A very good night's sleep, only disturbed by the cleaner trying to get in just after 8. Breakfast (`Continental') was a touch disappointing. The ingredients were laid out around the room and you were left to it. Polystyrene cups etc. [to be thrown] in the bin.
We filled with petrol -- my credit card worked -- and headed off around the north of the island. Except I took the wrong road right from the start and we were heading due south. We turned in the entrance to Saddle Road which leads to Moana Kea, the highest peak above sea level in Hawaii and where they have the main body of observatories. It's the only cross island road but gets a bit rough and you need four wheel drive to reach the observatories. We're not going that way so head back north and take the correct road, a pleasant windy road that for a short while is protected from the rain is not the wind. 
The rain kicks in again as we round the headland and head back down the east coast. Our first stop is Pololu, the northern equivalent to Waipio Valley. It's smaller in scale but otherwise offers the same. We're kept in the car by the encoming rain and decide not to climb down.
Just back up the road we stop at a little cafe for, in principle, a quick snack but it becomes lunch. Again we have disposable crockery. Hmm. The wind seems to blow through this place causing everyone to look nervously around them. The rain's lashing down now. We carry on around the north coast road but not particularly enthused by the weather. We stop at a park noted for its glimpses of Maui, not today, where we notice that the weather has cleared and the unusual water movements. We've picked up that a tsunami, a very fast rising tide-like motion of the water rather than [necessarily] a wave, is often immediately preceeded by the water emptying from the shoreline. And that's what we're seeing here. Except it seems to be the norm here, there are no waves, just the ocean swell causing the water to rise and fall at the shoreline. Wierd.
We stop to wander around Lapakahi State Historical Park which hosts a 600 year old village which is impressive given that the ruins consist just walls made from worn lava rocks and haven't blown away in the gale coming off the hillside. Not a hint of rain here. Indeed the opposite with a strong chance of burning.
We stop at the Big Island's second largest commercial port. I'd be embarrassed to claim to be the third. We looked into Spencer Park where you are allowed to camp and several groups were, although they looked a beery bunch. We phoned the camping permit people and you must have a paper permit. When you get your permit online [as you can do for the County Parks but not the State Parks, no permit required at the National Parks] you must print it off. Extra cyber cafe dollars, assuming you can find one around here.
We decide to come back to see the adjacent historical park later and head for a B+B. The first, when we find it, is full. She recommends the Kameula Inn and another lodge in town that turns out to be even more expensive. Ah well, back to even the same room as last night. We're just over 2000ft up from Spencer Beach and about 10 miles inland. Here it's bucketing down, at Spencer it's clear and dry and hot. That's wierd for us.
The site of the last temple built on Hawaii (in 1790!) would be more interesting if you could see more than the walls of it but it's a sacred site and presumably would fall down under the unsteady footsteps of tourists, however the suggested history is interesting. To appease the war god the king built a temple from water worn lava boulders. It's belived they came from Pololu thirty miles up the road and were transported by a human chain. We stop to watch the sunset but it's lost behind the clouds at the last minute.
We're really not doing very well on the budget here -- our US$80 per day doesn't cover the room, some US$96. This means McDonalds to the rescue tonight. Obviously we'd rather go to the nice steak house again but it was US$48 compared to McDonalds US$11.
Kameula Inn, Waimea, Big Island N20.02353 W155.67537 Elev. 803m
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.