Hawaii adventure One

We flew on Alaska Airlines new route direct from Portland to Kona on the big island of Hawaii, leaving late on a Saturday and arriving about 10 PM. After picking up the rental car and finding our way to the condo we were staying at we were pretty tired. Much of the first day was spent getting situated and purchasing supplies. There was a COSTCO nearby which got some of our business and were surprised to noticed that gas was about 30 cents a gallon less than any of the other stations we saw. We also arranged a few tours for later in the week and enjoyed a few local beaches in the area of Kona. Being somewhat settled we headed a few miles out of town to see a church known as the painted church. Our first observation was a little white church but upon entering the church we could see quickly why it was known as the painted church. The inside was rather ornately painted. We learned that it had originally been located near the beach but as people moved up the hill closer to the agricultural fields the church was dismantled and moved by donkey up the hill to the present location. Out on the grounds we observed several statues that were covered with shell lei's. The area was very quiet and invited us to relax and enjoy the scenic area for quite some time. Later we went down to the beach area which was at one time a retreat for the Hawaiian royalty. It is now a national monument with displays of that culture. It was a beautiful setting and we watched the sun slip away before returning to the condo to rest up for the following day.