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Our third day in Hawaii and it was another early morning wake up. Today's adventures would bring us into the northern part of the Big Island near the town of Kaaau to ride some ATVs. It was about an hour's drive to ATV Outfitters Hawaii. Although we arrived a bit late, we quickly signed the required forms, got our helmets, goggles, and gloves and were on our way. We had to go through a rather long introduction on safety and usage of the ATVs. Once our guides determined that everyone was ready, we set off through the Kohala Ditch Trail making our way up to the coastline of North Kohala. We rode along well marked trails through private ranchlands and pastures until we arrived at a very scenic spot along the coastline overlooking Keawaeli Bay. Taking a 30 minute break, our guides provided us with some refreshments and talked about some of the history of the local area while we soaked in the incredible views. We continued our journey through the Kohala Ditch System through dry and dustry trails while riding through more macadamia nut plantations. I initally wondered why they had given us a bandana to wear. Clearly, this was
to cover up your nose and mouth so as not to breathe in all this dust. I felt a little bad for all the people riding in the back of the pack as they had the full impact of all the dust and dirt kicked up by those of us in the front. The entire ride only lasted about an hour and a half and when we done, we were all covered in a layer of dirt with muddy pants and shoes. Back at the main office for ATV Outfitters Hawaii, we cleaned up as best we could before heading out to our next destination for the day.
After ATVing and getting back in our vehicle, we drove as far as we could along Highway 270 to the Pololu Valley Lookout. One of the most spectacular views on the island, the lookout provided for great views of the verdant and lush cliffs of the Pololu Valley. I would have loved to have hiked down to the valley floor before as many of the other visitors were setting off to do. However with the group that I was with, I knew there would be absolutely no interest. So
instead of hiking down, we were content with just taking in the fantastic views.
From the Pololu Valley Lookout, we backtracked back to the small town of Hawi. Here we stopped for lunch at Bamboo Restaurant before heading across the street to try some coffee at Kohala Coffee Mill. Making our way back down towards Kailua-Kona, we stopped at the Hamakua Macadamia Nut Factory. Walking around the factory, we checked out the Macadamia Nut exhibits and peered through the glass windows at the employees on the other side packaging and handling Macadamia Nuts. Most of our time was spent exploring the gift shop where we all purchased some gifts for people back at home. Of course, with an endless supply of uniquely flavored macadamia nuts. The remainder of the afternoon was just spent lazing around the condo, catching up on some sleep, and just generally enjoying some downtime. Dinner tonight in Kailua Kona was at Kona Brewing Company where we enjoyed some pizza and local beer.
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