Hawaii, The Big Island (Punaluu Black Sand Beach)

The rain that had begun yesterday morning in Hilo and Volcano continued throughout the night. At some point the power went out. This was concerning as I had planned to spend the morning catching up on photo editing and blogging. However, by the time the sun came up, power had been restored and I was able to work. At noon I walked over to the office to have a long-delayed chat with Jenny. Jenny and Danyelle are the managers of Volcano Forest Retreat. This is a lovely property, with a few small cottages surrounded by rainforest. And Jenny and Danyelle could not have been better hosts. However, had I known when I booked (over a year ago) that I would be meeting Bruce Omori in Hilo for three very early mornings, I might have made a different decision; it is 40 minutes to drive down the hill into town

After chatting, I drove into the small town (really a street) of Volcano to visit Cafe Ono and Volcano Garden Arts . The garden is lovely and the small maze that is the indoor shop filled with treasures. In addition to a couple of small items, I purchased a clay mask made by the owner of the establishment Ira Ono. He was on site and I got to chat with him a bit, which was a treat.

I was not going to leave Hawaii without spending a couple of hours just sitting on a beach. Punaluu Black Sand Beach had been recommended by several people, so I drove a half an hour up the coast to visit it. An added attraction is the green sea turtles, hauled out on a part of the beach protected by a stone barrier (unfortunately people cannot be trusted to police themselves with wildlife) I indeed spent the late afternoon sitting on this beach, beginning to contemplate my year. It was a welcome break. I don’t think I have taken a half an hour, never mind two, to just sit and relax all year.

I drove back to Volcano Forest Retreat and, regretfully, started packing up.

Tomorrow I fly home.