We learned about coffee, beer, painted churches and ancient Hawaiian culture. At Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park there was a well done restoration of an ancient site of the Hawaiian kings. One of the things was an ancient mausoleum where the bones of the kings were kept for a while until they were moved to a place on Oahu. There was a temple here as well as a residence for the king. There was also a part that was used as a city of refuge. If an offending Hawaiian could make it there the priest would absolve him and everything would be good.

The painted church visit was brief. It was built between 1899-1902 under the direction of the Belgian Catholic missionary Father John Velghe, who then painted frescoes along the interior ceiling and walls. He wasn't an artist, but it came out nice. Hard to photograph.

And then it was Heavenly Hawaii Coffee Plantation. We got lots of free coffee. We also got some nice chocolates and brittle at the end of the tour (which was free). On a scale of 1 to 10, the coffee wasn't much to write home about. Our guide said that Kona coffee is very expensive ($60/pound in the shop) and that the big producers in the world made Kona coffee seem too expensive because they didn't charge enough for their coffee. I am not sure I follow the logic in that, but she was new on the job. We also got a harangue about free trade coffee.

Finally, the highlight of the day (better be careful because Ginny reads this). A tour of the Kona Brewing Company. It isn't a very large brewery but they do make good beer. We sampled four brews at the end and had a nice time with the people sharing our table. Beer does a good job of fostering friendship.