hung out as our little "Deppe Six Pack" too.  Nick has started to say "OK, Deppe Six Pack...let's do this!" when we need to head out somewhere.  I have to say, I love it!  We always have fun together, no matter where we go, so be sure to check back soon for our next adventure.  Mahalo for reading, and Aloha!

  

Morning Snorkel and an Evening Show

     Today was a pretty chill day for us, which was much needed as we've been pretty "go-go-go" on this vacation.  There is just so much to see and do in Hawaii that it's hard to remember to just kick back and relax once in a while.  So, today we took time to soak in things like my view while enjoying morning coffee.  I have no idea how I'm going to leave any time soon with amazing sights and sounds right outside my door.

     













    
     We started the day at Kahalu'u Beach for some snorkeling.  Well...the boys snorkeled and Livy and I read.  Kahalu'u is well known in Kona for its great snorkeling, and luckily we got a tip from a bay area volunteer yesterday that a cruise ship was coming to town today so we needed to be there early.  We got to the beach around 9:30, so we missed most of the tourist that came from the boat.  The boys said it was a good place to snorkel as they saw several schools of brightly colored fish and some puffer fish.  They want to go back tomorrow for one last run with their flippers and fins.  

 

     

     We spent the afternoon swimming and napping at the condo.  I had not taken any naps on this vacation until today, so it was much needed.  I love a good nap!  

  

     We need to rest up today any way for tonight's entertainment.  Our last big meal on the island was a luau tonight.  We found great (discounted!) tickets online for the Royal Kona's Voyagers of the Pacific Luau, and it was a really cool show.  They had tons of food, kids activities, and of course lots of hula dancing.  The announcer did a great job of explaining each dance, its origin, and its meaning.  There were sweet and simple dances, ones with only the ladies in very festive outfits, ones with only the men shouting and hitting themselves, and of course, the grand finale was a guy dancing with flaming swords.  It was something you simply must do once in a lifetime, especially when in Hawaii.  

     Our flight home tomorrow is a red-eye, and Mike and I were sort of dreading the need to fill time all day after our morning check out.  On a whim, I called our vacation contact and asked for a late check out.  After a very nice 20 minute conversation with our host, Edgar in Washington D.C., he arranged for us to have the condo all day tomorrow.  What a relief!  Now we can snorkel again, swim at one last beach, and take our time to pack up before heading to the airport after dinner.  Once again, it was an amazing day in paradise!

Manta Ray Night Swim and Mauna Kea

     Today was pretty epic!  We tried to get up and going from our quaint little place in Hilo so we'd have plenty of time for this:

A NIGHT SWIM (in the Pacific Ocean) WITH GIANT MANTA RAYS!!!!!
     More about that later.  

     As we drove out of Hilo, we headed between two mountains on the way to Kona.  Mauna Loa was to our south.  It last erupted in 1984, but didn't cause much damage.  Larger eruptions in 1926 and 1950 destroyed villages and changed the landscape of the island incredibly.  In fact, much of modern day Hilo is built on top of those eruptions.  
     The eruptions you've likely seen in the news lately are from Mauna Kilauea.  Several fissures have opened up in Kilauea, and we were able to catch a couple pretty up close last night.  
     But, the mountain I really wanted to see, which is near and dear to me, was Mauna Kea!  Standing at just over 13,803 feet tall, it has not erupted in the last 2,000+ years, but come on people....it has my name!  In fact, in Hawaiian, they say Mauna Kea like "kay-uh."  However, I figure if we change mauna to mount then maybe we change "kay-uh" to "key-uh" too!  Haha!  
      In all seriousness, Mauna Kea is world famous for the observatories that reside on its summit.  Universities and astronomy scholars from around the globe host observatories on top and post personnel that stay at a little village near the summit to study the night sky.  It is said that the night sky is as clear there as anywhere else in the world.  Adding the highest point on any island in the world to the 93% cloud-free evenings makes it a star gazers dream location.  We didn't have time to stay for the night's show as we already had other reservations, but we watched a few videos and visited the gift shop.  OH!  Guess what?!  For the first time in my entire life, they have stuff at the gift shop with my name on it.  Actually, my name was the only thing in the shop this time.  Haha!  I may have gone a bit crazy with my purchases, but it was a once in a life time thing for sure and a big cross off my bucket list.

     After the stop at the world's only "Kea" gift shop, we headed a bit north to check out a beach that is consistently rated the #1 beach in the US.  Hapuna Beach was filled with the first white sand we've seen on this trip so far, and it lived up to the hype.  It was soft as can be with a gentle slope but still had those big waves that were super fun to play in too.  We only spent about two hours there (the fair-skinned Deppes can't last too long in the blazing hot sun), but it was a lot of fun!  The ombre hues of the ocean here in contrast with the blue sky, white sand, and black volcanic rock in the distance were amazing.  It was like looking at a bunch of jewels.  I love that sea foam green to turquoise to deep blue transition of color.  I could have stared at it all day!  But, we had a condo to check in and a reservation for a crazy night swim ahead, so we had to keep on moving.

     After checking into our last condo for the trip (it's right on the ocean...in fact I can hear the waves hitting the big rocks outside our unit as I type tonight!) and getting a lay of the surrounding area, we suited up and headed out for our best of the Big Island adventures....a night swim with giant manta rays!  We found a company called Sea Adventures that took us right from this little bay out to the ocean at sunset.  After the 10 minute ride, the crew put out lighted floats for us to hang on to during the hour in the water.  After listening to instructions and hearing a bit more about these gentle giants, we jumped into the water and waited.  The special lights our crew attached to the floats attracted plankton which in turn attract the manta rays.  We used pool noodles under our ankles and our hands holding tightly to the floats to keep us all just about parallel with the top of the water.  The wait was more than worth it as these huge 8 to 10 foot creatures glided all around us.  Each one has unique, identifying marks on the white underside, and over 200 have been cataloged in the bay where we snorkeled tonight so the crew was yelling out their names as they swam past.  These huge rays swam right up to us, looking like they might swallow us whole!  Drew said he knew every time one was coming because he'd hear me scream.  Haha!  I didn't get many pictures or any video at all as my phone was acting up again under water.  So I took a couple shots and then just tried to soak in the scene and enjoy.  It was so worth it!  Captain Tony and his "mermaid and mermen" crew did a great job.  We loved this adventure and will remember it forever!!!!

     After standing on "my" mountain today and swimming with giant manta rays tonight, I doubt I'll forget this day in Hawaii as long as I live!  Such special memories and moments for us all.
     Tomorrow we head to one last snorkel spot before a traditional luau dinner to send us off on our last night in Hawaii.  It's been such a special vacation, and it's hard to believe it's coming to an end soon.  With all our adventures today and the ocean crashing outside my window, I'm sure to sleep well tonight.  Goodnight!