Kona Village, Hawaii 2010 - Day 6

What did we do today??

*Ziplinin'

*Sunset dinner for two

Oh yeah! Ziplinin' in Hawaii today!

This morning Ryan and Denver finally got to do a little snorkling for about an hour this morning. They did some brother bonding and had a lot of fun :)

After breakfast I dropped the kids off with Mark and Lynda (who were kind enough to watch them all day today) and Ryan, Lara, Ryan, Mom, Dad, and I headed off to Hawi, HI for a little ziplinin'.

We drove for north for a little over an hour and arrived at the Big Island Eco Adventures check in station. There we met the rest of our group and our guides. We got the BEST guides!! John Wayne and Amanda were our guides and not only were they extremely knowledgable about the island and it's history and terrain but they were also hilarious, super fun to hang out with and just plain AWESOME guides! We had SO MUCH FUN ziplinin'. The trip to get to the ziplines was a tour in itself. John Wayne and Amanda filled us in on the local information as we drove and even gave us an added side trip to check out the views at the Pololu Valley Lookout. While the views were spectacular, Wayne's driving abilities (including his ridiculously amazing ability to do the turnaround at the lookout) were definitely something to be talked about. After the lookout we headed back to turn into the dirt road that took us up to the zips. I was amazed that the "jeep" we were in made it up some of the "hills" and through some of the "ponds" that we drove into. Super fun trip up!

As for the ziplinin' - we did a total of 8 zips - we did 6 and then stopped at the Mac Nut Hut for a snack/drink/rest. The Hut overlooks a beautiful waterfall. Next we crossed a suspension bridge and did 2 more zips. The second to the last one was our favourite with a waterfall on one side and an awsome ocean view on the other. The last zip was over 1000 feet long with a running jump off a "cliff". It was also the fastest.

Seriously, I can't say enough great things about this tour. I have to thank Lara and Ryan for deciding that we should do this and also for talking mom and dad into coming along :)

After we got back from ziplinin' Mom and Dad were so great and took the kids to dinner and back to our hale for us so that Ryan and I could have a dinner by ourselves. We dined at the Hale Samoa at a table overlooking the beach and had dinner as the sun set. I had the most amazing Chicken Tomato soup and the one of the best steaks I've ever eaten - seriously!

Ryan and I ziplinin'...

Ryan walking the suspension bridge and me about to zip.

These two videos are of Ryan and me zipping :)

Scroll down to the bottom of the blog if you want to pause the music so that you can hear the video.

Kona Village, Hawaii 2010 - Day 5

Today's Agenda:

Palm Leaf Skirt Making

Barbara Hanson Jewelry & Art

Surfboards at the Beach

Kona Village Hawaiian Luau

This morning started off with Little Miss and I wearing our new Hawaiian sarongs to breakfast - don't we look cute :)

After breakfast, Little Miss and I headed over to the lawn to make a palm leaf skirt for her to wear to the luau tonight. She did great and we both had fun making it!

While we were finishing our palm leaf skirt, Barbara Hanson had set up her jewelry and art display on the Hale Samoa Terrace. She is a local polymer clay artist who makes wonderful Hawaiian jewelry and artwork that we have been collecting for years. We LOVE her art and always find something fabulous when we see her.

Here is some of her work that she brought with her today.

Once we'd spent way too much money with Barbara (as usual :) ) Ryan and the kids and I headed over to the beach. The kids got out the surfboards today and we had a blast! Lara and Ryan showed up while we were playing in the water. They'd gone out snorkling this morning.

After yet another nap we changed into Luau clothes and headed off to learn about Hawaiian culture and dance. Earlier in the day they had taken the pig to the Umu (an earthen oven). They put hot lava rock in the bottom, then put the pig on top and then covered it with tea leaves, sand, and burlap to cook. I believe they had cooked it for abround 6 hours. It's a lot more complicated than that but you get the idea :) We watched them take the pig out of the Umu and get it ready for us to eat. We then went back to our table to eat and watch the rest of the luau. Little Miss got to go up on stage with the rest of the keikis (kids) and do a hula dance for the crowd. She did great!!

Kona Village, Hawaii 2010 - Day 4

Shopping in Kona and Paniolo Dinner

This morning after breakfast we loaded into the rental cars and headed to Kona to do a little Hawaiian shopping.

Here are me and the kids next to a huge banyon tree in town.

This afternoon we met at Mark and Lynda's hale (SS4) so that we could all take some family pictures at Kona Village.

After taking a thousand pictures :) we went to the Kona Village Paniolo dinner on the lawn. A huge buffet it set out on the lawn with fabulous food including steak, lobster, ribs, baked potatoes, and a ton of fruit and dessert. Everyone sits out on the lawn enjoying their meal while listening to the Hawaiian Paniolos sing for us. (Paniolos are Hawaiian cowboys - this is a Hawaiian cowboy themed evening that pays tribute to the cowboys and ranchers that contributed to Hawaii's culture).

Kona Village, Hawaii 2010 - Day 3

Today was fabulous! This morning we got up, put on our sunscreen and swimsuits and went out to investigate the tide pools near our hale.

After fully exploring the tidal pools we headed out to have breakfast and once full it was POOL TIME!

The family pool and kid pool area near the breakfast terrace is beautiful and the kids had been torn between the beach and the pool (such a difficult decision to make) so today we decided to play in the pool all morning.

The pool seriously tired us all out and after a fabulous buffet lunch we came back to our hale for our afternoon naps. The kids both fell asleep on the deck to the lulling sound of the ocean waves crashing on lava.

While the kids were napping I got a call from Lara. Lara and Ryan had left in their rental car this morning to travel around the island to Hilo. They stopped at some of the scenic overlooks and hiked down to Akaka Falls. While they were picnicing somewhere between Kona and Hilo Ryan got down on one knee and proposed!

Lara and Ryan came walking down to our hale to show me the ring while the kiddos napped! The ring was a little too small so Lara is wearing it on her pinkie until they can get it re-sized. This picture was taken right after they got back and here they were at dinner tonight.

After nap time, we all showered and dressed for a fabulous Kona Village dinner.

Kona Village, Hawaii 2010 - Day 2

First full day at Kona Village...

We played in the ocean, stacked some rocks on the beach, ate a delicious lunch and fabulous dinner, and had fun with our family!

Our hale was beautiful... SM6 (Sand Marquesan #6). The most amazing view from our deck and we could hear the ocean loud and clear every night ~ it was so relaxing and put the kids to sleep quickly each night!

The beach was so close to our hale... just a short walk through the sand and over the lava. Couldn't really swim here but we had fun checking out the tidal pools, stacking rocks, laying in the hammock and checking out the local birds and lizards.

After playing at the beach in front of our hale, we headed down to the main beach for some awesome ocean fun!

First time in the ocean for Little Man and second for Little Miss. They both LOVED it and we were at the beach every day for a couple of hours. Everyone took a nap every day :)

Once back from the beach we all napped and then showered and got ready for dinner. The walk to dinner was always fun with the kids picking up flowers or plant stalks to play with. Little Man loved giving me or Little Miss flowers to put our my hair or "clearing the path for the girls" with a big stick that he found.

Dinner each night was wonderful. Fresh seafood, grilled chicken, or delicious beef along with the soup of the day, fresh green salad, and various appetizers. The kids meals were great as well with the common chicken nuggets and mac and cheese along with choices of pasta primavera, fresh grilled fish, and pizza. Their meals always came with fresh fruit and veggies as well.

Denver and Laurie at dinner and all of the parents at their table.

After sunset the kids danced to the Hawaiian guitar music with Gramps and Meme.