We headed to the North part of the Island and were greeted by drastically different scenery, lush vegetation replacing the barren landscape and volcanoes of the previous day.
We visited Akaka falls, swam in a (much smaller) waterfall and hiked to a secluded beach where I (we) put the coconut opening skills we had learned at the Polynesian cultural centre to good use, conquering a cocount by sheer strength and wit alone… we lost the milk during the smashing and bashing, however the sweet taste of coconut was a culinary victory nonetheless.
We continued our road trip and ended up in Milo, where we visited a small island followed by a wonderful Japanese park… continuing the Japanese theme we grabbed a bite in a fantastic Japanese restaurant, where I enjoyed a saki cocktail and left the rest of the days driving to Katrine. Result.
Our penultimate stop of the day was a big drive up Mauna Kea, the biggest mountain in the world (if measured from the earths crust). We drove to the visitors centre, around 2700 metres above sea level and were mesmerised by the night sky laid bare before us. It was truly breathtaking, if a little on the cold side. The Milky Way was visible in all it’s glory, surrounded by a blanket of an incredible star scape… So beautiful and humbling.