By Mac Malambri
This morning we awoke early to go to a special beach Kaden told us about. We are now back on his side of the island, so he has unique knowledge of cool places to visit. Unfortunately, only Katie could leave in her van, so only 7 of the 12 students got to go. We drove about 25 minutes to this beach South of Kona. It was picturesque. This is the white sand Hawaiian paradise, cut out of a cliff with palm trees one imagines when they think of the island. There were small wooden structures alongside it. The little cove was flanked on both sides by rocky cliffs. It was really cool. Some people got out there on snorkels, but I got one of the two paddleboards. Even though it was too rough for me too last more than 20 seconds standing up, it was so cool to kneel around the cove. The beauty was immense. I especially love the beach right after sunrise and soon after sunset, so it was great.
Eventually, we all got on the two paddleboards and just hung out and talked for about an hour, enjoying the natural beauty. This is probably the best time I’ve had just hanging out on a beach in years.
Unfortunately, since Hawaii is closer to the equator than South Carolina, I failed to anticipate the borage of UV that I would face at 9 AM. Being on a paddleboard without sunscreen, I got a pretty bad sunburn. It is alright, though.
We then departed our tropical oasis to mee the rest of the group at a state park. Pu’uhonua O Honaunau was a place of refugee in ancient Hawaii. Hawaii was once governed by an elaborate system of rules and costumes called Kapu. Kapu prohibited making eye-contact with a chief, fishing in overfished ponds, and women from eating the sacred fruit of bananas. Breaking kapu was punished by death. The only way to avoid this fate was to make the perilous solo journey to a Pu’uhonua, or place of refugee. This particular one was also a popular meeting spot of chiefs.
Pu’uhonua O Honaunau is a beautiful site. My professor remarked that it would not be a bad place to be exiled. It is a peninsula that sticks out into a small bay. Nevertheless, the palm trees provide little shade. On this sunny day, the endless torment of the sun was almost unbearable. I rushed through the site and hid in the amphitheater well before the start of the presentation. The presentation was by a native Hawaiian park ranger about this spot. She actually grew up just miles from this landmark. She gave us a review of the site’s significance and Hawaiian history more broadly. We also figured out that she was Kaden’s kindergarten teacher.
We then proceeded to eat lunch. We ate just outside of the park at a couple of picnic tables. It was a good view, but once again, so hot. We then went to the nearby snorkeling spot. I tried my best to do it, but I just do not enjoy snorkeling. I did see some really cool fish. They are amazingly large for such a shallow reef; however, I spent most of my time in the warm, shallow tidal pools. After snorkeling, we headed back to the hotel. All of us students went to the hot tub after and prepared for dinner. After dinner, I went to this shaved ice place.