Road Scholar Hawaii, Four Islands, January 19 – February 8, 2026.
We number 30. Three of us are group leaders and 27 are participants. Most of the group members have traveled with Road Scholar (formerly known as Elder Hostel) many times, some as often as three times a year. Christine and I are in the minority as this is our first Road Scholar experience.
There are 10 couples and seven singles. Among the singles there are six women and one man. A number of the singles have expressed to me that this is an ideal way of traveling for them as they are never “alone“.
We are as young as our mid 60s and as old as 90. Perhaps we have lost a step physically, but we more than compensate in our inquisitiveness and desire to keep exploring our world.
We don’t talk politics, we don’t talk religion, we avoid controversy in favor of fostering a welcoming and inclusive dynamic. I do not sense that any of us represent the extremes of conservative or liberal. Perhaps some are right leaning and others left leaning, but we seem to be mostly centrist. For us, “current events“ represents what we have seen yesterday and will be seeing today and tomorrow.
We are retirees, but many continue to freely donate time and expertise within our communities. We represent the four corners and center of the Continental United States.
As conversations and relationships within the group mature, we learn of spouses lost, children, grandchildren, prior professions, medical challenges, prior travels, milestones…
We learn of special talents and expertise among us; quilting, pottery, music…
For these three weeks I am left with no doubt, this is where I belong.
This morning, we bid farewell to The Big Island. One might think that organizing 30 people’s check-in for their flight, checking baggage, and receiving seat assignments and boarding passes would be a Herculean task.
Our group leader, Susan, made it look easy. She divided the group into subgroups and designated a “leader“ for each group of six. The group leaders each had one reservation with the other five members of the group confirmed under that reservation number. It all worked seamlessly.
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The flight was on time and in less than 45 minutes we were touching down on the island of Maui. Before proceeding with our tour for the day and subsequent arrival at the hotel, we enjoyed an ice cream style treat and lunch on our own.
This is the only place of its kind in Hawaii. It’s a Japanese style ice cream, somewhere between sorbet, softserve, and gelato. Super tasty!.
First impressions: Maui seems more developed and tourist friendly than the Big Island.
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It is also the site of an immense tragedy. It is on this island that fires ravaged the community of Lahaina in August 2023. At least 102 people perished in the fire, two are still missing, and property losses we’re over $5.5 billion. 17,000 acres were burned, destroying over 2200 buildings.
There are monuments lining the highway with images of many of the deceased. Out of respect I did not take pictures of those monuments, but rather took pictures of the monuments left to the many dear pets that were lost in the conflagration.
Later this week, we will visit the scene of that devastation and have lunch at the first restaurant to open after the fire.
As a travel day, there was not an abundance of time for sightseeing. Nevertheless, we were able to visit the site of one of the most consequential and bloody battles in native Island history.
...This amazing image is courtesy of Gary Schils , a member of our group. .
In a most peaceful and garden like setting is the Monument to the 1790 Battle of Kepaniwai. This battle was the start of Kamehameha I’s campaign to unify the Hawaiian islands under one rule.
Kamehameha was described by Captain James Cook as “a brute of a man”. He was considered iron-tough, unyielding, and peerless as a warrior in battle. He was also considered a brilliant tactician, and savvy politician.
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I will allow my pictures to tell the rest of the story and convey impressions of the beauty of this area:
..A floral gift left to the island gods. ..Here we are sampling leaves of a plant that was used traditionally as an analgesic. The leaves and roots were specially effective on toothaches. We chewed and then spent the next half hour with tongues partially numbed. Members of our group ascending 160 steps to a peaceful overlook for a prayer and contemplation.The group waving to me. A moment for prayerful meditation led by Susan.
A little after 3 PM we arrived at our hotel, The Outrigger Kā’anapali Beach Resort. We were greeted by music and dance.
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A small army of bellmen took over our luggage which later magically appeared in the proper rooms. This is a place worthy of a visit in anyone’s vacation itinerary!
There is a brewery restaurant on the grounds, an amazing beach, swimming pool, and of course the room is without fault.
The view from our room balcony. Again, the view from our balcony. Our room.
Our group shared dinner at the Maui Brewing Company Restaurant. We are really looking forward to the next four nights here!
There is a presentation and sightseeing tomorrow morning. Many people in the group are going whale watching in the afternoon. Christine and I plan to take advantage of the beach and pool and perhaps get some laundry done in the free time.
Yesterday, Sunday, was an official free day for our Road Scholar group. Some members took the opportunity to do laundry, others enjoyed a leisurely ocean swim, and still others slept late and embraced the joys of doing mostly nothing. Christine and I counted ourselves happy to be among the last group.
Today the program resumed.We were again up at 6 AM and on the road after breakfast for a day of sightseeing and informative lectures.
First Stop: A “Painted Church”.
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This Catholic Church, a wooden structure built in 1899, is plain white on the outside, but wonderfully colorful on the inside.
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Murals depict biblical scenes. Columns morph into images of palm trees as they ascend to a star covered sky. Images behind the altar are meant to mimic the grand cathedrals of Europe.
Eve, trying to revive her son Abel, who has been slain by her other son, Cain.
This church is an unusual treasure in that it has survived the decades and avoided destruction from the natural disasters common to the island (not the least of which are the termites!).
This little guy was watching us as we left the church. 
Next Stop: Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau, National Historical Park.
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Tradition holds this to be a place of extraordinary mana (spiritual power). At one time the bones of 23 chiefs were protected in the temple.
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These royal grounds were a center of island political, and religious power. It was here that Kapu was declared: The sacred laws and beliefs by which the islanders lived.
.This artisan is hand weaving native head dressings. He is doing it with traditional methods and traditional materials. Each head covering takes from 3 to 6 weeks to complete. .
Some examples of Kapu are: Men and women could not eat together. Only men were allowed to eat pork, women were relegated to eating dog. Only men could be involved in food handling and preparation. Women, who were deemed unclean, only took care of the children. Women had to segregate themselves from the rest of the tribe during their monthly cycles. Tribal commoners were not allowed to look upon royalty or to even step on a royal person’s shadow. The usual penalty for violation of Kapu was death by strangulation.
This game, which looks deceptively similar to checkers, was played between chiefs in order to resolve disputes. It was winner take all and the defeated lost his life, properly, and warriors. .
However, separate from the Royal Grounds and surrounded by a massive stone wall, 1000 feet long, 10 feet high, and 17 feet thick was sanctuary.
Experts estimate that this entire 1000 foot wall was erected in one week. No mortar was used and the stones, many of which weighed hundreds of pounds, were transported without the benefit of the wheel. .
If one were able to escape to the place of refuge behind the wall, he could seek absolution by a tribal priest. At one time there were a number of such places of refuge (Pū’uhonua) in the islands. This one has been preserved as a National Historic Park.
The law of Kapu existed for many hundreds of years, but was finally abolished in 1819. This sanctuary is still held sacred and remains a place of peace, calm, and reflection among Hawaiians.
Final Stop: The Kona Coffee Living History Farm.
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This site, a beneficiary from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, preserves and depicts daily life of the Japanese Uchida family. For 81 years these Japanese immigrants leased and worked this coffee farm of approximately 5 acres. They experienced the severe hardships of the Great Depression and the significant restrictions on their liberty brought about by suspicions based on their ancestry during World War II.
As we approached the home tradition and ceremony dictated that a small gift would be given to the farmer.We were welcomed into the home and provided an explanation of its use over the years. The home was a beautiful in its simplicity..
90% of the area farms that produced coffee were operated by Japanese families. They were small at less than 5 acres each yet they were the lifeblood of coffee production in this part of Hawaii.
Many of the coffee trees are nearly 125 years old and still producing. Production methods were explained to us. They were decidedly low tech.A major leap in technology occurred around 1930 when a single cylinder stationary engine was installed that drove simply equipment through a series of pulleys and long belts. The engine still works and has run monthly. The farm grounds were also covered with macadamia nuts. Macadamia nuts could be gathered from the ground and cracked open to be enjoyed. Table top nutcrackers were available. I optioned for the Stone Age technique of using two volcanic rocks. I think it worked better than the nutcracker. A macadamia nut ready to be pulled from the shell and enjoyed. 
There were usually three or four harvest cycles each year. During each cycle family members and workers were called upon to harvest hundreds of pounds of coffee berries each day. The berries then had to be stripped of the sugary cover, dried, and stored for eventual transport. This was backbreaking work. Each farm had to rely upon one donkey (few farms could support two donkeys) to provide “horsepower“. The donkeys, a social animal, would bray to one another in the distance each evening in what the farmers would call the sound of the “Kona Nightingales”. These small but sturdy animals carried over 500 pounds of coffee beans at a time.
100% Kona coffee is prized for its flavor and richness. It prices locally at over $50 a pound.
Tomorrow:
Tomorrow morning, we bid farewell to The Big Island and fly to the island of Maui.
Peace Everyone. Pete
PS. There is so much more that we have experienced in each day than I can present in these posts. For you who have been here, I hope that I am resurrecting fond memories. For you who have thought about coming to Hawaii, I hope I am providing extra incentive. For those who will never come to Hawaii I hope that I am giving you at least a “taste” of this paradise. -Pete
It is rare that events in the news are able to distract me from enjoying the fruits of our travels. The death of 37 year old Alex Jeffrey Pretti at the hands of ICE officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota has done so.
Murder? An Execution? Justified? Those are questions that the United States Constitution says can only be answered with the exercise of Due Process of Law.
What is certain is that we have witnessed a homicide, defined as the killing of a human being by another human being. We have witnessed a death caused by an agent of the United States Government and the denial of Due Process of Law to the victim.
We have also witnessed an effort by the government to “get ahead of the story“, and without evidence vilify the victim by creating a narrative that stands in stark contradiction to what is clearly shown in the many videos of the killing.
Universally, American law enforcement officers swear an oath to support and defend the United States Constitution. The words “Law Enforcement” are not meaningless. Officers are commissioned to enforce the law, but not to act as judge, jury, and executioner. The laws that they enforce, and that they are also subject to, include the protections of the Constitution. These include: The Right to Assemble, Freedom of Speech, The Right to Bear Arms, Due Process of Law, and in the case of criminal prosecutions the presumption of innocence until found guilty in a court of law.
If Alex Jeffrey Pretti was breaking the law by unlawfully protesting, unlawfully carrying a gun, or unlawfully resisting arrest, then he had the right to have his guilt or innocence determined in a court of law. There was no justification for a summary execution.
If the ICE officers who shot Alex Jeffrey Pretti acted criminally or without legal justification, then that also is to be determined in a court of law based upon facts found in a full, fair and unbiased investigation. Those officers do not have immunity, they do not stand above the United States Constitution.
To hold otherwise would mean that we are also witnessing another death, the death of the United States Constitution.
Volcanoes National Park, Hilo, Hawaii. January 23, 2026.
Moving day! But not to another island, rather to the other side of “The Big Island”.
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And the island is big. Without stops the drive was over three hours long and covered 125 miles of coastline. Fortunately, there was a stop and what a stop it was!
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Volcanoes National Park was established in 1916, shortly before the creation of The National Park Service. It was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987. In May 2018, the park summit (4,000 feet above sea level) was closed to the public due to explosions and toxic gas occurring within the crater. Portions of the park reopened to the public in September 2018.
The Caldera is approximately 3 miles in diameter and until recently could be circled by the 11mile Crater Rim Trail. Portions of the trail remain closed due to the risk of collapse and continued volcanic activity.
The volcano Kilauea and the Halema’uma’u caldera are considered by tradition as the sacred home of the volcano Goddess Pele.
Our group is offering a prayer to the Goddess Pele, asking her permission to enter as guests into her home.
In years past visitors often removed small objects and stones from the park. To combat this “looting“ a rumor was started that Pele, in her displeasure, would bring bad luck upon any visitor who stole from her. Our group leader, Susan, was once employed as a Volcanos Park Range. One of her duties was opening the Park mail. Susan reported that on a typical day 30 to 50 parcels were received, often with small notes of explanation, containing stones that the senders were returning in hopes of ridding themselves of Pele‘s curse.
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Today we saw many steam vents, but no magma or lava flows.
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It was still a stunning sight. At times members of the group sensitive to airborne irritants found themselves coughing as clouds of sulfurous gas wafted in our direction.
Ordinary photographs could not compress the scale of what was before us. I found that by shooting a slow panning video I could largely overcome that limitation.
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It was noteworthy that from where we stood we were able to see not only Kilauea but the two largest volcanic mountains, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. As Susan explained, usually one or both of these summits are obscured by clouds. Three for the price of one!
After we left the park there was a late lunch. We stopped at one of the black sand beaches where it was a good fortune to see greens sea turtles, and even breaching, humpback whales!
..I was VERY lucky to get this shot of a breaching humpback whale from the shore!
We finally arrived at 5pm at our hotel, The Royal Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona (sometimes referred to as Kona Town). This is the second largest community on the island, the largest being Hilo.
The resort was originally opened in 1968 as the Kona Hilton. It hides its 55+ year age well and the location cannot be beat. Our room is wonderfully comfortable.
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Annually, this is the location of the famous Hawaiian Iron Man Triathlon.
Joe Tormelleri, renowned for his intricate hand drawings of hundreds of fish species, (what Audubon was to birds, Joe is to fish) is a reader of these posts. Joe also is a collector of vintage movies. Joe forwarded to me a link to his 1930’s 16 mm home movie of vacationers on Hilo Hawaii. It shows many of the places that we have visited, but the train, trestles, and many buildings seen in the 3 minute movie were wiped out in the tsunami of 1946. It is available on YouTube and I am providing the link here:
Tomorrow I am passing on a snorkeling outing in favor of a little more rest. In the afternoon we will be exploring the nearby community, which is known for producing some of the world‘s finest coffees.
Peace Everyone! Pete
PS. Here are some additional pictures:
This little fellow was watching us from up in a nearby tree. I understand that he is a horned chameleon, and like so many plants and animals in Hawaii, non-native.This is the Kilauea Military Camp, Established in 1913 it predates the Park. It was formerly for the treatment of military personnel stricken by malaria. It now serves as a visitor center, and there are cabins available for rent. At this distance, these are difficult to make out, but the white spots are seismic reporting stations that monitor activity in the caldera An information board about toolmaking from volcanic stone. The rim of the caldera. At points we were walking on a trail that was mere feet from the cliff. The cliff was approximately 1500 feet from the caldera to the top where we walked. This thread, which appears in contrast with Christine’s shirt, is a piece of “Pele‘s hair”, it is glasslike basalt formed much like fiberglass. It has been blown by the wind. .This is a small orchid. It is also non-native. There are only three native species of orchid on the island, all very tiny. 
