Mauna Lani, Hawaii

Mauna Lani, Hawaii

Aloha! The moment I stepped off of the plane in Kona, I was taken back to a blissful time to a perfect, lazy summer’s night as a child, when I had no worries, only the pure wonder of being alive to guide me. It was the sweet smells of evening flower blossoms, the warm, humid ocean air and the odd pockets of the scent of someone’s barbecue lingering in the air.

I relax in Hawaii. I revert back to that elusive childhood type of relaxation—the kind without guilt and with no foreseeable end to it. It’s a zen thing. I simply exist. On top of that existence is something else: hope. I feel full of hope, each and every moment brimming with wonderful happenings and the promise of even more wonder ahead.

Every time I step onto Hawaiian soil, it takes me no longer than five minutes to proclaim: I want to live here. This is our second time in Hawaii. We always choose the big island over all the other islands because it has the best snorkelling (best reefs) and that’s what we love to do.

We’ve rented a big jeep, perhaps we’ll make it to some of the off road, secluded beaches this time. We’re staying at Mauna Lani in a town house. The town home is big and comfortable.

Our first day was spent at the Mauna Lani private Beach. The ocean was red flag and although our bay was secluded, the water was very cloudy. Our beach is right beside the ancient Hawaiian fishing ponds, so we had fun observing Hawaiian aquatic wildlife close up in the shark/fish ponds.

We drove into Kona last evening for groceries. With the Canadian dollar so low, and the Hawaiian grocery prices so high, we spent a fortune on a week’s worth of food!

Today we are celebrating Pippi’s birthday Hawaiian style with her favourite chocolate cheesecake on the beach along with some boogie boarding and snorkelling (next blog).

Enjoy the rest of our first day on the Big Island below. Gotta go, we’re off to Hapuna beach…