Epic Kona Rap, Part 2

Day after THE race, the Rabbits slept in for awhile -
But then back in the Infiniti they all did pile!

The Infiniti was the bomb!

They were invited to a brunch at the Fish Hopper-
The buffet they encountered was quite a whopper!
STEB can't quite remember what happened next...
But more shopping at the IRONMAN store is a good guess!
It was somewhat of a lazy day
And STUR and STEB helped move KBun's bike down the way
There they encountered the craziest wind ever
KBun experienced much of that for the race - oh brother!
Upon returning back to the rabbit burrow
There was some sunset viewing going on don't you know?

So relaxing...

Then the Beast, CBun, and STEB had a ukulele concert going on
Possibly the others thought it might have lasted too long!
Monday morning early the rabbits went to check out some sights
A drive over to Kilauea but no lava to cause a fright

Pretty views all over the place!

There were some beautiful views along the way
And a 25 degree temperature drop? Yes way?

Still warm here!

They all had to buy hoodies at the park gift shop
Before they took a walk through the volcano tube, which rocked

Mount Kilauea is an active volcano! 

Heading into the lava tube!

It was so chilly!

Had lunch over looking a smoking crater
Then drove over for a closer look - again they were spectators!
On the drive home they stopped at a cool coffee wagon

Yummy coffee and cookies!

They got yummy drinks and cookies at Flyin' Hawaiian

Flyin' Hawaiian was fun!

Rabbits were next headed to a traditional Hawaiian luau-
The Pacific Ocean was the backdrop- just wow!!

Ready for the luau to start!

Started off with a shell lei and perhaps a fruity drink-
Some Rabbits got tattoos in a blink!

Another pretty sunset!

A wonderful show with dancing and  fire twirling-

Dancers!

And also a great buffet they were serving.

Uncovering the pig!

Luau!

Tuesday morning the Rabbits headed over to Snorkel Bob's-
Did they have masks, fins, and snorkels? Yes! Gobs!!

Ready for their adventure!

First they picked up KBun to go along-
In the beginning they all felt strong!'
Headed to the Captain Cook trail head -
Started off nice, no need to dread!

And they're off!

Smiling, early on!

As the down part got much steeper-
RBug stayed with STUR as she fell behind- they were the sweepers!
So much grass and rocks to wade through-
Also it was very hot as well- it's true!

Hike views!

CBun and STEB just hiking along!

More hike views!

Took way much longer than they thought-
Much more water they should have brought!

Captain Cook Monument

Captain Cook

The treat was getting to snorkel in a beautiful cove-
Many fishes and corral to behold!

Cove view!

The fish here were amazing!

Got to see a lot of mongoose
Here is one, on the loose!

Mongoose!

Heading back up - it would be a haul -
Soon after they started STUR especially hit a wall!

Ready for the long hike back uphill!

Dehydrated probably from wearing a seasick patch-
Felt a bit better once it was detached.
"Slowly, slowly they went far"
Couldn't wait to get back in the car!
They made it and headed straight to the Banyan Mart -
Ice cream sandwiches were definitely in their cart!
Later found out most folks got to the cove by boat...
Team Rabbit learned this late, don't you know?
Tuesday's strenuous 4 mile hike
Was followed by a Manta ray snorkel at night
Two snorkel sessions in one day?
They're on vacation so what the hay?!
Met up at Big Island Divers so that they could check in
Turns out they would all get wetsuits since they really wouldn't swim

Captain and Brian!

Crew member Jade!

Headed over to the boat launch and waited for the crew
Brian and Jade were their names and there was a boat Captain, too

Selfie on the manta ray boat!

On the manta ray boat!

On the boat trip over to the cove where they would glide
Saw some dolphins playing off the port side
Also enjoyed another pretty sunset
The rabbits were not tired of that yet!

Sunset headed to the manta ray night snorkel!

Once they arrived and everybody suited up
They handed out new masks and snorkels - that's pretty cool stuff
Attached to each person's tube was a little light
Then into the water and grab hold of the surfboard - hold on tight
The crew tugged them over to the viewing spot
STEB took pics and everyone's waiting to see what she got
Many manta rays were spotted in the under water light
There were also lots of schools of fish feeding - it made quite a sight
After on the way back they had a hot chocolate treat
Then the lights went out which made stargazing rather neat

Wednesday morning the rabbits took a trip
Jetted over to the island of Oahu for a little bit
They arrived at Kona International so early
That they were there before airport security!

A trip within a trip? Yes!

Jet setting to Oahu for the day!

The Rabbits got the first flight out of the big Island-
As it turns out it was perfect timing!
Headed over to Pearl Harbor after picking up the rental van-
Stamps in their passport? They were a fan!
Breezed right into the park after getting their tickets for free-
They were timed for a movie showing you see.
Their tickets were for the 8:45...
Hotdogs for breakfast first? Well all right!
After the movie they boarded a boat-
To see the USS Arizona which was a little remote.
Such a solemn and moving tribute to the lives lost-
Stories of men who fought for our country at any cost.

The USS Arizona Memorial

From inside the memorial

USS Arizona diagrams

For the Beast- driving around the island was like a trip down memory lane-
She lived there for four years - that's insane
Stopped by her old school and saw her hangout beaches -
Beautiful place to live- we were speechless!

So pretty!

Just another scenic selfie!

The Beast used to body surf here back in the day!

Kitties lounging on the rocks at the park!

More stunning scenery!

Rabbit Island!

Last thing before they jetted back to Kona
They met with Tracey from Team Z - don't you know
She and CBun had a great history:
In 2011 Hiking Kili then IMAZ!
Met her at Kalapawaia - a cafe and deli
It was a cool little place and the food was yummy

Cool place!

Thanks for meeting us, Tracey!

Thursday was another lazy kind of day it's true
Most rabbits went for a run then all hung out at the pool
Later they did some shopping in town
And The Marketplace is where they could be found
Everyone got some cool Kona stuff
Then selfies with Ukulele Rob? Sure enough!

Thanks, Ukulele Rob!

Later STUR and STEB headed up to meet KBun and Lionel
They needed to head back to the main land yall
Got them situated at the airport
After a hunt for gas for the vehicle, which was hard!

Friday all good things must come to and end
The rabbits had to pack and get out of town again
First there were a few things to do:
STUR and the Beast had one last swim on the Kona course it's true

STUR and the Beast!

Meanwhile the others watched and had breakfast
With a gecko and a view at Kalikala It was delish!

Well hi there! You may not have any of our waffles though!

Nice breakfast view!

After that they had to get CBun to the airport
With a side stop at one of THE most beautiful views

This water!!!

New friend Chris told us about this gem!

Of Manini'owali Beach where the water was stunning shades of blue
They also checked out a random lava tube along the Queen K

Lava tube selfie!

THE lava tube along the Queen K!

About two miles up from the airport on the right you don't say
After getting CBun settled at KOA
Back to the condo more cleaning and packing was underway
In traffic they saw a young gal hiking
So they gave her a ride to their destination
Kira had just arrived from Canada, eh
And was off to find a bike and do some hiking for a few days
At Wal-Mart they dropped her off
And did last minute shopping for stuff
Back at the ranch they had to check out by 3pm
Then they had time to kill understand?
As they made their way back up the Queen K
They saw Kira biking with a trailer, no way!
The last cool thing the rabbits did was all right
They checked out the Waikoloa Petroglyph Reserve site

So cool to be able to stop here.

Seriously amazing.

This is AMAZING!

Had to walk carefully along the King's Highway Foot Trail
At least this trail was flat and no one had to bail!

This was all very cool and too bad there wasn't more time to explore.

But it was mostly flat!

After a dinner at A-Bays Island Grill
They made their way back to the airport for the final time oh well
Had to first drop off the awesome rental car
Then a bus to the terminal - it wasn't too far
RBug was first at terminal one
Then the others at terminal two - the trip was done
After a bit of a luggage shuffle who did they see standing in line
None other than Rinnie - a photo op is just fine!

Rinnie was so gracious to take a picture while waiting in line to check bags!

Before long it was time to board
Aloha, Kona! It's been most epic for sure!

Last view of the pool and some flowers at the Rabbit Burrow!