Day 4 (August 22,2022): Good-bye Oahu, hello Big Island!

As with most large cities, Honolulu can be a bit overwhelming when you first arrive, especially given the masses of tourists this time of year.  But after a couple of days, we were finally getting our groove and adjusting to the traffic and the constant parking hunt. So having to say farewell to Oahu and the Queen Kapiolani Hotel this morning left us a bit sad. 

After breakfast at Denny’s next door to the hotel, we took a last walk along Kuhio Beach in Waikiki, taking in a few last sights.  We then checked out, filled the rental with gas, and headed to the airport, arriving 9:30AM for our 11AM Southwest Airlines flight to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Southwest has an interesting boarding process:  you are assigned to Group A, B or C and then assigned a number between 1-60 in that group and you line up in sequential order.  It’s a bit cumbersome, but it makes for a very fair boarding approach. Having seen extended families including grandparents, aunts and uncles pre-board our Westjet flights when a single five-year-old was in the party, we laughed when the Southwest boarding agent reminded everyone, “Pre-boarding with a child does not entitle the entire family tree to get on board early, folks!”  Westjet could learn a thing or two from Southwest.

We landed at Kona’s open-air airport a few minutes early, got a shuttle to the rental car facility, and before long, were in a Nissan Versa, heading to the hotel - the Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha, in the heart of Kona.

We had stopped to buy a couple of personal pizzas on the way to the hotel, so we sat on our balcony, overlooking the Kona Bay, and had a leisurely lunch.  We then headed back towards the airport to visit a National Historic Site on the ocean, which tells the story of coastal life of the early Hawaiians.  And then it was back to the hotel for some beach time, a swim in the ocean, viewing of the sunset, and a dinner of Maho Maho at a local restaurant.

All in  all, a relaxing start to our short Big Island visit.

Surfboards in Waikiki. 

There is nothing like ABC Stores! They are everywhere in Honolulu. And they have everything that a tourist could possibly want.

The pier a block from our hotel, which separates Kuhio Beach from Queen’s Beach. 

The famous Banyan tree next to the beach near the eastern end of Waikiki. 

Honolulu’s elevated rapid transit system has become an incredible boondoggle, years behind schedule and billions over budget. This station, located at the airport, is one of the many stations still under construction,

Giving a lei to an arriving loved one is so popular, there are six lei stores adjacent to the rental car facility at the international airport.

The secure gate area at Honolulu international Airport has a spectacular cultural garden that you can walk-through as you wait for your flight. So unique!

An aerial view of Diamond Head Crater, which we drove inside yesterday. 

This is the island of Kaho’olawe, one of the eight in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is an island reserve, and is uninhabited.  It lies southwest of Maui. 

Upon descent into big Island. Notice the black areas? Those are the newest lava fields - new being several centuries old. 



The last time we were here, Aloha Airlines plied the routes among the inhabited island in the Archipelago. Aloha Airlines is no more. Southwest Airlines, from the mainland United States, has taken over the routes. Our SWA Boeing 737–800 from Honolulu was packed.

Kona’s International Airport is incredibly unique, as it is completely open air. 

Two very different types of lava rock. 

Traditional Hawaiian structure at Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Site. 

Green back turtle resting. It is illegal to get close to turtles. 

The Hawaiian flag shows the strong (pre-statehood) historical linkage to Britain.

A beautiful wooden outrigger canoe on display in the lobby of our hotel.

Five crews from the ___ Canoe Club boarding their outrigger canoes for a late afternoon practice, departing from the beach of our hotel in Kona. They are preparing for a race this coming weekend. 

Mahi-mahi and Mai Tai for dinner.

The sun sets on our first evening on Big Island.