September 19th, 2012

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Today we decided to go on a coffee tour and get Jason some Kona Coffee.  We have a night scuba dive with the Manta Rays tonight out of Kailua-Kona so figured today would be a good day to head south from the condo for a coffee tour.  We went to Greenwell Farms and had some samples and a tour.  

The tour guide showed us the red coffee cherries and the beans that are inside them.

They have some interesting fruit--bacon avocado...and apple bananas.  Didn't get to try the avocado but had some apple bananas later in the trip and they were good!  Not as sweet with a apple aftertaste instead of banana.  I think they said they tasted like Gala Apples.  

 

 

A Coffee Tree and Coffee Cherries...you hand pick only the red ones.  

 

The Receiving station for Cherries.  They will buy Kona Cherries from nearby farms--some bring truckloads, some just one burlap bag.  

Here the guide showed us the Machine that seperates the beans from the Cherry.  If the two beans do not seperate, it is considered a Peaberry.  Use to get thrown away as useless, now it is sold at a premium price :)

Drying the beans

The coffee trees 

 

Views of the farm and drying the burlap sacks. 

 

After we stocked up on Kona Coffee, we headed to Napo'opo'o Beach Park.  We were going to try to have lunch but missed the picnic area.  Across the bay is the Captain Cook Monument.  It was near this spot that Cook was killed by the Hawaiians.  The small plot of land with the monument was actually deeded to the United Kingdom so it's British Soil!

This is the Hiki-au Heiau.  The plaque states

'In this Heiau, January 28, 1779, Captain James Cook R.N. read the English burial service over William Whatman, Seaman.  The first recorded Christian Servie inteh Hawaiian Islands' 

 

Thought it was funny how they 'added' to the road to make it wider!

St. Benedict's Catholic Church...also known as The Painted Church.  It was done between 1899 and 1904...still looks beautiful after 108 years!

We then headed back up to Kailua-Kona and found this great beach along Alii Drive for lunch.  It even included a turtle sighting!

 

We were then off to do two scuba dive--well actually was just one because the second was a Manta Ray Night Dive and all you do is sit on the ocean bottom while the Manta Rays swim all around you.  It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.  If you don't scuba dive, then do a snorkel tour.  

 

The boat and getting instructions on what to do from Flipper, the dive master.  

 

Jason was a little cold so I gave him my pink sweatshirt...since I am always cold, he really appreciated it!

 

After the night dive, we decided to try out some good locally brewed beer!!  

We tried a sampler--we got to chose 4 beers:  Jason tried the Koko Brown and Pipeline Porter...I went with Wailua Wheat and the Hula Hefeweizen.  I HIGHLY recommend the Hefe but you can only get it at the brewery so I guess another trip to the Big Island needs to be planned!

To honor Lori and Chris Joas

  

Sunset from the boat