Hawaii 2024

When we Mainers travel to Hawaii, we fly over a portion of two oceans. Just a quick loop into the Atlantic from Boston before the traverse the vastly varying landscape of America.

After a brief stop in Denver, we crossed more textures before our long haul over about 1/4 of the Pacific ocean. This launch into the skies above the Earth’s biggest water body leads to the dramatic, lava dominant coastline of one of the most isolated places in the world. We land on Hawaii island. My favorite landing.

I’ll never tire of exploring and considering how an entire population lives on this baby island, still being formed, subject to her occasional tantrums and ubiquitous moody skies. It takes great faith to live on an island, especially one so young and volatile. It’s one of the many things I love and appreciate about Hawaiians.

Another thing I love about Hawaiians is their eclectic palates. Kona’s many restaurants and snack stops range from Middle American to Polynesian to Asian and beyond. But with great growing potential and a sea full of incredible game fish, one thing we never lack here is incredible fresh produce and remarkably fresh fish, prepared an endless assortment of ways.

We met up for lunch with our local guides and little brothers, Ryan McGuckin and Kekaulike Kealoha and let them pick the restaurant and our meal. They nailed it with a platter of oysters and poke and sashimi and incredible tuna prepared in ways we’d never imagined.

Time to make our way up the coast but first a quick stop for snacks at a local market.

The stretch of road between Kona and our SwimVacation base up the Kohala coast is my favorite drive on the planet. The world’s largest mountain to our right (Mauna Kea), the world’s largest ocean to our left (the Pacific) and nothing but laval fringed with gold grasses all around. It’s geologically new, it’s wild, it’s desolate and utterly unique. It takes my breath away every time.

Dan and Clare Bobo, our private chefs and dear friends, hosted us for dinner, which gave us an opportunity to drive up the mauka (mountain) into the dramatic dusk. We caught up with them until both Hopper and I started to fall asleep in our soups - just a touch of jet lag remains. Home to our hale where a good rest and a week of adventures await.

Welcome home, Aloha, SwimVacation.

Love,

Heather