20 July - IndianaJanes and the Monumental Quest

It's chilly up here and we put on an extra layer before going to the kitchen for coffee. There is none! That's despite Hans telling us that breakfast is served from 7.30am. We fill our cereal bowls and open room's sliding doors, which face the sea. We kill time on the deck chairs. I am amazed by a brilliant red cardinal hopping about on the driveway - anywhere else and it may become cat food. Nature didn't give it any camouflage.

I don't really like the set-up for breakfast. Although food is placed in a common area, you adjourn back to your own turf to eat. You don't really get to chat with other guests unless you shout across the verandah. There are no banana walnut pancakes! We get fried corned beef and potatoes instead. And some salad.

Finally, we are ready for K-Bay. (The recent earthquake caused landslides along the cliffs, resulting in silting in the water) When we get to Ehu & Kai, we learn that Kai is sick - with gout. But the canoes are available this time. Kai's cousin helps us push off from shore as Kai's mum explains what to look out for when we make the return trip. The water is calm, save for when boats pass by. Motor boats are not allowed in the bay, but we see one or two heading to the monument across the bay. I don't like the way they make the water choppy. We are travelling light and I forget to take the waterproof camera out to take photos while paddling. Sadly, we don't see dolphins. I guess 10.30am is late and they have had breakfast. It takes us about half an hour to reach the other side of the way - a distance of about 1 mile.

Now we have to figure out how to beach the kayak. The waves kinda rush the boat to the rocky shore. And we use our paddles to slow it down. We disembark and haul the kayak up onto the rocks so that it doesn't get washed out to sea.

I like the gotong-royong spirit on the shore. Ready hands help to grab the kayaks as they come to shore. Then we are all shocked as we watch one head straight for a low-hanging branch. The woman in front takes a hit and everyone rushes forward to help.

We put on our snorkelling gear. This time, we have life jackets on and they give me a much greater sense of confidence in the water. HB agrees.

The water is amazingly clear. You can see brilliant yellow fish some distance away even when you are not in the water yet. I waddle into the water and then "go horizontal" as the seabed drops away. A few metres further out and it drops suddenly down to about 30 metres. I can tell because I can't see any rocks - just a sea of intense turquoise. There are black and red sea urchins, which we avoid. So many fishes of all colours. No turtles. No dolphins. But it's OK because the view is amazing and the water amazingly calm.










I think we must have stayed in the water for 30-45 minutes. Then we study the monument closely. There are some plaques from British naval units on the ground. Capt James Cook, who discovered Australia for the Brits, was killed near here. Essentially, his ships overstayed their welcome and things became tense between the Brits and the natives. Cook was killed in a clash, but his body was never found. It was suspected that his flesh was eaten by the Hawaiians to draw strength from a great warrior and his bones were hidden in some cliff-side cave, the way the native kings were buried then.
We turn on our GPSr and plunge into the forest behind the obelisk. Bad move. In our flimsy reef shoes and with little more than pareaus protecting our delicate skin from scrubby branches, we stumble on uneven terrain and clamber over fallen logs. We learn how vicious kiawe thorns are - they look like iron nails and pierce the thin soles of our shoes. We wonder why there is no clear trail to the cache. After "bashing through" the trees, we find the answer. And a few tethered horses that appear to be laughing at us. There is a trail and it takes us to rough lava rocks. We search and search because we forgot to read the hint on the cache's location. It's past noon and the sun is boring a hole in our bare skins. Finally, eureka! We walk on the trail and find that it takes us right back to the kayak! Doh!
The kayak rental place seems so far away. The waves keep pushing us out to sea and we have to avoid the reefs near the little cove. Ehu's cousin is waiting on the shore to help steady the kayak as we get out. His mum offers us some pineapple drink as we wash and dry ourselves. The same crazy dog from our first visit brings us a new rock which he refuses to give up. We are famished and ready for lunch.