Hawaii – Day 6 – Travels with Carolyne

Big Island – Day 6 of a 8-Day Trip in Hawaii

Big Island was warm and humid in the summer, but it was more of a rainy island in comparison to Oahu. The day does clear up after the brief morning rain, so better in the morning than during the day when you’re trying to do activities! Day 6 consisted of visiting two different beaches and finished with watching the sunset atop Mauna Kea.

Day 6
Big Island

After breakfast, I snapped a picture of the house we were staying at. It just gave me so many Hawaiian vibes.

We then drove to the Punaulu’u Black Sand Beach. The beach gets its name from its black sand, which is caused by lava entering the ocean where it then cools and breaks down. I was also lucky enough to see sea turtles relaxing on the beach! We spent the whole morning relaxing at the beach. The waves are quite strong in this area, so we found a spot that was protected by rocks.

We had packed a lunch, so we ate it at the beach prior to heading to the next spot. We visited the Pu’uhonua O Honaunau Historic Park. It is a good spot to walk around and there are straw traditional buildings to see.

Beside the park is the Two Step Beach, which we spent the afternoon at. This is a good beach for snorkelling. The waters are a bit rough, but we found a spot protected by rocks to relax at. While at the beach, we saw a group of spinner dolphins jumping and spinning out of the water. This was so cool! The dolphins hung around for awhile too – they must have enjoyed the attention and performing for everyone at the beach.

After the beach, we stopped at a Grocery Store briefly to pick up pre-made dinners, then drove approximately 2 hours to Mauna Kea for the sunset. Mauna Kea is a shield volcano and is the highest point in Hawaii with its peak being 4,207m above sea level. The last Mauna Kea eruption was over 4,500 years ago. Despite it being the middle of the summer, Mauna Kea was quite cold and windy. Make sure to bring layers if a visit to Mauna Kea is on your itinerary. The sunset view was gorgeous and we had the chance to look at the stars as well.