Kona Pier

Beaching a Canoe

Super Woman

Scooter Couple

Here They Come, Kona

Beaching a Canoe

Launching a Canoe

Mud Ball Man

The pier in Kona is a center of activity.  People hang out there or swim on a small sandy beach.  Every evening the outrigger canoe teams practice with the men and women alternating days so that the canoes never sit idle.  One man takes a daily swim with his clothes on, makes a mud ball and stuffs it in a drain pipe when he is done.

South of Kona

Boats on The Beach

South of Kona there are a series of nearby beaches.  Place of Refuge is a Pu’uhonua o National Historic Park and it is adjacent to Two Steps Beach, a popular snorkeling and scuba diving spot.  Further down the road is Hookena Beach Park where I photographed some locals and their boats.

My New Girlfriend

Place of Refuge 1

Place of Refuge 2

Sea Turtle at Two Steps

Boats on The Beach

Kicking Back

The Painted Church

Painted Church Cemetary

Weird Trees

Twisted Trees

Pololu Valley

Trippy Trees

Bent Trees

Twisted Trees

Banyan Hill

Banyan Side

That morning I spoke to a lady on the beach who said “I don’t do drugs, but there are some trippy looking trees up at the North end of this island. Just drive past Hawi until the road ends.” She forgot to mention the steep trail down to the beach. The banyan were photographed on the Hilo side of the island earlier in the week.

Downtown Kona

Kona Wetlands

Seawall Girls

Kona Redhead

Kona Wetlands

Kona Seawall

Lesbns Benz

The Wetlands were right outside my hotel room balcony.  Kona Seawall was taken from the same location where the three girls were sitting. The Mercedes was restored and had a bright red interior.

Rocky Places

Napoopoo View

Lava beach

Lava Meets the Sea

Napoopoo View

Petroglyphs by the Sea

Rock Waves

Lava Thumbprint

Last night it rained 6 inches (15 cm) in my neighborhood. Streets flooded and the lights went out for 8 hours. That did not stop me from going out to some art gallery openings.

The Big Island is mostly covered by lava fields and volcanic ash. The beaches are no exception. Few of them are sandy.

Kona Street Fair

Outdoor Flower Shop

Smoked Sea Salt Stand

Jewelry Stand

Girl Selling Art

Ceramics Artist

Boutique

Hula Girl

Weird Fruit

Outdoor Flower Shop

On the third Sunday of each month there is a street fair in Kona where vendors set up stands and sell their goods, mostly artsy stuff. Photographers may wish to note that while two subjects are not looking at the camera, they were in on it before I shot.

Volcanos National Park Part II

Crater’s Edge

Three Girl Backpackers

Lava Swirl

The Blob

Palms Escape Destruction

Crater’s Edge

Today I will be traveling back to Texas, where everything is bigger. I have a lot of photos from Kona and other areas yet to blog.

I met the girl backpackers at the visitor center and a few hours later saw them crossing a lava field off Chain of Craters Road on their way down to the shore. That is one long hike and some very fit women.