Day 7 Waterfall Swim and Papakolea and Kalae Sunset

8:00 am – 9:00 am Breakfast

Frittata for breakfast!   Frittata is an extremely healthy dish with farmed broccoli, spinach, red pepers, mixed mushrooms, tomatoes, Basil, eggs asparagus, tarragon, feta, and spring vegetables.   Make a frittata base with eggs with a little milk (any milk) and garlic salt and pepper.   We will sauté’ the veggies is a cast iron skillet until tender.   Add a little garlic salt, paprika and pepper.  When the veggies are ready spread out the veggies and add the frittata base.  Sprinkle your frittata with cheese and transfer to a 400 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden around the edges.   Allow the frittata to cool before cutting.

9:00 am to 1:00 pm -  Waterfall Swim

Let’s find a waterfall and explore.  There are hundreds of waterfalls within 5 miles of Hilo town.   There is a mythological connection with the waters on Hawaii islands.  Several deities are connected to waterfalls, including Poli’ahu, the snow goddess who provides water throughout the mountain streams; Hina (Moon), a mother figure who lived behind Rainbow Falls (Hilo); and Lono, the rain god.   The God Lono is associated with with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, music and peace.  He is one of Four god with Ku, Kane, and Kanaloa who existed before the world was created.  

It's your chance to connect with the coolness of the Wai or fresh water and the Earth that funnels the water to the sea.   Giant stones will heat up as it absorbs the energy from the sun.   The ice-cold water comes from Maunakea.   Snow falls, it melts and flows into the water table and eventually finds a way into the rivers.  Some of the water that you swim in today, is from snow and rain that fell more than 20 years ago.     

1:00 pm to 2:30 pm - Travel to Punalu’u Sweet Bread for Lunch

We will travel on Mamalahoa Highway from Hilo to Ka’u.   Drive time is around 1 hour and 15 min.   This highway is named after an ancient foot path that circled the island.   During Makahiki Seasons the Hawaiians would celebrate the god, Lono.   A procession of kahuna used this foot path to circle the island with Lono.  Giant White Tapa cloths that were fasten to tall wooden staffs identifieds Lono’s procession.   The path itself was named after the Law of the Splintered Paddle. 

The Law of the Splintered Paddle or Kanawai Mamalahoe is a historic Hawaiian law proclaimed by King Kamehameha I, mandating that elderly people, women and children should be able to lie by the roadside in safety without fear or harm.  The law protected the weak from the abuse by the powerful. 

2:30 pm to 3:30 pm - Lunch at Punalu’u Sweet Bread

Punalu’u Sweet bread is in Naalehu.   Amazing food and yes some of the best sweet bread in the state.   The food prices as of yesterday were well below standard market prices.    Naalehu town was based on ranching for many years and over the past 15 years has been transforming.  You can see an influx of mainlanders who saw a house on-line and bought it.  You have a legitimate missile facility in the area with an array of radar.   While ranching has slowed in the Area after McCantlis Ranch (Largest ranch in area) was gifted ranch to the National Parks many cowboys found new opportunity in Tourism.   

3:30 pm to 4:30 pm Drive to Green PapaKolea (Green Sands Beach)

The off roading dusty drive is all part of the experience.   Driving from Naalehu we will pass farms, ranches and windmills until we get to the southernmost tip of the island where pavement turns to dust.  From here we will navigate our way over rough and dusty roads which require four-wheel drive.  There are five fine dirt vehicle paths cutting into the wind ranch land.   Take the wrong path and your car gets stuck, or you must reverse to where you started. 

4:30 pm to 6:00 pm – Explore Papakolea (Green Sands Beach)

The green sands is from the Olivine crystals eroding from the walls of a volcano.  Yes, you are swimming in a volcano.   The loose sand makes the walk down the 20 % to 40 % incline slippery.   The metal stairs at the beginning are reinforced and maintained by the locals with rope and metal.   

The former cowboys and families in the area have created a pretty lucrative business giving people rides to green sands beach.  At 20 dollars per person, they load their pick-up trucks with at least 10 individuals in the back standing and sitting, and another 3 people in the front and drive them to the beach and back.  

We will spend about an hour at the beach swimming and exploring before heading back to Kalae for sunset.  

6:00 pm to 7:15 pm – Kalae Sunset

One of the most spectacular sunsets in Hawaii.   Every sunset is different, and the sunset from Kalae is out of this world.   Kalae is where some of the oldest ancient Hawaiian sites in Hawaii dating back to 300 AD. 

7:15 pm to 9:30 pm – Drive back to Hilo

Let’s make sure we are safe driving back.   After a long day, we will need to make sure whoever is driving is aware and alert.    Let’s make sure another person is awake to assist the driver.   If the driver feels tired or needs to rest, then immediately pull over and switch drivers or rest.