Day 4 (April 28)

Kona coffee plantation! What delicious fun I had today! Sampled some of the most delicious coffee and the greatest chocolate dessert I have ever tasted in my life: a crunchy coffee bean covered in smooth milk chocolate.

View of the coffee trees from the back deck of the Hula Daddy main building.

After walking down the steps of the main building and onto the farm, I got a serious lesson on where coffee beans come from and what their growth process is before they turn into the drinkable beans that I enjoy on the occasional afternoon.

Here are some photos a coffee tree:

I will explain the white ornament hanging from the tree later in this post...

Here is a photo from the internet showing what the coffee "cherries" look like when they are ripe and ready to be picked.

Photo Reference: treescoffee.org

The familiar coffee beans grow inside the red "cherries" that cover the coffee tree's branches.  The pickers pick the "cherries" and peel them open to reveal the familiar looking coffee bean inside.

About the little white ornament hanging from the coffee trees, they contain a natural fungus based product to control the coffee berry borer beetles that inhabit the farm.

  These beetles borough into the cherry fruit and lay eggs in the coffee bean.  They then produce the larvae that will begin eating the bean from the inside.  Since insects have spiracles instead of lungs, the fungus spray grows inside the spiracles and blocks their air way.

  After observing a beetle that a member of the coffee plantation staff found, I continued on to the building where the coffee gets roasted.  On the wall of the building was a fantastic "family tree" of coffee.

Despite such a variety, the two main branches of coffee plants appear to be the arabica (Ethiopian) and the Robusta. 

After walking through the coffee plantation (and sampling drinks and chocolate), it was off to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau (one of Hawaii's national historic parks). 

Photo Reference: nps.gov

Years and years ago, Pu'uhonua o Honaunau was used as a place of refuge and forgiveness after one broke kapoo.  Kapoo was the ancient rules that the kings would create.  If anyone broke kapoo, that person would be sentenced to death.  The only alternative, was to run to the Pu'uhona o Honaunau and be "absolved" of your crimes by the priests in residence and return to your previous sanctuary a free person.

A massive stone wall (that was built in 1550) runs through the centre of the park and divides the accent royal compound where the kings and priests would stay, from the working compound.

What a wonderful day filled with delicious treats and fascinating history lessons.  Tomorrow: observatory day!