Tooling around Oahu

During our two week travels in Hawaii, I only allotted two days on the island of Oahu.  However, I will say that they were two FULL days.  We arrived before 7 a.m. and departed on an 8:30 p.m. flight the next day. In two days, I think we were able to get a little taste of what Oahu had to offer.  

Chuck learned to surf, we visited Pearl Harbor, and toured the island.  

I cashed in some hotel points and we stayed at the Hilton Waikiki Village compound in the Rainbow tower.  Our room was nicely appointed and had a great view of Diamond Head, the beach, the ocean, and the Friday night fireworks!

 Fireworks just off our balcony

View of Diamond head from the room

We drove around the island and found this lighthouse at Makapuu point on the southeast side of the island.

Lucky for us, the Van's surfing contest was in full swing while we were there.   

There are far too many beautiful beaches to mention in and around the North Shore area.  We stopped at almost all of them just to enjoy the scenery and walk a bit.  As you're tooling around the North Shore, stop at Ted's bakery for lunch.  Yum!  It's definitely a hot spot for locals and tourists near Sunset Beach, so be prepared for to wait a bit to place your order.  Counter staff are helpful and can quickly spot a newby!

Pearl Harbor

After spending a week on the Big Island, we jetted off to Oahu for two days.  Chuck learned to surf, we toured the island, stayed in Waikiki, and spent some time at Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial.

Prior to heading to Hawaii, I did the required research.  I'm a tad impatient, so waiting in lines is not my thing.  And I'm also not a big fan of tourists....especially tourists that forget there is a world passing them by...so, on any trip, I figure out how to avoid tourists and likewise, how to avoid looking like and acting like a tourist.

Tickets into Pearl Harbor are free; however it's a first come first served system where you receive a 'time' to board the ferry and motor over to the Arizona memorial.  Alternatively, you can go online and book a time in advance, but you have to pay a $1.50 service fee per ticket.  It's well worth it to pay the nominal fee to reserve your time....and it's ABSOLUTELY worth it if you book the very first timeslot out at 8am.

Pictures are inadequate and will never serve the memorial justice.

 The memorial at 7:30am, just as the morning sun was rising.

The Arizona memorial 

 Hubs (not enjoying the paparazzi...i.e. me)

 The benefit of being the first one off the very first ferry of the morning... quiet, serene memorial.

Weeeeee! Sunrise and Biking down Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii

I spent a considerable amount of time searching for fun things to do on the island of Maui.  I typically use Tripadvisor to get an idea about things to do in just about any destination.  It's a good source for feedback from other travelers.

One of the top rated things to do was the morning sunrise on Haleakala and then bike down the mountain. There are several companies that run the tour and you can find one that will suit your needs.  Some companies are guided, which means a guide rides with you and the van follows behind protecting you (kind of) from traffic, some provide pastries and coffee in the morning, and some provide windbreakers and backpacks to borrow.

Bike Maui/Halealaka Bike Co- Cory, the owner, is a bit of a drill sergeant, but at 3am, it's essential when you're trying to get 20+ people organized, fitted with bikes and helmets, loaded on a bus and moving so they get to see the sunrise.  

Once loaded on the bus, the guide drives about an hour up to the sunrise location on Haleakala.  There are many, many, many buses and cars located at the summit.  Some people stay in the warmth of the vans/buses and then venture out just before sunrise while others run up to the railing and stake their claim to get the best sunrise pictures.  We waited in the warm vehicle and then climbed the little hill to the right and hunkered down behind a rock to provide some protection from the wind.  The view was SPECTACULAR, but the wind was a force to be reckoned with!

After the run has risen, you load back up on the bus and get a little tour of the summit.  Around 9am you are brought to the visitor center just outside the park entrance.  Now is where the real fun starts!

We grab our helmets and hop on the bikes for the most amazing (and fast paced) ride down the mountain.  

Don't forget to dress in layers!  It is extremely cold and windy at the summit for the sunrise.  We wore a tshirt, cardigan sweater/sweatshirt, windbreakers, headband to cover our ears, gloves and jeans.  By the time we reached Kula Lodge for breakfast, we were able to shed the sweatshirts and windbreakers.  We probably could have changed into shorts for the remainder of the ride down, but it wasn't too hot in jeans.  Hubs had a backpack, so as we removed layers, they were packed away quickly.

Breakfast at Kula Lodge was wonderful.  I 'asked' hubs to order the macadamia nut pancakes to I could sample a bite and they were spectacular, covered in toasted mac nuts and a coconut syrup.  Yum!  The fresh pineapple is always a treat!

A few pictures.

 My brother and his girlfriend Anna

 The morning sun starting to peak out from behind the clouds

 Silversword plant that is rare and only grows at certain elevations

Volcano National Park

We decided to make the 3 hour drive from the Kailua-Kona area to Volcano National Park.  It was a very long ride, which we broke up with a stop at South point for some cliff jumping and Punaluu Beach to see the sea turtles and black sand.

I should have realized that Volcano National Park was not a 3-4 hour excursion, but rather a whole day experience.  That being said, we didn't budget enough time here.  By the time we arrived and found out it was a 7 mile hike over dried black lava (in the hot sun) to see the lava flow, plus the 7 mile hike back, we just didn't have enough time.  Lesson learned for next time!

We did view the crater, Thurston Lava Tube and took the road to the 'end of line' where it meets the sea and the lava covered road.

A few pix.

 My brother and his girlfriend with the smoking crater behind them.

The entrance into the lava tube

The crater

The 'end of the trail'

Lava covered road

Not sure what this is...petrified something, maybe?  My brother's girlfriend snapped this pic.

Hubs entering Thurston Lava Tube

Miles and miles of cold, dried (?) lava

On Top of the World...Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Elevation - 13,803 +/- (depending upon the source) feet above sea level or 33,500 feet from the base of the ocean floor

Translation - the air is very thin!

Further translation - nausea and lightheaded-ness

A four wheel drive vehicle is required to head beyond the visitor's center.  Again, rent a Jeep!

The weather on the island of Hawaii (aka the Big Island) can vary from 80 degrees on the beach to 30 degrees at the Mauna Kea summit; raining in Hilo to sunshine at Southpoint.  We found that the temperatures and weather conditions were unpredictable (I'm sure they are predictable to a local, but we weren't there long enough to figure it out), so we had a bag in the back of the Jeep that had jackets, mittens, swimwear, snorkels, tennis shoes and flip flops.

In one day we went from driving down to Waipio Valley (sea level) to walking around the summit of Mauna Kea at 13,803 feet above sea level.  Talk about nausea and lightheaded-ness!   

Getting to Mauna Kea is relatively easy.  It's located off of Saddle Road, which traverses the island (east/west).  Drive up the paved road to the visitor's center.  Spend a little time getting accustomed to the altitude before heading up toward the summit.  You can take a four wheel drive vehicle up and do a self guided tour; however you are not able to enter any of the telescopes.  If you wish to participate in a guided caravan tour, check out the information on their website.  While four wheel drive vehicles are required, we did see several tourists taking compact rentals up...revving engines and all!

Photo Credit:  The above photo was taken by my brother using a pre-programmed setting on his Nikon Coolpix.

Cliff Diving on the Big Island, Hawaii

Cliff diving is a tad controversial.  You see people jumping off the cliffs at South Point, but ALL the literature says, "as tempting as it may be, cliff diving from south point is extremely dangerous.  There are rip tides and undercurrents...."  As you can see in some of the photos there is a ladder to climb up once you jump in and several platforms to aid in the jump.  My husband has no fear...or he believes he's invincible.

South Point Park is easy to access, just off of Highway 11 onto S. Point road.  It's about a 2 hour drive south from Kailua-Kona.  There is plenty of parking, a port-a-potty and a few vendors selling items out of their trunk / tailgate.

South point cliff jumping.  There's a ladder on the right by the buoys.

 South point shoreline near the start of the long walk and/or bumpy ride to Green Sands Beach.

 The view north from South point.

Chuck snorkeling at South point.

Just beyond South Point Park is Green Sands Beach.  There is a small parking lot where you (can) leave your car.  Just remember not to leave any valuables as this is a great place for vandals.  Once you gather up all your belongings hike southeast for about 1.5 hours over lava rocks and through prairie grasses.  Or, if you have a Jeep (remember I recommended the Jeep rental a few posts ago), follow a local through the bumpy and slow ride to Green Sands Beach.  We paid a local $20 and followed him so we knew which path to take.  It was definitely worth it and he helped lead us back out.  There are absolutely NO services here.  No bathroom, no snacks, nothing.  But, trust me, it's worth it.

Once you get to Green Sands Beach, you climb down into the bay area via steps and sandy paths.  It is a challenge, but definitely worth it once you get down to the beach.

Typically, you wouldn't jump from the cliff.  Actually, until I googled it to see how high it was, I couldn't believe that anyone would be foolish enough to jump.  But, alas, there are a few people out there willing to take risks!

Green Sands Beach from the ridge

 Chuck contemplating some cliff jumping.  Note:  This is NOT advised.  No one else was jumping and there is a very small "target" area.

 And...he jumps.  I couldn't watch.  My brother snapped the picture.  The beach-goers all gasped, stood up and pointed.  I think they they he was jumping to his death.  Sigh.  Notice that he has a firm grip on his hat in his right hand.  Heaven forbid we lose the hat during the jump!

Dolphins, turtles, fishies...oh my! Big Island, Hawaii

While on the Big Island, we went to some amazing beaches.  Black sand, green sand, no sand, lava, you name it, we were there.

Kealakekua Bay State Park was about a 35 minute drive south of the villa on the Big Island.  After reading reviews, it sounded as though this was a good place to potentially see some dolphins.  Wow!  We were not disappointed.  Chuck and my brother grabbed their snorkeling gear and rented a kayak from one of the vendors in the parking lot.  Hubs didn't want to lose the kayak, so he snorkeled with it tied to his waist.  Those engineers...always thinking.

There were several other kayaks in the bay all swarming around a school of dolphins.  At one point the kayaks 'steered' the dolphins right to my husband...which resulted in all parties being startled...so much so that one dolphin did a little shake then shot up into the air and back down.  Apparently, the dolphins were in a sleeping phase where one eye was closed (thus allowing half the brain to sleep).  Some of the dolphins slept while the others kept guard.  Chuck said it was one of the coolest things he's ever experienced.  The guys snorkeled for a bit and my brother took some amazing shots of the dolphins underwater.

Count the dolphins!  There are parts of 10 dolphins in the following picture.

One day we drove a little further south to Punaluu State Park, which is known for black sand beaches and sea turtles.  This beach is located right off Highway 11 on your way to the Volcano National Park (from Kailua-Kona).  The little boy in this picture below is not ours, but the expression on his face was so precious as he sat there waiting for.ever...in all seriousness, he waited for about 30 minutes just staring at the turtle hoping it would move a body part and acknowledge to all of the beach-goers that he was, indeed, alive.

 A few underwater pictures of the fishies...

Note:  The underwater shots are compliments of my brother and his Nikon Coolpix tough waterproof camera.  It takes some amazing photos both underwater and above water.