We saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal

On our way to the beach, we (Mark and Diane) went for a walk around the harbour and saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal. It might not sound like a big deal, but Hawaiian Monk Seals are officially designated as an endangered species. There are thought to be only 1,200 remaining. Of those, there are only five on the Big Island - so seeing one was a rare treat for us.

Mom and Alan's visit

It was short but sweet. Mom and Alan arrived at 9.00am this morning, and left at 4.30pm. We had a nice day out, took them to see our new house (see photo of them below on our back deck with their ship in the background), did some sight seeing, and had a picnic at the beach. Too bad they couldn't stay longer!

Our New House

We should close escrow on April 30th. There's no going back now! Here's a photo of the front, back, and the view from our back deck (and pretty much every window at the back of the house).

Pineapples and Parrots

We (Diane and Mark) went for a walk around a coffee farm up in the hills this afternoon. They also have lots of other fruit trees too, and a pineapple patch which (I thought) looked pretty cool for some reason. While we were there, a flock of about thirty wild parrots flew overhead and landed in a tree.

We snorkelled with a Giant Manta Ray

We (Andrew and Mark) went on a night snorkelling trip to see the Giant Manta Rays. Snorkelling in the ocean in the dark was spooky enough, but seeing a ten foot wide Manta swimming towards you was incredible. Unfortunately, our underwater camera didn't work so great in the dark, but I managed to get one decent-ish photo.

Andrew bought a car!!

Working at Pizza Hut has paid off. Andrew bought a shiny little red convertible Mazda Miata today! It is a real beauty.

Sunday drive to the volcano

We took the Samoan Boys for a drive to Volcano National Park. While there we went for a hike, and explored yet another lava tube.