Hawaii – City of Refuge
The rooster had the grace to wait until 5 this morning before he started his calling. It sounds as if he is saying, ‘This is myyyyyyyy yard’.
We met the third couple who are staying her at the moment. Their names are Bert and Sumi and they are from New York, so there are eight for breakfast. Today’s hot item was called Praline Macadamia French Toast, It was bread soaked in milk and eggs, spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon and covered in brown sugar and Mac nuts. Scrummy,
Our first task today is to buy a hat for Tom. Yesterday the top of his head got burnt. As John said at the breakfast table – ‘Your scalp is blushing’. We drove into Kailua Kona. Johnsie said Longs Drugstore was the best place for Hawaiian gear so we tried there first. We were very disappointed with the choice there and were told that they have cut back on that clothes because, I guess, the season is coming to an end. Fortunately there was a Hilo Hatty nearby so we trotted of to find it. Lots of choice there of course and we ended up buying more than just a hat for tom. I also bought a hat and T-shirt. We also bought a pair of rubber sandals each and also outfits for Tom’s grandson Brady and my granddaughter Lissie.
We drove south again through the town center of Kailua Kona along Alii Drive, past lots of good restaurants. I thought we could go all the way back to Captain cook on the cost road but near the Kona Country Club Golf Course it became a private road. We turned around and found our way back to Highway 11, stopping at a lookout for a scenic view of the cost. We noticed this strange green fruit on a tree. One of the fruits with the skin peeled off had been laid out on a leaf. It looked like white jelly and had big seeds in the middle and smelt awful. I later found out that it was a Noni or affectionately called cheese or vomit fruit. Apparently the plant matures in 18 months and yields 4-8 kg of fruit a month throughout the year. It can be eaten even though it smells awful and tastes bitter. Another name for it is starvation fruit. It’s uses though are mainly medicinal, helping with a whole range of complaints from eye, skin, gum and throat problems to relieving psoriasis.
On the way back to the farm we stopped at the Captain Cook Bakery Co because we heard they do fantastic banana bread. We bought some sandwiches and drinks plus, of course, banana bread. We bought half of a straight banana bread and half of a macadamia and banana bread. Back at the farm we picked up a cool box and frozen water bottles, towels, fins and a snorkel mask before heading out again.
This time we turned south. After a couple of miles we turned right on Highway 160 to Puʻuhonua O 
Hōnaunau National Historical Park, formerly known as the City of Refuge. Tom had visited here before but it was my first visit. There was a $5 entrance fee to the park but with the ticket we can come again and again as it lasts for a week. The City of Refuge is so called because in ancient times if a someone had been sentenced to death he could attempt to make the long and difficult journey to this place to seek asylum. He would then have to perform certain rituals, be absolved by the priest and he could make his way home again fully absolved of any sins.
The City of Refuge was a very sacred place and it still is to this day. There is an ambiance about the place which makes it very special. It felt very serene, with palm trees gently swaying in the breeze. We followed the map we were given at the entrance on the self guided tour around the park. There are two distinct areas – the royal palace and the commoners section – separated by a big wall. The park has been restored to show what it would have been like in ancient times. There are houses, canoes, storage areas, stone carvings and fish ponds faithfully reconstructed. A small bay had been roped off to protect the green turtles which pull themselves onto the beach to bask. Two were enjoying the sunshine while we were there. Where the lava beds meet the ocean there were lots of tide pools and for some time we hopped from rock to rock and discovered small blue crabs and various sizes and shapes of fish.
After our tour we collected the cool box, towels, snorkel and fins from the car and took a short, five minute, walk to the adjoining beech, which is completely separate from the park. While we were at the park we saw a lot of snorkelers out in the bay but when we arrived there were very few in the water. Somebody who was leaving told us that the current had changed and it was now dangerous to snorkel off the rocks.
We found a place to sit on a small sandy beach and Tom set off to do some snorkeling in the sheltered bay. I sat and watched him and also kept an eye on what was going on around me. There were a few snorkelers out with Tom. It wasn’t very deep and Tom never went out of his depth. Maybe I could manage to do that. I don’t like going out of my depth as I’m quite frightened of water. I did go snorkeling on Maui but I wore a flotation belt so felt safe. Here we have just have the equipment borrowed from the farm.
The tide was slowly coming in an eventually we will have to move. I noticed a small hole in front of me. Suddenly a tiny, sand colored crab popped up out of the hole and stood on the edge watching me. It sidled off to the side but the incoming water made it dash back into its hole.
Tom came back from his swim. I saw that his hand was bleeding but he didn’t seem to notice at all. He was very excited because a green turtle swam past him and was only six inches away. Tom could have reached out and touched it but he didn’t. He said it was a wow moment. I handed him a tissue and only then did he realize he was bleeding profusely not only from a nasty cut on his thumb but also on his arm and his leg. There was quite a swell out there and at one point he was lifted up and dropped onto a sharp rock. Just as well there were no sharks around!
We barely finished lunch when it was time to move. The water was lapping our toes. Everything was packed up and we walked back to the car. As Tom’s thumb was still bleeding I stopped at the entrance kiosk to the City of Refuge to see if they had any band aids. They gave us three which was extremely kind of them.
Back in the car, we continued driving north on Highway 160. It was a very narrow, one lane, road but fortunately we only met one car. That was until we reached the end when suddenly cars seemed to be coming from every direction. We turned away from the sea as the road dead ended.
We took a detour off to the right down Painted Church Road to visit – you’ve guessed it – The Painted Church. It started to rain before we reached our destination, but it was just a light rain and it did not stop us getting out and walking into the church. It’s real name is St Benedict’s Catholic Church which dates back to the 1800′s. It is small and built out of wood. The inside walls and ceiling are covered with paintings all done by a Belgian priest, Father John Velge. The purpose was to help his congregation understand the stories from the bible. They certainly brighten the place up but some of them are damaged, especially the one depicting hell. Apparently the church is being eaten by termites.
It was still drizzling when we walked out of the church. There is a little graveyard outside and would have liked to wander around it but it was too wet.
We decided to drive back to Kona to have a drink, watch the sunset and to get dinner. We turned right out of the car park and drove back up Painted Church Road. At the end we turned left and then right up Napoopoo Road. At the end, the road joins Highway 11and we stopped at stop sign to turn left. It was a nasty junction and difficult to get out. Just when you thought it was safe, a car would suddenly appear round the bend on our right. We inched forward, waiting to make a mad dash when the road was clear when, without warning, a school bus behind rear ended us and pushed us over into the roadway. Fortunately nobody was hurt – there were only two children on the bus and the driver of course. The rear fender of our rental car was badly dented and the trunk was difficult to close. The bus driver blamed us. He said we moved out and then suddenly stopped. He obviously was not watching the traffic to the right. If we’d gone, we would have been involved in an even worse crash. The bus driver insisted we ‘call the cops’, so we did. We just managed to clear the vehicles out of the way of the junction when two police cars arrived. They were both pretty quick and we were impressed.
In the end the bus driver, who was called Ben, admitted he was in the wrong. Information was exchanged, we were given an incident report and we all carried on with our journeys. We did ring the rental company to report the accident and will have to phone our insurance company tomorrow. We will also have to go back to Hertz to complete an accident report and maybe change the car.
In Kona we parked and walked out to the sea wall and then along Alii Drive, window shopping as we went. We stopped at the Kona Inn and sat at the bar. I had Mai Tai and Tom had a beer. For the next hour we sat, sipped, talked about our day and watched a cruise ship out on the bay. The cruise ship had been there when we were here this morning. We watched as a couple of small boats returned to the ship carrying passengers back. Then the two boats were winched up and the cruise ship slowly steamed out of the harbor. I wonder where their next stop will be?
After our drink we walked over the grass from the inn and sat on the sea wall and waited for the sun to emerge from behind a large cloud. Quite a few people had the same idea. It was romantic to sit there as the sun slowly dipped into the ocean and the sky turned to red. There is nothing like watching a beautiful sunset is there?
We walked back across the grass into the Kona Inn and had dinner. It was lovely sitting there, eating dinner and watching the sky change from red to black. It was magical. The food was pretty good as well.
So endeth another day.
October 17 2008 05:33 pm | Further Afield
