Kona Brewing Company, Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Finally we are off the ship!

YAY!

Here is a picture of our very smiley faces to show how pleased we were...

It was a whole lot hotter than it looks in this photo.

We visited Kailua Kona on the Big Island today.  We rented a car and drove to what I keep calling the seahorse factory.  It is in fact a seahorse farm.

At Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm they breed seahorses for both conservation purposes and as pets.  We got to see many different breeds including sea dragons, some pregnant males and teeny tiny baby seahorses!  The staff at this family run business seemed very knowledgeable and I'm satisfied that the welfare of these beautiful creatures was of prime importance, especially given the fact that some breeds are nearly extinct.  We even got to hold a seahorse - an experience we will likely never get the chance to repeat.

Here is a photo of Alan's beautiful face...

One for the wall :)

We then toddled off to Kona Brewing Co. for a quick bite to eat and some cold, refreshing beer.

We both love beer and trying local brews.  It was an absolute treat to try these ones.  There are some that are brewed with tropical flavours such as passion fruit or coconut and we found them very appropriate for our first day in Hawaii.

We sat outside and felt like we were in a lush green paradise as we listened to the birds tweet singing around us.  My favourite beers were the Lemongrass Lu'au and Castaway IPA.

I tried my first 'poke' too.  I'm a particular fan of raw fish and the traditional Hawaiian dish was delicious.  I'm afraid I didn't get a photo of it.  Alan had pepperoni rolls which he refused to let me taste - I assume this means they were good.

Today was a breath of fresh air.  Here is a picture of a wee chap we found outside.