The Long Layover in Kona (and Waikiki) (after a trip to Scottsdale)

(There’s a long preamble for this trip, so click here if you just want to read about Kona).

We’d been isolated in Australia for 26 months. TWENTY SIX MONTHS! To be fair, there are far worse places to be confined.

When the Australian border reopening was announced, we immediately booked flights to visit my mom in the US, who we haven’t seen since November of 2019. About a month before departure, we got an email from Qantas about a flight schedule change. Not only did we now have a 16 hour layover in Los Angeles, but we were removed from the exit row (which we purchased when we booked the flight). The flight cost about double the usual fare, so we decided to postpone until the end of January when the holiday rush had passed and international travel was a little more stable.

Leaving Australia was still not easy. In addition to the half-dozen forms, we needed a negative Covid test within 24 hours of departure. We’d been isolating for about a week to make sure we didn’t accidentally pick up the virus, but I was still anxious. Our flight departed at 8pm, but we went to the airport testing clinic first thing in the morning to get the out of the way. There was no line so we were in and out of the testing centre in under five minutes.

We received our results via text by the time we got back to the house. Negative – phew! More importantly, we got a long-awaited text from Qantas confirming our upgrade. I quickly jumped online to grab two seats in the forward section of the upstairs business class cabin. We also got a text notifying us that there would be no entertainment on the 14-hour flight due to a technical issue. Ouch!

We got to the airport four hours before departure to allow time for lines, paperwork, etc. It had been so long since we travelled that we didn’t remember where check-in was, and the check-in areas had been rearranged. It took about 45 minutes to check in because of everyone’s paperwork needing to be validated. Most people were missing one thing or another. Our was less complicated because we’re dual citizens.

When we arrived at the lounge, they gave us a $90 gift card to use in the airport in lieu of the in-flight entertainment. At first we were absolutely shocked at the amount, but then we remembered that a book costs like $35. We’d already loaded up on digital content, so we bought some gifts for my mom and a random Lego cassowary. The lounge service was still pretty lean, but a calm place to relax for a few hours.

When it was time to board, I was confused when they directed us to the lower deck, and even more confused when our seats turned out to be in first class. Maybe that is why we got the $90 gift card? It turns out that there was very low demand for first class, so Qantas was using the first class cabin for business class service (which means better seats but no 7-course meal). As a picky eater on an overnight flight I could care less about missing the 7 course first class meal, and the seats were divine (which made up for basically having to wear a mask for 20 hours straight!). Here’s a pic of my in the Qantas pyjamas showing off the amenity kit, and Andy in his travel outfit that makes him look like a hacker.

When we arrived in Los Angeles, we headed to the global entry kiosks. They are completely touchless now and Andy sped right through. Mine had expired, and though I renewed it, I had to go to a separate area for an interview. Nothing like a 13 hour flight followed by an interrogation about why you’ve been out of the country so long (um – Covid?), why you don’t look like your passport photo (um – 13 hour flight?), and what countries you’ve visited in the past 10 years (well, none in the past 2). There were lots of questions about why Uganda, why Indonesia, why Myanmar, etc. – I should have just shown him this website 🙂 It took about 15 minutes and Andy was still waiting for the bags by the time I arrived. We had to recheck our bags and go through domestic security, which was complete culture shock. The TSA agents shouting “shoes off! no liquids! belts off! laptops out!” was complete culture shock and felt like a prison induction. It was a long walk to our connecting flight to Phoenix, which was completely empty.

We spent a week in Scottsdale with my mom, doing lots of shopping, going for walks in the dessert, and drinking lots of watermelon mules. We also visited Taliesin West, the winter home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright.

 
 
Kona

We decided to break up the return flight to Australia with a stopover in Hawaii. We’d been to Oahu, Maui, and Kauai before, so we decided on Hawaii. Yes, that is the name of the state, but it is also the name of an island and also known as “The Big Island.”

Travel to Hawaii was still fairly restricted. We didn’t need covid tests, but we did need to upload proof of vaccination to a website prior to travel. Most people on the plane had wristbands, which we assumed were for a tour operator or all-inclusive resort. It turned out that the wrist bands indicated that they were pre-cleared for entry. When we landed, those without wristbands had an extra step to go through to have our documents reviewed (likely because our proof of vaccination is not from the US). The process was friendly and efficient.

We stayed at a stunning AirBNB in a cloud forest about 15 minutes from the tourist centre of Kona. We loved everything about this property and the host, Kevin, gave us wonderful recommendations. I had to work a little, and the internet was blazing fast compared to home.

Part of the reason we planned the stopover in Hawaii was because the Honolulu to Sydney flights were not crowded, because Australia was on the “do not travel” naughty list due to Covid. Unfortunately Qantas realised this as well and decided to stop flying to Hawaii. They booked us on the next available flight, which meant our three day layover turned into NINE days (a week in Kona and then two nights in Waikiki).

When in the US, people kept asking what we were going to do in Kona for a week if we didn’t golf. We hadn’t planned anything, because we weren’t convinced the trip would actually happen until we boarded the plane, so we just winged it. Each night we’d do some googling and decide what to do the next day. It was so relaxing to not be in a rush. I don’t know if it is because we’re older, or because we have a lot more annual leave, but we enjoy travelling a lot slower now. I remember when we first started dating and went to London AND Paris for a WEEKEND – from North Carolina!

Underwater
I wanted to go stand-up paddleboarding so we googled and found Ehu and Kai Adventures in Kealakekua Bay. There was a slight swell so we opted for a kayak (though we’d never kayaked) for the 20-minute paddle to the Captain Cook Monument. The water went from deep deep blue to bright turquoise and was crystal clear because the coast is mostly lava rock rather than sand.

We also went snorkelling at Two Step and visited Turtle Beach.

We spent one outstanding day cruising the coast with Kaimana Ocean Safaris. Within minutes of leaving the harbour we were swimming with a pod of dolphins! We headed south along the coast and found some humpback whales right off the Kailua-Kona town centre (unfortunately you can’t swim with humpbacks in Hawaii). Further south, near the Outrigger Hotel, we had the most epic manta encounter ever! I somehow found myself in the middle of what may or may not have been a manta mating train. The last highlight of the day was a swim with an oceanic white tip shark. We only had the gopro with us but still got some decent footage.

 

 
Really long day-trip to the east side of the island

We’re early risers, so we hit the road early for the 1.5 hour drive to Hilo.

We started the day at Ken’s Pancake House. Didn’t get any photos of the food, but the pancakes were ginormous and the bacon was crispy – bliss.

From there we drove another 45 minutes to Volcanoes National Park. We opted for the 5km Kilauea Iki and Crater Rim trail, and because it was so early we had it mostly to ourselves. We went counter clockwise starting along the crater rim, then descending to the the crater floor and crossing the open lava field.

From there we decided to drive out to the Puu Loa Petroglyph Trail. We saw a lot of signs for nēnē crossings, and we actually saw a few! The nēnē (or Hawaiian Goose) is the state bird of Hawaii and is the rarest goose in the world. In the 1950’s there were as few as 30 of them remaining, however there are now over 2,000 (still endangered though).

The drive southeast was stunning.

The Puu Loa Petroglyph Trail was about 2km return, and mostly flat lava fields. The trail is marked with stacks of stones so easy the follow. The petroglyphs were a bit underwhelming (likely because we have these Aboriginal engravings practically in our backyard).

After all the hiking, we headed back to Hilo for a refreshing swim at Richardson’s Ocean Park.

On the way back to Kona, we took a detour up to Mauna Kea. Without a 4WD you can only drive to the visitor’s centre which is at 9200 feet (2800 meters). It was a good thing we brought warm clothes as the temp dropped to 42F (about 5C). We did the 2km hike up Sunset Hill, but unfortunately no sunset.

Another try at Mauna Kea

We decided to give Mauna Kea another try a few nights later. The forecast looked clear and I even found a little cabin to rent to avoid driving back in the dark and windy roads.

I missed the fine print about the cabins being bring your own … furniture! I don’t know who these cabins are made for – who travels with their own bed? We decided to head to the viewpoint and deal with the weird cabin later. Unfortunately the conditions were the same as our previous visit, except this time one of our tires was losing air. Not wanting to get stuck with a flat on a windy road with no phone reception, we admitted defeat and headed back to Kona.

Next time we’ll get a 4WD so we can get above the clouds.

Two nights in Waikiki

We spent two nights in Waikiki before flying back to Australia. We stayed at the Outrigger Reef, using points from United Airlines (no idea how they didn’t expire because I haven’t flown United since 2013). A lot of the hotel was under construction, but our room had a nice view of Diamond Head and it’s a great location.

Waikiki was a bit of culture shock after Kona. Masks were required everywhere, you had to show proof of vaccination everywhere, half of the people from the mid-west US seemed to be there, and everything was running at like 25% capacity. We did some walks, hung by the pool, drank mai tai’s, went to a Walmart, and hit up American classics like Dukes, PF Changs and the Cheesecake Factory.