“Let’s go on vacation,” I remember myself saying to my husband one overcast winter afternoon in February. “We went to Spain for your 30th birthday, but nowhere for mine. Let’s go somewhere for my 31st.”
There was some initial protesting from my husband, but eventually he agreed that a vacation to celebrate another year older seemed like a good idea. Or, as he would more accurately say, “an idea.” I kind of added the “good” part.
Crazy, isn’t he? Why would anyone, especially someone who loves to travel, take pause at packing up and taking a vacation?
Well, there’s the baby, for one. Things have changed in the Rumford/Wehrell household since Spain. We welcomed our son, Desmond, in November of 2013. Which is why we didn’t go anywhere fun for my 30th birthday...I was pregnant and we went to visit my sister in Pensacola. Not exactly a jaunt around the Greek Isles or a trek in the jungles of Rwanda (both of which were high on my list of babymoon locations, by the way).
When it did actually come to taking a trip during my pregnancy we had limited time. My husband was saving as much of his vacation time as possible to combine with his paternity leave when Desmond was born. We opted to go to Whistler, BC, our cousin to the north. While hiking, bike riding, and glorious mountain air were much enjoyed, it definitely wasn’t what one might call an exotic vacation.
Skip ahead to my 31st birthday (just before Mother’s Day, might I add--all the more reason to shower me with the lavish gift of a vacation). Allocating vacation time for paternity leave is no longer necessary. Though now we have a 6 month old. Hm. I *maybe* see where my husband’s hesitance at taking a trip begins. Six month olds are fickle beings. Squirly, cranky, teething, pooping, crying, fickle beings.
Fickle six month old
Now my plan for a vacation does indeed start sounding more like “an idea” than a “good idea.”
Nonetheless, I persisted. I spoke endlessly about teaching our son to love travel, starting early so he’ll learn to be adaptable, and how much better it will be to travel with him when he’s small and easily portable. I tirelessly pulled up lists of things to do in places around the world that I wanted to go and thought would be baby friendly. I talked, and talked, and talked, and asked, and asked, and...begged. Finally Zac left it up to me to decide if and where we were going somewhere. By “left it up to me” I mean that he stopped fighting my idea and agreed to go even though he didn’t think we should.
Skip ahead *again* and here we are, a family of three, enjoying our first full day in Hawaii. We chose Hawaii because 1. it’s a nonstop flight from Seattle to the Big Island 2. We’ve been here before so there is some familiarity, we know it’s child-friendly, and we won’t miss out on activities that we’d like to do, but which are fun-blocked by a 6 month old because we’ve already done them, and 3. There are a lot of activities that we can do with Desmond in tow, such as reading on the beach or drinking a beer on the lanai while the sun sets over the ocean.
Admittedly, traveling with Desmond doesn’t seem daunting like it did a few months ago. This is our third flight with him (we went to Pensacola in March and LA just a couple weeks ago), and while we may not be able to predict his behavior on the plane, we have a small idea of what to expect in the way of going through security, what to pack and what to leave at home, and we know his schedule and temperment well enough by now to be able to anticipate his needs and how best to prepare for them when out of the comfort of our own day to day environment.
We were fortunate on the flight here and managed to sweet talk a gate agent into blocking off an extra seat for us so we could have an entire row to ourselves. It made a huge difference in our level of comfort. A 6’5 husband and 6 month old baby aren’t exactly the most comfortable companions to be seated next to. Having an open seat allowed us to stretch out, scatter our sh*t about without worrying about courtesy to our seat mate, and even permitted a diaper change without having to go to the bathroom. D was up for a good part of the flight, struggling to sleep. It was his bedtime, his schedule had been all messed up for the entire day, and the plane was bright for most of the flight. He had some moments of fussiness and a few minutes of crying, but over all I’d say he did great for six hours under those circ*mstances.
Six hours is a lot of time to change positions
We arrived just shy of 10 p.m., Hawaiian time. This was almost 1 a.m. Seattle time. Needless to say we were all exhausted and ready to crash. Zac went to pick up the rental car while I waited with D at the airport, enjoying the warm evening air and a friendly chat with a security guard who himself was a new father. Kona airport is very small, and we were the only flight coming in at that hour. While waiting for Zac it was just the security guard and myself--that’s how small and slow of an airport it is. I nearly laughed out loud as I watched a minivan come rolling up to the load zone, certain that Zac had “upgraded” us as a joke. The van kept cruising, and I realized it wasn’t him. If I nearly laughed out loud at the minivan, I definitely audibly laughed out loud at the car that Zac actually pulled up in. Car is probably a generous description. I’d say it was more like a soda can on four wheels, though it’s so small it might only need two wheels to be honest.
Beyond all wonders of nature we managed to squeeze all of our luggage into the car. Three carry on bags, a car seat, a pack and play, full size stroller, two very full travel packs, and various loose items like jackets, baby blankets, and travel pillow. I’m pretty sure Zac drove with his knees wedged under his nose and I hugged D’s car seat out of necessity so as to close the door properly.
Cozy in the car
We’ve decided to scatter our 12 days here all around the Big Island, staying in Waikoloa first, followed by the Hamakua coast, then in the Puna district just outside the Volcanoes National Park, and finally ending our trip in Kona. This allows us to maximize our time by region without having to spend long chunks of time in the car--and with a baby that is important.
Waikoloa is on the west coast of the island, just North of Kona (about 30 minutes from the airport) and is the Southern part of the Kohala coast. It gets an obscene amount of sunshine per year, and this is where you’ll find many of the Big Island’s resorts. Waikoloa exists seemingly for tourism only. Prices certainly reflect that, and one will spend quite a bit more than if staying on other parts of the island.
Waikoloa
If you’re into shopping, golfing, and going to the beach than this area is for you. There isn’t much to do beyond that--perhaps a helicopter tour if you’re feeling ballsy. Fortunately the beaches are gorgeous, framed by jet-black lava rock fields from eruptions centuries ago. White sand stretches for miles and miles, clear blue water carries perfect waves for body surfing...it’s paradise.
Kohala coast
Venture further north and you’re heading toward Waimea, a small town with shops, restaurants, and most notably close to Waipio Valley with an amazing and breathtaking lookout into the Valley of the Kings. Venture further south and you’re in Kona where you can find amazing food, beautiful beaches, and snorkeling and diving that will knock your socks off, should you be wearing any while doing those activities. Since flip flops are the prefered footwear of choice here I think you’re safe. That, and you wear flippers while diving, silly.
Kona has a Costco and Walmart, two very economical shopping choices to load up on basics while here. Zac paid $5 for a dozen eggs in the small market nearby. We then went to Costco and purchased another dozen for $3.50. Perspective, people. Costco is only about a thirty five minute drive from Waikoloa, and D was a champ and napped the entire ride home (and then some) so we could get supplies. When traveling with a baby it makes much more sense to purchase his disposable needs here (specifically diapers) than to take up space in our already full packs for items that we can get upon arrival.
This little dude has a lot of sh*t. Both literal and figurative
After running errands we were able to enjoy a walk through Waikoloa Village, which is beautifully manicured and pristine. While I generally like to avoid tourist centered locations, I can’t help but enjoy myself as I pass beneath beautiful trees providing much needed shade and stroll (literally, since D is in his stroller) along water fixtures and volcanic rock walls.
I mentioned before that we’ve been to the Big Island before, and we actually stayed in Waikoloa for a good chunk of that time. It feels nice to be back. There’s a pleasant familiarity that allowed for instant relaxation and melting of the stress that can come when going somewhere unfamiliar and new. Don’t get me wrong, I like unfamiliar and new--it’s part of what makes traveling so wonderful, but for our first family vacation where we’re not visiting relatives it’s incredibly enjoyable.
We ended our first day watching the sunset at Anaeho’omalu Beach (otherwise known as A Bay). Anaeho’omalu is a great diving, snorkeling, and swimming spot. Because it is protected by a reef the water is usually calm, also making it a very kid-friendly beach. There are restrooms, showers, and snack stands for extra comfort while there, making it even more appealing for those of us with six month olds.
Before the sunset we strolled along the beach and through the upper pathways in front of the resorts. Here one can find anchialine ponds, small ponds that rise and fall with the tides but have no surface connection with the sea. In the Hawaiian Islands they are only found here and along the southwest Maui coast in geologically recent lava flows. Some were so fresh and clean that they once provided a water source and drinking water for many of the settlements. It was also once told that the ponds had mo’o, guardian water spirits that were believed to inhabit the ponds. They were supernatural beings that resembled turtles or lizards, who could also appear as a beautiful woman sitting next to the ponds combing her hair.
The ponds at various times before sunset
The pathways along A Bay are beautiful and provided a lovely evening stroll for the three of us. By the time the sun began to set D was more than ready to go home and go to bed. We packed him up and headed for the condo, putting him to bed before making dinner for ourselves, enjoying some quiet time, and going to sleep ourselves.
For a first full day I’d say it was a success.
