After breakfast, we headed north on Route 11, toward the airport to visit NELHA (Natural Energy Laboratory Hawaiian Authority).  We sat through a fascinating presentation about OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) and the businesses that have spun off using cold, deep ocean water.  I think the whole group wanted to move to Kona and work there. After the presentation, we wandered around the outdoor displays. The Kokans were most interested in the large-diameter pipe through which deep-ocean cold water will soon be pumped to the surface.
 
 

The OTEC intake pipe is constructed to be almost indestructible. It will be used to pump deep-ocean water to the surface.	Of course, as soon as the Kokans saw the tube, they envisioned its use as a ritual mating tube. Here some  Kokans perform the ritual mating ceremony.

Next, we headed toward Kealakakua Bay but I missed a turn.  When I doubled back, Beth didn’t see us turn and drove on by.  In all of the traffic, we knew we would never catch her so we proceeded, hoping for the best.  We arrived and had lunch.  Beth arrived 10 minutes later.  We walked to the bay where Captain Cook was killed by natives but the tide was in so we couldn’t get around to the monument.  Elise and I talked with a native trinket vendor and I bought Joan an uncut peridot bracelet.

Our next destination was Puuhonua O’Honaunau, the City of Refuge, four miles down the coast.  The ranger at the gate gave us a big hassle but we finally got in under our terms.  He was definitely in the wrong.
 
 

Puuhonua O’Honaunau, the City of Refuge, is a National Historic Park that highlights aspects of the native Hawaiian culture. In my opinion, it is as close yo paradise as one can get.

We walked through the National Historic Park, which is close to being paradise.  Numerous green sea turtles played in the gentle waves.  A ranger gave a few of us his family/native history.

Beth and some of the students left early to go to a coffee store.  We discovered that Oliver went with them with our key in his pocket.  I had lent it to him earlier but it had not been returned.  So Shelley, Staci, Elise, Troy, and I sat by the vehicle.  I told Heath to go inform them.  I phoned the King Kamehameha Hotel and cancelled our lu’au reservations. 

We waited about 2 hours until Beth and Oliver brought the key.  Oliver was very apologetic and was immediately forgiven.  We got back to the hotel to discover that Heath had talked the lu’au people into letting them in without a voucher so 7 others went to the lu’au.  We were a bit upset that they had not waited for us and that plans seemed to have been dictated by Heath.  Since it was so late, we decided to go to the Sibu Indonesian Restaurant on Ali’i where we had a superb meal.  Heath did not go to the lu’au.  He was asleep, having been up until 2-5 A.M. every night of the trip.

We walked down to the Lava Java Café.  I got on the Internet and received an email from Joan that reminded me she was going to call in 20 minutes.  I had missed her call by the time I got to the hotel but Heath said she would call back.  I dozed until the call came, almost mistaking it for the wake-up call.  It was great to talk with her but I was beat after a long, frustrating day.  I took a shower and went to bed after we hung up.