Arrival Kona Airport. Hot and super sunny with some menacing rain clouds off to the east. They don’t call it the Big Island for nuthin! That is one big ass island. Yes, you hear that the big island is the size of all of the other major Hawaiian islands put together but once you see it by air (and then later drive the whole thing) you get a real appreciation for the massive size. And yes, thanks to an ever active volcano, it continues to grow larger each day.
The big Island is different from the other islands. Due to its very low population count, it is sparse. Add a lot of lava flow, 5 volcanoes, the highest peak on the islands and lots of farmland and you understand why it feels so vast.
We start our vacation in Kona, excited to get into the water and into the heartbeat of the Big Island. Kona is definitely touristy but this works into our favor. We check into the Kona King Kamehameha Hotel, right on the ocean and quickly head out to seek out snorkel gear. We get our gear and get into the water. Fish! There weren’t as many fish as we saw in Maui but it’s fun anyway. We snorkel for about 90 mins and decide to dry off and see what else surrounds us.
We quickly decide that the massive hill (er..mountain) that looms over Kona is the most intriguing so we venture up the massive hill. We quickly discover a stunning view of Kona and the ocean below as well as a different environment on the hill. We notice farms and traditional residential communities. Feeling a coffee craving (Kona does have the premier coffee after all) and David notes that Mountain Thunder
Coffee facility is nearby. We weren’t really intending to take the tour of the facility but when a very engaging gentleman greeted us as we approached and stated that he saw us pull up and held the last tour of the day for us, well we couldn’t decline now could we? So we took the tour and were very happy that we did. I learned a lot about the caffeinated drink that I can’t live a day without. Turns out coffee grows on trees and not all coffee beans are equal. Size and quality are very important. Thunder Mountain sorts and roasts an incredible amount of the stuff each day. The facility was filled with the aroma of the roasting beans and the noise of the sorting machines. We enjoyed free samples of brewed coffee, chocolate covered beans and macadamia nuts covered in coffee chocolate. A perfect afternoon treat.
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| Our first chicken sighting at Mountain Thunder Coffee |
The foreboding rain clouds held off the rest of the afternoon and we were treated to a wonderful sunset from the hills. Next stop, Kona Brewing. I had been looking forward to Kona Brewing for months and it did not disappoint. The place was hoppin! After a short wait, we took our seats on their very pleasant patio. As with all good breweries, they featured numerous brews offered only at the brewery. The beers and the pizza were excellent. We took home a mini growler full of their brewery only IPA to enjoy in our air conditioned hotel room (it was 79 degrees at 10pm after all). 
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