Terrifying…and a little bit cool

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I’m so tired/relaxed/tipsy, I almost cannot write this. I’ll have some more wine, while watching the surfers the sunset from our balcony, and maybe it will get more entertaining.

So we upped sticks from our beautiful view in Kauai and headed for another beautiful view on Big Island, just south of Kona. But not before we finished our final adventure activity with some tubing. Packed up all our stuff and drove just outside of Lihue where we were kitted out before being driven to the ‘backcountry’ to start our adventures

The channels we were going to travel along were mostly handcut (except for one unsuccessful dynamite attempt) by immigrants to provide irrigation (for sugar I think) but now provide water supplies across the island…and tubing.

A short safety briefing and we were tipped in to the channel and on our way. We went through a series of five tunnels at varying speeds and levels of darkness. Lots of fun and a little Goonies before we were spat out to a ‘lazy river’ where we disembarked and headed for lunch.

Back to the car and a scenic drive to kill some time before our flight, which was mainly traffic. Hawaiian airlines luckily didn’t repeat their dismal prior performance and we arrived in Kona in the pouring rain. Rental car, Walmart pick up and we were at our apartment and eating dinner before too long.

Everyone was looking forward to a more relaxed start to the day and we relished the chance to lay in bed and listen to the crashing waves. But the turtles were calling so we loaded into the bus (Americans think of it as a car but it’s truly too big to be called that) and drove a few minutes down the road to Kahalu’u.

The area was very shallow but full of fish and the coral was more colourful than in Kauai. Unfortunately my turtle whispering title was snatched away from me when one swam by me within inches, apparently noticed by everyone else. They were delighted to point out my oversight and we drifted with it for a while.

Stopped at a little market for some tasty Mexican lunch before a stop at Magic Sands, with an attempt to boogie board. Waves weren’t cooperative so we opted for a swim instead, accompanied by an inquisitive turtle cruising along the shore.

Back to the apartment for some dinner and to prepare for our manta ray expedition. We weren’t sure what to expect and the trepidation grew as we pulled into the parking lot in the dark, with instructions to meet at the dimly lit pavilion. It was a bit like the opening scene e from a trashy airport suspense novel, particularly when our guide was running late, but he arrived, thwarted any would-be assassins and we were on our way out of the harbour.

The sky was spectacularly lit by stars and an incredibly bright Saturn as we made our way to the mooring area. We pulled up and jumped in, with detailed instructions on how we should hold the board and hold ourselves so as not to get too close to the rays.

Apparently they had other ideas. None of us had anticipated their size, number and exactly how close they would come to us on every pirouette they performed underneath our board’s lights. It was an equal mix of fascinating, exhilarating and frightening. Or “80% terrifying and 20% cool” according to one participant…who was a little overwhelmed by the experience and pulled up stumps a little early.

The rest of us battled through arm and shoulder torture to watch these incredible creatures, 22 in total, weave, spin and careen in front of us, sometimes within centimetres of our bodies, as they gathered the plankton from the water. It is certainly something none of us will forget, even the 20% cool part.

We were all pretty exhausted from our manta excursion so a lie in was necessary. Lucky for another beautiful day and some surfers to watch out the window to keep us entertained. Managed to drag ourselves to Two Step at Hōnaunau Bay ‘the best’ snorkelling spot on Big Island.

The area was spectacular with coral and big schools of fish hanging around and the much needed depth for the girls to dive down. My turtles whispering has apparently completely deserted me as none appeared today but it was a lovely spot. Some sunscreen and urchin-induced trauma had us on the road and back to the apartment, ready to enjoy some drinks and dinner…and that view!

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