Back in January, I attempted to convince Colby that it was the perfect time to go on a vacation and that flights to Hawaii were on sale! After batting my eyes at him long enough, he agreed!
We even convinced my parents to come along!
We rented a Condo in Hauula on the windward side of the island. It was the PERFECT location! We had an ocean view on the 6th floor. The beach was gorgeous and the water was amazing. There was a coral reef in the distance that created a great place to whale watch, swim, snorkel and relax!
We got in Monday afternoon. Tatum did great on the long flight over and was patient during the 1.5 hours it took to get the rental car! We were able to go to the condo, get settled in and relax a little while before dinner.
We ate at Papa Oles for dinner the first night, and the second, and a couple other times for breakfast and lunch during the trip! Their food was excellent!
Monday morning we got up before the sun to go and pick up my parents from the airport. We went and got breakfast at Koa Pancake House and then were off to the Pearl Harbor Memorials.
I think we all really enjoyed learning more about the attack on Pearl Harbor and visiting the Arizona Memorial as well as the Battleship Missouri. We got there right after they opened and it was so peaceful! Then the tour busses arrived. ...
W spent all morning at the sites, then headed back to the condo just after lunch.
After going back to papa oles for dinner, we drove up to the Laie temple. It was gorgeous!
The next morning we got up early (Thanks Tatum) and went and walked the beach as the sun was rising. It was fun watching the dozens of crabs running back into their holes! Colby was able to catch one and show Tatum, but then it pinched him and got tossed back into the ocean!
We headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center after lunch. It was a pretty cool place! There is a lot of neat hands on activites and cool demonstrations! My parents stayed for the Luau and Ha: Breath of Life show, but Colby and I opted out since it didnt start until after Tatums bedtime which was really 5 hours after his normal bedtime.. I didnt want to deal with a screaming baby the entire show! We headed off and found another local favorite, Kahuku Grill in Kahuku. The burgers were amazing and the locals were entertaining!
On Thursday, we hiked Diamonhead and explored Waikiki. Need I say more? Ok, Diamondhead is a moderately tough hike because you go straight up! Colby wore Tatum on his back in a carrier and they were both completely drenched at the end of it! The view from the top was amazing! I only wish there wasn't 100 other people crowding the small spot trying to get pictures! After Diamondhead, we went to find some lunch and check out the international market. This is a must if you want to buy souvenirs! The prices were pretty unbeatable! I did hear that the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium had better deals, but it is only on the weekend... After we had enough of driving around crowded Waikiki, we headed to Kailua/Lanikai. This is a middle/upper class area with a beautiful white sandy beach!
Friday was our explore the North Shore day. We drove to the Dole Plantation first. We rode the train and took the garden tour, then ate some famous Dole Whips! Afterwards we headed to lunch at Pizza Bobs in Haleiwa, stopped and watched some whales jump out of the water, checked out Waimea Bay Beach, and then checked out Waimea Falls! There was a big swell coming in so the water in the North Shore wasnt great for swimming. There were some cool rocks at Waimea Bay Beach, but we were told the jumping ones were closed because someone already got paralyzed today".. They kept announcing that over the loud speaker! Crazy! Colby & I swam to the Waimea waterfall in the freezing cold water. The rest of the day we took it easy. For Dinner we ate at North Shore Tacos. THeir chicken salad was pretty awesome!
whale fin in this picture
Saturday was our relax day. We hung out at the condo and went snorkeling out in the bay. The snorkeling was amazing. Once you got near and over the break, the fish were huge and the coral was beautiful! I still think that Roatan Honduras had better snorkeling, but this was a pretty close second! The highlight was spotting and swimming with 3 sea turtles! I had it in my mind that I would see some turtles in hawaii and I am so glad I wasnt disappointed! They are beautiful creatures and it was so cool seeing them glide through the water! I WISH I had an underwater camera, because it was amazing... There is always next time I guess...
We hung out at the beach most of the day and got some great pictures (on dry land)! There was even a rainbow! It was a perfect last day in paradise!
We had a wonderful time! Tatum was great the entire trip and adjusted pretty easily to the time change. I cant wait to go back some day!!
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