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The next day we started our counterclockwise tour of the Big
Island. Our first stop was South Point, the southern most point of the
United States. The drive there was rather interesting. After we turned
off the highway, we saw many signs that the road was getting
narrower, until finally, close to South Point, the road was only one
lane and we had to pull over into the grass to pass people going in
the other direction. But we made it all the way down to the Southern
tip, which has as number one feature the relentless strong winds. So
strong that the one tree we saw there was growing entirely to one
side. Another impressive feature were the high cliffs, and the
breaking of the waves against them.
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Click on these images and see the ocean in motion:
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A 180 degree panorama of South Point:
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Our next stop was Punalu'u Beach, which is well known for its black
sand. Although the beach itself was nice, there were lots of
people there, and quite a few of them drove the car virtually to the
shoreline. Still, we enjoyed the view, and the feeling of the seawater
running between our toes! While driving around on the southern parts
of the Big Island, we also spotted the first signs warning us for
crossing nenes, Hawaii's state bird.
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Our hotel for that evening and the next was the Pink Protea Palace,
which really was a small house, which was rented to us by Chalet
Kilauea. This definitely was one of the nicest places we've stayed in
during this trip. When we arrived, it had just started raining. In the
livingroom, with windows open, we could clearly hear the rain fall on
the ferns and other plants, and on the slightly slanted wooden
roof. It was very, very relaxing. After the sumptuous meal of the
night before, we decided to take it easy that night, and our dinner
consisted of green beans and deliciously crisp fish sticks :o) We
ended the evening in style with a visit to the jacuzzi near the
reception building, which was open to the air, but with a roof, making
it quite idyllic. Rob enjoyed it to the fullest, but Cindy wisely only
dipped her feet in the hot water.
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