We spent our last morning on the Big Island at the beach. We chose a beach by the Natural Energy Lab in Kona. This place was built in the 1970s at the time of the energy crisis and was hoping to harness power in the difference between the water temperatures at the surface and deeper below. That didn’t turn out to be viable, but now there are large solar panels in place and the once water tubes are being used to raise abalone for commercial purposes. The road allows access to this beach which has several tide pools created by the lava and a bounty of crashing waves. The beach didn’t feel crowded, but definitely was being used by more locals than tourists. When locals go to the beach, they come for the whole day, bringing grills, tents, large coolers…looks like a family bbq! In fact, one guidebook suggested tourists stay away from one beach on the weekends becuase it was very treasured by locals and you would definitely get the stink eye for crashing their weekend at the beach!
We got lots of sun and lots of pictures of waves this morning!
The rest of the day was spent souvenir shopping and getting ready for our flight out to Honolulu. Dinner was a repeat at Kona Brewing Company, really the only place in Kona we would eat at twice. I had the lasagna (the noodles were cooked in one of their brews) and Dan had another pizza. Both good and delicious!