12-09-2005, 11:38 AM
Hey there hothulamaui, we meet again! You can expect rain any day of the year, sun any day of the year. I manage to keep a tan even here in the rainforest. Much of east Hawaii's coast has no beach, cliffs dropping to the ocean, but there are a couple on the Kalapana side, Kaimu, about a 2000'walk from the road, nice black beach but no swimming, (riptides) and a nice swimming beach at Kehena, but it's small, crowded, and you'll be sharing it with naked hippies. There is swimming/ surfing/snorkling/fishing at Pohoiki bay, just below Leilani, about 10 min. drive, but the beach is mostly cobbles. Also nearby at Ahalanui park and Kapoho, no beach, but easy ocean access for snorkling/ swimming and there are underwater hotsprings, pretty amazing. closest golf right now is in Hilo. Pahoa has plenty watering holes and probably more eateries per capita than anywhere.(seems like every other store on main street is a cafe.)When you go house shopping, look for singlewall/all wood construction, it works out better in the wet, less mildew/rot. Aloha, leilaniguy