Family Fun on the Kohala Coast

Family Fun on the Kohala Coast

Who gets to see a mammoth whale come barreling out of the ocean behind a group of surprised surfers? My children and I last Friday! We were on a “Mauna Lani Area” adventure to discover the Holoholokai Park and Puako Petroglyphs on Thursday night and Friday morning.

What did we find?

1. A secluded park (Holoholokai) wrapped behind The Shops at Mauna Lani and the Fairmont Orchid. This is a pretty swanky area of the Kohala Coast and to find a park with numerous picnic tables, BBQs and a stunning view of Maui, the Kohala coastline and the Kona sunset was a real treat.

We had a picnic dinner while we watched the sun set into the red voggy glow of Kona. It was high tourist season and there were only a handful of people there to enjoy this serene sight with us.

2. We went to The Shop’s at Mauna Lani’s free Polynesian hula show from 6-8 and enjoyed the way the hula troupe incorporated their entire family into the show including a ten year old and a three year old. My kids really enjoyed watching the keiki up on stage twirling batons and dancing to the pounding Polynesian beat. There were also fire dancers and women wearing coconut bras..yes, really. We sat on the terraced lawn steps in almost the front row, which gave my husband the chance to have one of the performers come up with a scary warrior stance and then shake his hand after the effect of shock was created. Pretty funny.

The next day the kids and I came back around 10 am and went out to the beach park. There we found a very easy to walk beach path and did some exploring. That’s when we saw the breaching whale. It was pretty close to shore and the splash he made literally created ripple waves for the nearby surfers. Then the whale flapped its fins a few times on the water to the delight of everyone watching. Glad to see the whales are back for the  season.

3. The Puako Petroglyphs were an easy walk from the beach park. As soon as we passed the sign that explained that these petroglyphs were created between 1,000-1,800 A.D., we were able to walk around a large circle where the most interesting and deeply carved petroglyphs had been cut out of the rock and placed for easy viewing. They were a showcase in cultural artistry. Another circular area contained a few more well placed carved stones and then we followed the path into the Kaiwi trees which led us through the forest where we found few more along the trail. I took a video so you can see it.

It started getting warm so the kids asked to go play in the fountains at The Shops. They had a ball playing with a toddler who was also there to cool off. The water runs in unpredictable spurts and this kept them entertained for awhile until the 4D movie started. After the movie, we got sushi from Foodland Farms, had a nice lunch and headed home.

When I asked the kids what was their favorite part of the day, they said the fountains, but educationally, I was glad that I took them to see the petroglyphs! My daughter made me laugh when she said a possible explanation for the petroglyphs could have been children carving into the rocks when their parents were out fishing! Who knows?

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Meet the Author

Julie Ziemelis

Julie Ziemelis is an entrepreneur, business owner, author, blogger and vlogger in Kailua Kona. She created and moderates the “365 Things to Do in Kona” page and the Kona Newbies group on Facebook. She blogs at 365Kona.com and MoveToHawaii365.com and vlogs with her husband, Eric, at “365Hawaii” on YouTube. Julie also authored the books, “How to Move to Kona” and the “Insiders Guide to Buying Real Estate on the Big Island of Hawaii”. You will most likely find Julie in Kona hiking, running, biking, taking photos and sharing Aloha.

Leave a Question or Comment About this Topic

  • Alison Zor says:

    Cool story Julie. Greg and I will have to check this out. We have been in that area many times but I don’t think that we have found any park w/ picnic table. Plus seeing that whale, what a special treat!!! You’re living the dream sista! me ke aloha pumehana.

    • Julie Z says:

      Ahhh, living the dream of finding new adventures and roads not taken! That day with the kids exploring a new place on the island was fantastic. We will go up there again with some briquettes and some steaks! Thanks, Alison!

  • Alison Zor says:

    Cool story Julie. Greg and I will have to check this out. We have been in that area many times but I don’t think that we have found any park w/ picnic table. Plus seeing that whale, what a special treat!!! You’re living the dream sista! me ke aloha pumehana.

    • Julie Z says:

      Ahhh, living the dream of finding new adventures and roads not taken! That day with the kids exploring a new place on the island was fantastic. We will go up there again with some briquettes and some steaks! Thanks, Alison!

  • Laura Kinoshita says:

    Great itinerary for anyone looking for a way to spend a day on the Kohala Coast! I hope some property managers see this and consider sharing/linking to it for their guests! 🙂

    • Julie Z says:

      That would be great, Laura if they did. Hey, if I am going to go out there and report about it, and give people the real deal story, it would be advantageous for property managers to share it with their guests!

      • Zen says:

        Ok tink, you gonna be on dry side of Big Island, Kona very nice old town, and lotta hotels in Kona, also some nice end point sreort on that side of Island, so you gonna have a great time, ok? So really, you can’t go wrong on Kona side, but don’t forget, get car, and visit Hilo side of Island, you gonna be glad you did, ok?

  • BobD says:

    Puako Petroglyphs We seem to have begun an annual tradition of extending our timeshare island visit by staying in one of the resorts along the coast before heading back to the mainland. When staying at Fairmont Orchid, no one mentioned Puako and its petroglyphs right next door…however, the following year we stayed at Mauna Lani, and we were encouraged to make the brief hike through the woods. Fantastic – as I ended up going early in the morning and had the good fortune to be there alone for over an hour. It was slightly eerie to be there all alone, contemplating those who were here before me, and consider why they took the effort to make these cryptic carvings.

    • Bob-You had a great experience then! I went when it was a hot afternoon, would have enjoyed the morning air and being alone to just think. I too contemplated the ancients who created the artwork. Obviously, it took hours of effort. Glad you discovered it..so many little gems on this island!