Our final day in Hawai was an abbreviated one, as we had most of the day to explore Kona before boarding our flight that evening. Although at the airport, we did get to see one more sunset before we left. Yay!

After checking out of the condo, we headed downtown to explore the many cool shops and a bit of souvenir shopping. Along with a snack of Spam Musubi that I had been keen to try after originally seeing it in Honolulu, we found a handmade air-dried clay flower for Tammy.

The waves were some of the best we had seen as well, fun to watch them crash against the shore. And of course, we had to enjoy some shaved ice on a hot day, yum.

Before we left, we spotted someone eating a red fruit, and we asked what it was. They quickly offered us some and explained it was litchi, a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia that’s now found in Hawaii. After peeling the red outside layer off, the inside is really juicy and tastes great.

Once at the airport, we found a spot to watch the sunset. The gates were outside but covered, so we did get a good view. Once boarded on the plane, we noticed someone was watching the Kilauea volcano erupt. It seems it waited a day after we were there to spew. It was really cool to see it, but bummer we missed it live.

After landing in Phoenix, we watched the sunrise to bookend that flight, then boarded the last leg back to Nashville to end our trip. Although it was nice to be home in our own bed, we did miss the islands and their beauty. 

Full album of pictures: https://photos.destinationsawait.com/Hawaii-Part-Five