The Zaandam arrived early to Kona, and we were cleared by the local authorities before we even finished breakfast. We did not dock today but tendered to shore since the ship was "parked" in the bay. At anchor or held by the side thrusters is a more accurate description.
We stayed onboard until 10am, about the same time open tenders were announced. A couple of days ago, all of the President's Club members got a note giving us priority tendering for the rest of the ports in Polynesia. We assume the same perk went to the Neptune folks also. We seldom use this service unless we want to go ashore early.
What we did not realize was that it was Sunday and there were football games shown on the TV. Once they were over, the guests left all at once. We joined a line that went down the hallway on deck one. We were in no rush since it was Sunday and things never open that early in town. We estimate it took up to an hour by the time we arrived at the Kailua Pier.
Some tours went off early like the ho-ho bus for one hour and $100. The only other tour listed was Kona Reef by glass-bottom boat for 1 hour and $110. There were more excursions, but I could not locate them on the room TV.
It was going to be another hot and muggy day with no rain. We have never seen rain on this part of the island, but we do know that the island was affected by a hurricane not long ago. The temperature was already 84 degrees at 11am. Some guests were already waiting to go back in the shade of umbrellas and sipping ice water when we arrived. And we did notice that the sunscreens and aloe vera lotion were there for all to use.
We took a right turn at Ali'i Drive, the main drag in town. Most of the historic sights are here, mixed with the cafes and shops. But first, we had to be careful of the sneaky high waves that crash over the wall here. It must have been high tide since the sidewalks and street were flooded. Walking fast, we made it before the next big wave hit. There are always people here waiting to see the tourists soaked, then laugh like heck.
The Hulihe'e Palace, the former vacation home of the royalty was next. It has been closed for a few years now due to re-modeling. It serves as a museum with Hawaiian artifacts.
Following the busy road, we entered the Kona Inn Shopping Village. It appeared that several of the small businesses were gone. Even the original Donkey Balls store was gone. These chocolate and nut candies rival the Moana Loa macadamia nut treats. Bubba Gumps used to be here as well. Another restaurant has taken their spot. What was back was the Kona Farmer's Market selling fresh produce, flowers, handicrafts, and Kona coffee. This popular spot has been closed the last few times we stopped here.
Continuing on, we made our way to the Royal Kona Resort, stopping frequently to take photos while seeking whatever shade we could find. Not many walkers were out and about this hot Sunday morning. Cooling off on a shady bench, we strolled through the hotel grounds and pool area before we turned around and headed back. This time we crossed the street carefully and wandered through numerous boutiques, artists' shops, and jewelry stores.
Our destination was Pancho and Lefty's Cantina and Restaurant. Climbing the stairs from Ali'i Drive, we seated ourselves on the railing of their upper patio. It took a while before a waitress appeared, and even longer to get drinks. What we assumed was a small crowd of guests, was way off. The entire interior of the restaurant was full of local families out for a Mexican lunch. There must be another entrance at the back of this venue since we only saw a few folks tackling the stairs. A young boy who was helping brought us ice water and chips and salsa. Our waitress came with the Longboard draft beer and one Diet Coke. It took two of each to cool us off, despite sipping on a water bottle all the way here. It is never enough. We ordered the nachos with marinated steak strips, and enjoyed another fun lunch. But we were not done yet. They serve the best mud pie made with an intense Kona coffee ice cream. Of course we had to share one. We had relaxed for almost two hours before we moved on.
On the way back we passed by St. Michael's Church where a service was taking place. We had intended to check out the Farmer's Market, but only took pictures as we passed by the tents. The last icon we saw was Moku'aikaua Church, the oldest Christian church made with lava rock masonry in 1837.
The most disturbing sign of the hurricane's damage had to be the gigantic and old banyan tree that covered the street and cafes near the pier. It had been cut down with only the bottom five feet left. We doubt it will survive. We will have to do some research to learn what happened here. OK...research done and here's what we learned: Known as the Royal Banyan tree, it is a Moreton Bay fig tree that was given as a gift to the Royals in 1882. It was 140 years old and the largest tree of this kind we have ever seen. In 2025, a large limb fell and the tree was diagnosed with internal rot. No choice, it had to be cut down....a very sad day in Kona.
We got a few more photos of the nearest beach before boarding the tender back and arriving before 4pm. We did catch the sunset around 6pm but missed the Captain's talk because we did not have the TV set on the bow channel in time. The announcements do not come into the rooms most of the time. As soon as the sun dipped past the horizon, we left the bay for a six-day sailing towards French Polynesia. Great time to catch up for us. There was an equally impressive moonrise where we got some wonderful photos.
Dinner offered two types of spring rolls, Caesar salads, and prime rib. One of had a problem choosing between the pasta and the beef. So I asked for a small slice of prime rib with no veggies with a serving of Bolognese spaghetti on the side. They gladly honored my request. Bill's entree was supposed to be a half order of an outside cut of prime rib. However, it came like a double order. He could only eat half of it, saving a bit of room for an apple tart, while I had one scoop of pistachio ice cream.
The casino opened at 10:30pm after a 5-day closure. And the show tonight was a performance by the singers and dancers with a Swing Thing. We did a "Swing Thing" to bed. It had been a long exhausting day.
Bill & Mary Ann
