Kona Hawaii Temple

Temple 114

March 5, 2020

Kona, Hawaii

      Hawaii! Traveling to the beautiful and blissful islands of Hawaii is never a bad idea. We had been to Hawaii before when we were first married but it was to Oahu, the main island. This time we were headed to Kona, the Big Island, to go to the Temple there. When we got there we rented a car and drove to our Airbnb. It didn’t have a view but it was perfect in its location, size, convenience and price. It was a small apartment with a kitchen, bedroom and bath. It also had body boards and other stuff we could use each day which was very convenient. Finding places to stay in Hawaii makes you realize why the flights are so cheap. There are no cheap accommodations in Hawaii, and so that’s how it all evens out.

      In the morning we woke up early because we had an appointment to keep; Ivy was going skydiving! When we got to the airport in Hawi (pronounced Ha-vee), we were a little nervous, especially since no one was there. We were early though and so eventually people showed up and we felt a little better. Ivy went skydiving and she loved it!  We then went and did a hike to Pololu Valley which wasn’t far from where we were. The views to the valley and from within the valley were breathtaking. It was right next to the ocean which had a black sand beach and was very picturesque. 

      After the hike we drove to a beach and snorkeled and relaxed there, then went to Kiholo Bay which was the place to see sea turtles. It was windy and we saw a ton but we didn’t swim with them. But we saw over twenty turtles swimming around. We went back another day and walked around with the turtles. I say walked because where the turtles were was only knee-deep water. I counted over twenty turtles in the bay and had never seen so many turtles in one place in my life.. 

      The first night we were there we went to the Temple. We were so excited to go we didn’t want to wait for another day. It’s a small cookie cutter Temple but the grounds are unique. We saw it the first night we were there because it’s right on the side of the major road in Kona and stands out on the island. 

The Temple is surrounded by palm trees and sits on a little hill that overlooks the town and ocean below. There’s a water fountain in the front with stairs going up each side of it which made for some good pictures. It’s a beautiful place and when we went inside the people were just as wonderful. They were so kind and friendly and were excited that we made time for the Temple. We did sealings which were great as always. It was fun to hear the new changes too as we did sealings. We then went and sat in the celestial room but didn’t stay long. We were exhausted from the day and although it was only about 8:30, back home it was 11:30. So we went home and went to sleep, and we slept wonderfully!

      The rest of our trip was as amazing as you could expect. We swam with turtles, hiked to waterfalls, saw beautiful views, and relaxed on different beaches. It was quite a fun trip, was much needed, and wasn’t long enough. One neat thing to mention is that my Grandpa Wilson, about forty years ago, lived in Hawaii in Waimea on the Big Island for about six weeks. I called him and talked to him about it and it was neat to hear how we had seen the same places, swam at the same beaches and hiked the same hikes. Of course though when he was in Hawaii it was a little less crowded and busy. 

Along with posting pictures of our trip, we also posted a picture, an announcement, of us expecting a baby! We figured it was a perfect place to take some pictures and make the announcement. Especially right after Ivy had gone skydiving!

Our trip had been perfect and going to a new temple was the perfect excuse to go to Hawaii. We just wished there were more temples in Hawaii! Until next time, Hawaii. Aloha!