Hawaii - Day 5 - Hiking Hawaii

Did Dr. Seuss get his inspiration from Hawaii? Because you wouldn't believe the beautiful, vibrant plants and flowers we've seen here. So many colors!

Today, we hiked up to Manoa Falls. Again, we saw people of all ability levels doing it, but come with proper footwear because the girl in wedges was having a hard go at it. The entire hike is about 2 miles, round trip, through a beautiful forest that was all in bloom and the falls itself was breath taking. A picture can't even do it justice, you'll have to experience it yourself. It costs $5 to park and you definitely need bug repellant.

I couldn't resist the photo op as Katniss Everdeen, with them just wrapping up filming Catching Fire in Oahu, and because I love Jennifer Lawrence (beautiful, funny and awkward. Awesome).

After that we headed to the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens, where the drive along the rock walls made it worth it enough, but the gardens held their own. We walked to the lake and hung out with the ducks and a mongoose who was checking us out. The gardens are huge and you could easily spend a while day here, so I recommend you pack some food and just explore.

We weren't smart enough to bring food so we had to leave for lunch, then headed to the Ka'iwi Shoreline Trail. Talk about an incline! Trust me, do not eat beforehand, it will just weigh you down. it's about 2.7 miles, round trip with a lighthouse at the top. According to the momma, "the tiniest lighthouse ever." On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Halona Blowhole. If you're like my husband and not sure what that means, it's where water is blown out of a hole. Blowhole.

We're planning on staying in for the evening, maybe hitting up the hot tub. We learned our lesson about venturing out at night from last night (check out my day 4 post). Aloha!

Hawaii-Day 3 - whale watching!

I know I've mentioned this before, but I seriously love how active people are here. We headed to Diamond Head Crater today and as we drove to the trail there were runners, bikers and people just working out in general. It really gets you motivated!

And you definitely need that motivation to get to the top. It's only about a mile and a half, round trip, but the incline and stairs are pretty steep. Anyone can do it, we saw people of every size, shape, age, fitness level and attire (flip flops and swimsuits, really??), and there are places to stop along the way to rest, just make sure you bring water.

The view from the top of the crater is unbelievable. You have the ocean on one side and the inside of the crater on the other, as well as amazing views of Honolulu and it is beautiful. We even got the chance to see whales playing in the ocean. So cool!

Later, we walked to the Waikiki Aquarium, which justified our decadent breakfast and satisfied my people-watching craving. There were some interesting outfits and actions going on, again, every age, shape, and size in all forms of attire. The aquarium was nice, small, but we got to see the Hawaiian Monk Seals being fed.

Then it was time for the Hale Koa Luau! I figured i had to go to go to a luau while in Hawaii, even if just to say I've been. We got leied as we came in then they had a couple different things set up where you could make your own lei bracelet, palm strand headband, a band playing music with hula dancers, an incredible palm tree climbing demonstration (he was wearing a skirt, so it was quite a show), and a Polynesian cooking demonstration.

Then it was time to eat! The appetizers were seaweed salad, cucumber salad, raw salmon and tomatoes, and fresh pineapple that was so juicy. All of it was so good! The main dish got a little tricky because it all came on one plate and it was a lot of meat, I just picked around it and still got some really good mahi mahi, shrimp fried rice, potato and banana fritter. They put on a show with hula dancing and teaching how to open a coconut while we ate. Afterward, the traditional dancing began where they had a performance for each of the Polynesian Islands. The host really made the show by being interactive and very funny. I even got to go up on stage to dance and got a beautiful flower lei for it! It was a lot of fun. Definitely worth the experience. Aloha!

Hawaii! Day 1

We made it to Hawaii yesterday and I'm already in love. The weather is amazing, warm and sunny. Perfect. I'd be perfectly happy just lounging on the beach all day for the next week.

I figure there are certain things we do need to visit though, seeing how we did spend 15 hours traveling here (see "eating on the go"). So, the first place we stopped was Pearl Harbor. If you haven't been, it is incredibly sad, but also so interesting to see. There are a few exhibits and so many photos of the attacks. There is one photo that was actually staged after some Sailors had just shot down one of the Japanese bombers. It's so hard to imagine being there and having the thought to take pictures. It's amazing that people did to be able to share that day in history with future generations.

We also went to see the USS Arizona Memorial, which is a must. It is one of the ships that was sunk during the attack. The ship had just refueled the day prior, so it is slowly leaking oil into the water and you can see the oil spots floating above the wreck. It's a beautiful memorial. You have to get there very early to get tickets for the tour, though. We got there 20 minutes after they had opened and already our tour was 4 hours later and they were completely booked less than an hour later. It is worth it to get there early.

Afterward we checked out the 'Ualaka'a Trail and view point, which you could see all of Honolulu from and it was breathtaking! The water looked crystal clear, even up so high. The trail was a dirt path, and there were all these crazy looking trees I've never seen before.  The pictures don't even do them any justice. There was also a rooster hiding somewhere in the trees who had a lot to say. We only went about a mile, because people weren't lying when they said you need bug spray. We were being eaten alive! 

I think the best part so far about Hawaii is how active everyone is. We have seen so many people running, skateboarding, carrying surfboards, heading to the beach. I love being surrounded by active people because it makes me want to be more active. We're probably going to go check out the beach for ourselves before heading to dinner. Aloha!