Not in the Mood for a Guided Tour? Wandering in Kona Hawaii

This island of great beauty is home to the historic town of Kona, where King Kamehameha spent his last years between 1813 and 1819.   You can’t miss the two most interesting historical structures in Kona since they are right on the main walking/shopping route along the beach shoreline.

The Island’s Governor, Kuakini, built the large salmon colored Hulihee Palace in 1837.  It would later become King David Kalakaua’s Summer Palace in the 1880’s and is filled with interesting artifacts.  The palace isn’t open on Sunday’s, so sadly, we only got to see the outside of the palace.

On the up side….. being in port on a Sunday allowed for me to peek in on the service being held in the first western church in islands.  The church is called Mokuaikuau, and was built between 1823 and 1827 in the New England Congregational style with a white steeple towering over thick stone walls mortared with coral.  The interior posts and beams are hand-hewn ohia wood brought down from the slopes of Mauna Loa and are fitted together with ohia pins.

Be sure to check out the Kona Farmers Market when you are in port.  It is open from Wednesday through Sunday.  You will have a blast wandering through the stalls admiring the delicate orchids, rows of fresh pineapples and other tropical fruits, colorful leis, lots of hand-made arts and of course the requisite tourist souvenirs.  Don’t forget to buy some freshly roasted and salted macadamia nuts!

After strolling through the many shops along the main road, you will need to rest up with a nice cool drink and a snack.   I know you don’t want to hear this, but we stopped for a drink at Bubba Gump’s!  This is almost sacrilege to a savvy traveler, but believe, me the view is worth it.  You can relax and watch the waves crash over the lava rocks just a few yards away from where you are sitting.

But Bubba Gump’s was just a starting point!  We also tried out the view from Rosa’s Cantina, where you can sit upstairs on the balcony and munch on chips and guacamole while a very stiff breeze cools you off.

We finally ended up deciding upon the Zagat rated Kona Inn for Lunch where we had huge shrimp cocktails and salad with giant sweet Maui onions on the shady veranda.  Again…….the view of the sparkling sea and rocky lava coast where waves lapped and crashed trapped in the lava fissures our ship a distant white whale on the waiting on the horizon.

We were tipped off that you could visit the Kona Brewing Company, so we walked over to take a quick look but didn’t have time to go in.   You beer fans….. Be sure to check out the tour times if you would like to see the inner workings, but you can always just sample their creations in the attached pub!  

Kailua-Kona (the local name) is a fun place to visit even if you don’t take one of the many amazing excursions the ship offers at this port, so if you are looking forward to just wandering around shopping, eating and having a drink or two.  We can highly recommend that approach!