More site seeing

Captain Cook monument is not terribly exciting. It can be kayaked and hiked to, the New Zealand couple I met said it was a 1.5 hr hike. We did the kayak. Lani, the guy that rented us the kayaks, charged us $50 for a 2 seater and a 1 seater. When I asked about kama'iana rates, he replied "Those are kama'iana rates." Some places, maybe in Kona will have kayaks for $20/day, strap them to your rental and you're ahead of the game.

Lani did provide dry bags though which I didn't trust enough to put my camera into, but in the end worked out very well. He also said it was a 20 minute ride, but it took us about 30 minutes in the double kayak, the single took about 45.

We encountered a manta ray that was huge and awesome in the middle of the bay. Make sure you lock your car and bring plenty of water and it's also a nice place for a picnic. Don't forget a snorkle either, the yellow tang are abundant.

The memorial is at the southern tip of Kealakekua Bay park, launch from here. I made a fancy map!:


View Larger Map

Flight addendum

Cheap inter islands flights can be found with Go. Home of the $25 Hilo -> Honolulu flight if you book early enough.

recycled bicycles

This is about finding a bike in Hilo.

I highly recommend Da Kine Bike Shop. The owner is on vacation right now and the guy that's been working there in his off hours, John, has just been incredible. K and I bought bikes for $250 with a 30 day warranty. My bike had a few problems which were unforeseeable until I started riding, and I wreck my gear. From computers, clothes and my body, I destroy everything. So this bike. Anyway, John fixed my bike and told me some maintenance tips for the future. The guy is outstanding.

A note about parking

(with a lower case p)

Driving seems like such a waste here. What better way to take in a tropical island than on bike or foot? There are no parking meters here and not much traffic, so driving might seem ideal. Consider the costs of everything involved with a car. Gas, insurance, maintenance, pollution, space, noise and the list goes on. Used cars are expensive with the lower price tags at around $4,000. My bike costs $250.

You can rent a car, scooter or taxi if you want to take a longer trip perhaps to the Volcano. But until then, why not get a bike?

How To

This post was written the night before we left on my personal blog. When this blog was but a twinkle in my eye.

http://prisonindustry.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-move-to-hi.html:

Step 1. Spend 5 of the 6 months before leaving on the other side of the country, not planning and not being able to take your pets to the vet for their blood tests that require 4 months before leaving.

Step 2. Spend the 4 of the 7 weeks before leaving playing computer games and kind of packing but not really.

Step 3. 2 weeks before moving, go to Florida for a week of camp and let your car break down. Spend 4 days waiting for it to get fixed before finding a ride home.

Step 4. Spend the last 5 days you have visiting friends and family and not packing