Adventures in Paradise Bay, Part 3: Kailua, Kualoa, And Mokoli'i

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Adventures in Paradise Bay, Part 3: Kailua, Kualoa, And Mokoli'i

...Continued from previous post:
       The next morning we asked the friendly young lady staffing the lobby desk where we might find a nice beach in the area. She recommended Kailua Beach for the wide smooth beach and good swimming, but also suggested that we visit Kualoa Beach for the scenery, including the small off shore island of Mokoli'i, also known as Chinaman's Hat. She then offered us some of the resort towels to take with us, which we accepted.
        We set off first for Kailua Beach, a state park about half an hour south of Paradise Bay along the Ko'olau  ridge.    

        The beach was tucked  behind a sandy copse of palms,

...that opened to a stunning view of turquoise blue water and ancient rock formations off in the distance.

        While the waves weren't big, the day we were there it was windy and the water was quite turbulent, which made us think it wouldn't be a good day for snorkeling.    
           After a few hours at Kailua Beach we decided to go and seek out some lunch. 

       We found a nearby shopping center where there was a restaurant called Big City Diner.
        Tom ordered scrambled eggs which were served with a mountain of rice and a bushel of bacon, all very tasty.

       I ordered a club sandwich with a side of garlic fries, assuming that the garlic would be in the seasoning. The fries in fact arrived overloaded with sauteed garlic, which, while I like garlic, was somewhat overwhelming. 

​     (Note to self: should I ever again find myself dining at the Kailua Beach Big City Diner, DO NOT order the garlic fries).

        After lunch we drove north along the coast,

...until we reached Kualoa, 

...a regional park with a beach on Kaneo'he Bay located across from Kualoa Ranch, a former working ranch that is now a vast outdoor activities park, areas of which were used for the filming of Jurassic Park and Godzilla.

       Though the beach was mostly grass with just a strip of sand, the scenery was  breathtaking, with the bay in front of us,

...and the ridges of the Kualoa Ranch behind us.

      Out in the bay was Mokoli'i, the Chinaman's Hat, upon and around which thrive plants, birds, and aquatic life.

      After our visit to Kualoa we returned to Paradise Bay, where we ended the day listening to one more performance by Danny of his lovely Hawaiian music.

       The next morning, Thursday, April 11, we said good-bye to beautiful Paradise Bay,

​...and soon we were on our way back to Honolulu,

...from where we flew to Los Angeles, where we stayed until April 19, thankful for a little more time  among the palm trees by the sea.