The early bird gets the worm! Or in this case, the early bird gets the trail to themself! Our first stop of the morning was to Puako Petroglyph Archeological District to check out examples of highly preserved ancient petroglyphs. It was really amazing to see the storytelling involved and told through the use of lava rocks. We imagined and shared our own interpretations of the petroglyphs we found, and wondered how accurate we were.

Note: It’s best to visit the archeological site in the early morning or early evening due to heat and visibility.

After our morning adventure, we began to drive towards South Kona to snorkel the area around the Captain Cook Monument. We planned to get to the Captain Cook area bright and early to beat the crowds (if you read our Day 2 post, you may recall that we originally planned to do this then, but when we arrived in the late afternoon it was already very crowded and couldn’t find a place to park).

Before our snorkel adventure, we made a quick stop at 808 Grindz where we shared a spam moco…no better way to start a Hawaiian morning!

After breakfast, we got back on the road and headed for Napo’opo’o Road and Kealakekua Bay. One of the best snorkeling spots on the Big Island is opposite from the bay, but the only way to access the reef is either by boat or a 4 mile out-and-back hike. We opted for the sea route and rented a kayak from Ehu and Kai Kayak Adventure Rental (conveniently located at the southern end of the bay). They were great and provided us with a double kayak, two paddles, two lifejackets, a dry bag, and detailed instructions (with referenced landmarks) on how to get to the Captain Cook Monument and back.

Note: These guys are out here doing kayak rentals on a daily basis. You may not consider them wildlife experts, but they are! We inquired about wildlife in between there and the reed, and one of the employees mentioned a local pod of dolphins we should keep an eye out for near a specific region in the cove.

The paddle out to Captain Cook took us a little over 30 minutes one-way, but we took our time paddling to enjoy the beautiful coastal views keep an eye out for dolphins! We unfortunately didn’t see or hear any, but we were still hopeful to have a great snorkel adventure. It wasn’t too difficult to find the Captain Cook Monument and reef because of the larger tour boats that were scattered around the area.

When we arrived to the reef, we quickly jumped off our kayak and tied the bow line to us…make sure to hold onto the rope tied to the kayak so you have a return trip back!

Note: Do not tie the kayak to the reef or any other area underwater, as it may disrupt the local ecosystem.

We spent about two hours snorkeling around and swimming with the diverse marine life below us (taking periodic breaks by holding onto or hopping back into the kayak). Once we saw all that the Captain Cook reef had to offer, we jumped back into our kayak (for what we thought would be the last time) and started our paddle back to the southern tip of the bay where we began.

We decided to stick close to the coastline in order to continue our search for dolphins around where we were previously told. When we got closer to the coastline, we saw two dolphins jump out of the water right in front of us!

(Dolphin jumping pics?)

We immediately jumped in the water to see for ourselves what was happening beneath the surface. It was an unreal experience to say the least…there was at least 30 dolphins in this pod and a few of them were playing together using a leaf! One of them even tried to involve us in the game…

By the time we got back in the kayak, we had no perception of what time it was. We got back to shore and realized we had been out for over 5 hours!

After one of the most memorable snorkeling adventures for either of us (and 5 hours in the sun), we had worked up an appetite for some huli huli chicken. We passed a place on the way to Kealakekua Bay called Randy’s Huli Chicken and decided to stop. We usually try to plan all the good food spots we want to visit in advance, but sometime the best meals are just spontaneous roadside stops.

After that amazing (and filling) lunch, we made time for one of the last adventures on our Big Island list…fresh Kona coffee. There are so many different coffee farms and boutique shops in Kona, but we chose Kona Joe. We got there later in the day (so we missed the formal tours), but we were still able to walk around and sample some of the varieties and blends.

We soon realized that the main store was about to close, so we headed over only to be enamored by the wide variety of coffees they offered. We decided to save some headache and asked the cashier for some information and recommendations. She pointed us to the “trellis reserve,” which she described as the best of the best (of course she did). We learned that Kona coffee is popular because the plants are grown in unique volcanic soil, which creates a balance of fruity and nutty flavors. We thanked her, bought a bag of very expensive coffee beans, and hopped back in our trusty Jeep.

We made our way to our last stay of the trip…the famed Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.

As we mentioned earlier in our trip, we intentionally planned to stay in a nice hotel for our last night on the Big Island (thanks to our rewards points). We checked in, got settled in our room, and immediately went downstairs to enjoy the amenities. We sat by the pool and enjoyed a couple of tropical drinks together at the edge of their private lagoon.

We walked around the town of Kona, and popped into some local shops and art galleries. We walked by Hulihe’e Palace, a former Hawaiian royalty summer home, and found that right across the street is Moku’aikaua Church, the oldest church on the entire island!

We were pretty exhausted by the time we made it back to the hotel, so we called it a night. We have a few hours tomorrow to enjoy Kona town before our flight back to the mainland, so stay posted to see what we end up doing!