Hilo Coast

The thought of sitting on a plane or in a car was not appealing, so today we decided to use our legs and have a stroll around the local area. First though, we wandered down to the natural ocean pool outside our apartment.
A sign said you might see green turtles here but they are endangered so I wasn’t really expecting to see one. I was very surprised therefore to look down and see a huge one stretching it’s neck up to me. It looked as though it just wanted a pat on the head but I declined because it was enormous and could give me a nasty bite if I’d misinterpreted it.
The coast around here is incredibly rocky and doesn’t have beaches as such so we used the cycle lane as our path and diverted off down public access roads to view the ocean.
The Pacific waves crash against the rocks so hard, there is a constant mist of salt and spray in the air. Mother Nature has been thoughtful and there are sheltered lagoons where people and turtles can swim in safety.
Our stroll also took us past beautiful houses with well tended gardens. The flora here is wonderful – massive bougainvilleas, hibiscus bushes, even orchids. Although obviously the homes of the well heeled, there wasn’t the usual paranoia of huge walls and fences surrounding them.
We stopped off at various public areas where shelters and toilets were provided. No snack bars or cafes which is brilliant as it stops all the depressing rubbish that seems to accumulate around these places. I did see cans and sweet wrappers discarded on the roadside though. How hard is it to take your rubbish home with you? Grrrr!
Crazy surfers congregate around certain sweet spots where they can catch a wave. To be honest I think they’re nuts. The rocks are all lava and would just skin you alive if you hit one.
To be a true surfer dude here you need to drive a monster truck. A little roof rack carrying your board on top of a Ford Fiesta just won’t cut it. I’m sure they need to go “off road” occasionally to find the perfect wave but the gigantic wheels and pot boiler engines really are a bit over the top.
When we got back to our apartment we decided to have a swim in the lagoon. No-one told us the lagoon was fed by cold springs so much hilarity as I hit the water and jumped back out just as quickly.