walking to Captain Cooke's for snorkeling
 

How difficult and how far is the walk (also time and elevation change) to Captain Cooke's Monument? Where do you park?

Here is what the bok "Hawaii, the Big Island Revlealed" says (p.69):

"...It's two miles each way with a 1,300-foot constant descent to the water. It's a pretty good puffer coming back up with little shade and some obnoxious footing. It takes most people more than an hour each way."

We rented kayaks that had all the gear (including ice chest) for (I believe) $45 per double kayak and found that to be a fun way to do it.

This is more a suggestion than an answer to your question, but thought I would throw it in there. We were on the BI in December and snorkeled at Captain Cooke's and the Place of Reguge. Fish were great at Capt. Cooke's, but the dolphins at Place of Refuge were phenomenal! My daughter counted 35 spinner and bottle nosed dolphins and then she quit counting. They were all around us; we watched the spinners take off from 30 feet down, break the surface and spin and fall back in. We got there with Dolphin Discoveries, but I think you can do Place of Refuge on your own, too. We've snorkeled quite a bit on the islands, but our whole family agreed this was the most awesome experience we've ever had.

Did Captain James Cook acquire an "e" on the end of his name after death, or is this a monument to another person?
I agree that it's better to swim or kayak in rather than to walk.

Huh. I'd been calling it the Cap'n Crunch Monument.

love
roxy

The trail down to the monument can get seriously overgrown if it hasn't recently been maintained, so if you try it and find yourself wishing for a machete, turn around. (Speaking from bitter experience.)

ttt