Back in Kona, Hawaii

Beautiful coastline of Kailua Kona on the big island of Hawaii.

It feels good to be back. I just traveled from the snowy mountains of Vermont, to the sunshine tropics of Hawaii. My adventure starts in the cute, coastal town of Kailu-Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. There is a lot of history here in the town. It was the first capitol of the Kingdom of Hawaii, back in 1795, when Kamehameha I united the islands for the first time. It was also the place, in 1820, where the first missionaries landed and were given a plot of land to introduce western religion, reading, and writing to the islands.

For me, Kona will be the starting point for joining the expedition cruise ship the Safari Explorer. The Safari Explorer, is a 145ft expedition vessel, with 16 crew and up to 36 guests. I am the expedition leader aboard, which means I'm in charge of all of the activities and onboard programs. This week we should be snorkeling almost every day, kayaking, hiking, small boat tours, cultural immersions, swim calls and more. Plus it is getting into the peak of Humpback whale season. So I really hope to see some whales with the guests this week. In fact, I did see one diving down as I was taking a picture of the sunset. Unfortunately, all the guests were inside doing a mandatory drill before we could depart.

You could easily spend a week here in Kona. Many people come for scuba diving, but with the amount of restaurants that have opened recently, you could easily just relax in a hammock and try a new dish every day if you want. The other can't miss here on the Big Island, is happening on the other side of the island, in Volcanoes National Park. One of our volcanoes, Kilauea, has began erupting again, sending lava fountains hundreds of feet into the air. It is contained to the caldera at the summit, and can be seen easily from the Volcano House in the park.

I flew my drone off the top deck of the boat and captured a few fun shots of us at the dock. Its always fun to get new perspectives of places that I have been to many times.

My first view of the ship, as I walk through downtown from my hotel to the harbor.

Sunset from the bow of our ship.

The guests, ready to depart after our drill.

Our ship, the Safari Explorer, docked and ready for embarkation right in the middle of downtown Kona, Hawaii.

Drone view looking down at our ship.

I didn't have much time after embarking, as today is a big day getting guests off in the morning, then new guests on this afternoon. But I did manage to get a couple of new views from a quick drone flight.

Mokuaikaua Church in downtown Kona. There has been a church here since 1820, when the first missionaries were given land by Kamehameha II.

Our chief mate, Ben, introducing folks to the safety here onboard the Safari Explorer.

Kona town lit up by the setting sun.

A tall banyan tree looms over Ali'i drive along the coast here in Kona. Our ship, the Safari Explorer can be seen at the dock to the left.

Get ready to come on the adventure with me. Exploring the Hawaiian Islands in style, for the next four weeks.

As always, keep traveling!

• Dai Mar