Winding Up the Vacation

Yesterday we snorkeled again at "Two Step" the beach next to the National Historical Park at Honaunau -- also called "place of refuge" because it was a safe haven or asylum for Hawaiians who had defied the taboos of the ancient kingdom. The photo shows me beside one of the numerous wood carvings in the park.

Turtles are protected on the beach beside the reconstructed temple: two are basking in the next photo. The turtles along these beaches are amazing. This morning on the very last snorkeling of the vacation we saw five turtles at the beach next door to our condo. They were in very shallow water -- very low tide. Their shells, facial markings, and sizes were all very distinct. (We weren't taking photos.)

Three of the turtles this morning were eating the lettuce-like plants that grow on the rocks, and two were swimming. They use their front fins to steady themselves, and use their mouths to turn over the rocks while grazing. They sometimes swim face down, like a diver going down towards the bottom. The underside of the turtles' shells is light yellow.

Yesterday's turtles:

The last photo of Honaunau is taken from The Coffee Shack, a restaurant up on the hill with a stunning panoramic view. The park occupies the point where waves can be seen breaking, in the center of the photo. The Coffee Shack is very popular with both tourists and locals. It serves breakfast til noon, lunch til three -- we got there a few minutes after lunch began, and had salad, a Reuben sandwich, and some of their famous pie.

We don't want to leave! Our plane is at 9:15 -- checkout time is 11 AM.