Do you
like green beans and sand?
Both
are here in this far away land
Would
you like beans in your mug?
Would
you like sand in your rug?
You can
swim there, yes it’s true
Green
sand against the ocean blue
And
green beans make great coffee too
The Big
Island waits for you
Hawaii,
commonly called The Big Island, was Team VFH’s final stop in our visit to the
50th State this past summer. It’s a huge island, over 4,000 square
miles, bigger than the combined land mass of the other islands that make up the
tropical archipelago. Sadly we had just five days on Hawaii and so we decided
to concentrate on the southern portion. We were staying in the Puna district,
south of Hilo, so it was reasonable to stay around here. Everywhere else is so
far away. Early on we decided to forego traveling to the Kohala coast in the
north for their white, sandy beaches, or to the Kona coast for their coffee, or to the Parker Ranch in Waimea, the oldest and largest ranch in America,
well, for some Hawaiian-style beef jerky.THE PARKER RANCH, WAIMEA, HI
No, the
distances were too great and we would have spent our entire time on Hawaii
driving. The return on investment was not enough, especially with the gas
prices in Hawaii. So, apart from one day we pretty much stayed close to home in the southeast corner of the island.
DISTRICT 9
Not a worry though, for there is plenty to do and see in our "neck of the woods". Puna is one
of 9 districts of the island in the county of Hawaii. Now, to clarify, these
districts are not “counties”, but areas of interest. Counties in the state of
Hawaii are either an individual island or a grouping of islands. For example,
Honolulu County is Oahu, although it also includes the Northwest or Leeward
Islands that stretch out past the Midway Islands. Kauai County includes Kauai,
Niihau and a couple of tiny islets. And, Hawaii, the Big Island, all by itself,
is also the county of Hawaii. The island is divided into these districts with
names like Puna, Hilo, Kona and Ka’u, and each have their own individual
attractions.
Puna is
home to the little hippie capital of Pahoa with its string of clapboard buildings
housing restaurants along a boardwalk that serves as a sidewalk. We ate a
couple of meals in Pahoa. A lava flow that began on June 27th inches
closer to towards the town at this writing. Another town, Kalapana, was not so lucky. In 1990
lava partially covered the town, but the community still thrives with the
weekly Uncle Robert’s Farmers Market. The weekly event, where the ongoing
“struggle” to maintain the Kingdom of Hawaii is centered, is really a huge
party that throbs deep into the night.
Also
found off the beaten path in Puna are miles of coastline with black sand beach
parks and camp sites as well as the volcanically heated Ahalanui Beach Park
that is partially open to the ocean which allows sea water to mix with the
heated water. There is even a lifeguard here. A great place to go snorkeling is
at the Waiopae Tidepools that has several interconnecting pools to explore. The
eerily tranquil Lava Tree State Park near Pahoa is another stop where lava
molds of trees burned in a flow from the 1700’s stand like sentinels warning of
Pele’s destructive might.
And, of course there
is Volcano National Park which sprawls beyond Puna’s border into the
neighboring district of Ka’u. Home to the most active volcano in the world
today, Kilauea has been adding to the girth of the Big Island since 1983 making
it the longest eruption in recorded history. There’s plenty to do at the park
with vantage points to view the lava (from a safe distance), camping and unique
hiking trails that includes the Thurston lava tube, Devastation Trail and the
Kilauea Iki Crater Trail.
 |
| Kilauea Iki Crater Trail |
So,
you’re thinking with all these wonderful destinations in our relative backyard
there really was no reason to venture very far, but in the very next district of
Ka’u there are two very, very unique things that should not be missed if one
were fortunate enough to travel to this island. Plan to spend an entire day exploring black sand and green sand beaches and drinking great coffee from Ka'u.
SUN, RAIN AND A KISS OF VOG
Now,
many of us with just a passing knowledge of Hawaii know about Kona coffee. It
is grown on the western slopes of Mauna Loa. This coffee is known for its
smoothness, its rarity and conversely its price. A pound of pure Kona can be around $30.00 and
for over 100 years it was the only coffee grown in the United States. That has
changed. While the Kona label was being slapped onto any coffee from anywhere
and “blends” proliferate the market; you can even buy “Kona” at your local WaWa;
another coffee from the eastern slopes on Mauna Loa in the Ka’u district is
growing in popularity.
Even as
Kona has taken steps to protect the brand name, Ka’u, with deep, rich, volcanic
soils, a temperate climate of morning sunshine and afternoon clouds (or as some
would call it VOG or Volcanic Smog) and a healthy amount of yearly rainfall, has
been slowly making a name for itself in coffee competitions. Mostly mom and pop
endeavors the Ka’u brand is slowly growing. When the Kau sugar plantations
closed in 1996, the displaced area sugar workers were provided inexpensive
leases for 5 acre plots by the former sugar plantation owners in order to grow
coffee. At first it was difficult to
just break even, but when Ka’u coffee placed the top ten of a Roasting Guild
Cupping Pavilion Competition of 2007, coffee in Ka’u starting gaining a reputation of growing very good coffee. Although Ka'u prices have risen with this new-found popularity, it is still a cheaper alternative to Kona.
Embarrassingly Team VFH had never heard of Ka’u coffee before visiting
the district, so we don’t want you to make the same mistake. Evidently since
2011 you can purchase Ka’u coffee at a Starbucks, but it wasn’t until we saw a
sign along Route 11 near Pāhala, HI that invited us to taste the coffee at the
Ka’u Coffee Mill along Wood Valley Road that we sampled this superior coffee.
Serendipitously following our taste buds we passed through the modest town of Pāhala and climbed up the hill
passing groves of Macadamia nut and coffee trees to the very new facility. The
mill opened in May 2012 and provides a service to the local Ka’u growers which
previously had to either bring their crop west to Kona or north to Puna. It
also provides jobs to the local inhabitants and it helps raise awareness of Ka’u
coffee through a yearly Coffee Festival and Beauty Pageant and a half marathon
called the Ka’u Coffee Trail Run.
The
mill opened in 2012 and the clean facility is staffed by great Aloha spirited
people who explain the process of coffee washing and roasting. There were
plenty of samples of coffee to drink and several flavored varieties of
macadamia nuts to taste. We purchased a 16 oz bag of Hawaii Fancy Ka'u Washed Green Beans to roast when we got back Stateside.
 |
Miss Ka'u Coffee Queen
Amery Silva |
The Ka'u Coffee Mill is a worthwhile stop if you are anywhere near Pāhala, but you can also order from them directly or any of the other Ka'u coffee farmers to get a taste of this great Hawaiian coffee at home. Here is a listing of the farmers of Ka'u. KA'U COFFEE GROWERS
Looking back, it is fascinating to think that this entire world of Ka'u coffee was revealed to us from one lone street sign along Route 11. This is a very rural area of the island. To have the spirit and inclination to "explore" is what traveling is all about. Never plan every waking moment on a trip because you will miss so much. Of course, fair readers, now that you know all about Ka'u Coffee you can plan your excursions to the area accordingly.
LEAP OF FAITH - KA LAE
 |
| The cliffs at South Point |
The Ka'u district is the southernmost point in the United States. Stand at the tip of the island and stare out onto a great expanse of the Pacific ocean that will not be interrupted until you hit Antarctica! It is thought the first Polynesians who landed on Hawaii did so near South Point somewhere between 400 and 800 AD. Throughout the area of this National Historical Landmark there are ruins of ancient Hawaiian temples.
This desolate area of the island is well worth exploring. Between the actual Point and visiting the green sand of Papakolea beach, expect to spend a good portion of your day. There are no facilities in the area, so make sure you pack a lunch and bring plenty of water. Although South Point Road has been much improved in recent years and is okay to drive, when the pavement ends the road gets very rutted and rough and rental cars companies wouldn't appreciate you driving on them in their cars. So, once you get to the end of the road you will either do a lot of hiking, the green sand of Papakolea beach is 2.5 miles away from the parking area, or you will pay a local to give you a ride out there.
 |
| green sand beach Hawaii |
I have to admit that I love collecting sand wherever I travel and my sand collection includes samples from several continents and countless islands. Mostly the samples are well displayed in small glass jars with tags detailing particulars, sometimes even the date I visited the beach. (There's also a lot other samples in water bottles scattered throughout the house...) Friends too have given me sand as a gift whenever they have the good fortune to visit a place I have not yet graced. My sands are white, red, black, grey and beige, but until today, not green.
Green sand is rare, although olivine, the silicate that is a product of lava, can be fairly common. Some say there are four green sand beaches in the world; on Guam, on the Galapagos Islands, in Norway and the green sand beach in Ka'u. Papakolea Beach is a collapsed cinder cone open to the sea. It last erupted 49,000 years ago. Olivine is denser and tougher than the other materials spewed out by the volcano and tends to accumulate on the beach, while the other materials wash away in the surf. This gives Papakolea its unique coloring.
 |
| Punalu'u |
Tiny amounts of olivine can be found on many of the black sand beaches of the Big Island, but because they are so geologically young they are still mostly black sand. Two black sand beaches nearby are Punalu'u and Kalapana.
The beach at Punalu'u is easily accessible. You can drive right up to it, but the green sand beach of Papakolea is very remote. From the end of the paved road it is approximately 2.5 miles along the rutted tracks that serve as road. When you drive down South Point Road take the left fork until the end. After this only four wheel drive vehicles are suitable here. There were plenty of locals offering to drive us to the green sand beach for a nominal cost, but we decided to hike it and then pay someone to take us back.
It was dusty and windy and humid and hot. Sunscreen and water and sturdy shoes are necessities. There is no shade from the sun. Also, once you reach the cone you have to descend into it. It is very steep and slow going and there is a severe rake into the water. The water can be very rough. Do not allow the surf to pull you out of the cove. There are no lifeguards. All this seems treacherous, but after a long hike getting into the water to cool off was wonderful and a soothing experience. Curious sea turtles swam nearby. We were definitely aware of the powerful waves here and stayed very close to shore.
When it was time to leave I surreptitiously gathered a sample of sand for my collection, ignoring the weather worn wooden sign that said we shouldn't and we climbed out of the cinder cone. At the top we were approached by a local kid who offered us a ride back to our rental car in his rusty pick up truck. It was the best money I had ever spent. It would have been too much to hike both ways.
Tired and hungry we stopped in at the Shaka Restaurant in Naahelu for a much needed beer and some food. It is the southernmost bar in the United States! I had a Loco Moco and Janet had some Ono. It's a bit of a dive bar, but it's very close to the green sand beach and a great local hang out. Cash only.
For those of you who might be interested in visiting Ka Lae to jump off those cliffs... here's a taste:
you're crazy...just sayin....
Mahalo for reading!
love Janet and greg
This bar crawl has been going on since 2006 in Philadelphia and over the years this laid-back movement has extended into Buffalo, Cleveland, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Dude Hates Cancer bar crawl has raised over $500,000 so far. You see, the Dude is NOT a nihilist and this cancer will not stand, man! 
Later in the summer there will also be a Charity bowling tournament. The flat rate registration fee for that is for a team, three hours of bowling, free shoe rental, free t-shirt and free admission to the Jackie Treehorn After Party. Currently details for that event are sketchy, but follow them on Facebook for future details.
