Thursday, January 5, 2023.

Dee and Fred drove us to the Honolulu airport, and by 11:40am we were in Kona airport on the Big island of Hawaii. We rented a car (drive on right???), and drove to the cute town of Kona. We had time before our 2:30pm tour for lunch at an oceanfront restaurant.

Hulibee Palace is run by the Daughters of Hawaii. Our tour guide was a very tall Hawaiian named “Sunshine”! The little palace sits on a prime piece of real estate, on the ocean, in the center of Kona. In the late 1920’s, one of the steamship companies wanted to build a huge hotel where the palace stood. The Daughters of Hawaii saved the palace and preserved a green oasis in the center of Kona.

After our tour we bought fruit at the farmer’s market, checked into our Airbnb, and went for a swim in the condo’s pool. Dinner by the ocean watching the sunset. Jim keeps hoping to see the green flash, but too many clouds.