!i! First day in Hawaii !i!
The first day we were in Hawaii, we woke up at 5:30 a.m. We are busy vacationers. Vacations aren't for relaxing...they are for exploring and if you neglect sleep, you will have all the time in the world to explore! We tried to make it to see sunrise, but we were a little too late. However, we did catch the sun peaking over the mountains.
We started our morning doing the "Tantalus drive." The Tantalus drive is a winding road that goes through some of the mountains. I felt like I was in a rainforest! The Tantalus drive is actually a road that people live off...rich people.
Throughout the drive, there are places to pull over and look at the gorgeous view! This is definitely paradise!
After our drive, we decided to hike to the Makapuu lighthouse. This is actually a very popular hike. However, it is on the windward side so the scenery is not so swell and...you guessed it...very windy!
This side of the island is quite dry. Bet you never thought you'd see prickly pears in tropical Hawaii!
Eventually we made it to the lighthouse. The view from the top is gorgeous!
We finished the hike and decided to stop at the China Man's Hat beach. (That's China Man's Hat behind us.) That is truthfully what it is called. We spent some time on the beach. This is the best place to look for sea shells and coral. There must be a lot out there because there are tons of shells, white coral, and sea spongy things scattered across the beach.
Next stop: Kaaawa Beach. This is one of my favorite beaches. Hardly anyone goes to this beach so we usually have the whole thing to ourselves!
Next we visited Kahana Bay. This is also one of my favorite beaches. The sand is the softest sand of all the beaches in Oahu. The water is quite murky so I would be nervous to swim in it, but it is perfect for walking and dipping your toes in. The water is somewhat warm and quite shallow.
We met this little guy. He was completely flat! We almost stepped on him.
Next we visited Laie point. A few years ago, a tsunami ripped a hole in this island in the span of 1 day. That goes to show the power of the ocean!!
After that, I just HAD to see the turtles! They are my favorite part of Hawaii. Honestly, I just want to be a sea turtle...a grown one...that wouldn't be eaten by sharks. How could you not want to be a sea turtle? They swim in the surf all day and when they get tired, they lay on the beach. Now THAT is the life!!
We continued on our way and we passed this little gem...
We decided to head back to Waikiki to watch the sunset. We got caught in downtown Honolulu traffic. To prove our speed, our GPS asks us this question:
By the end of the day, we were fried! Even though I put sunscreen on multiple times a day, the sun in Hawaii finds the places that you miss! The tops of our feet were fried. The part in my hair was fried. Behind my ears and even inside my ears were burned! And this was just day 1!! I realized at this point that if I lived in Hawaii, I would get skin cancer.
We went to magic island to watch the surfers and the sunset. I was so worried for all of them that a shark would attack! Rule #1: don't swim at dawn or dusk...but I think I am the only one who cares about that rule.
Magic island is a man-made rocky peninsula located at Ala Moana Beach park. There is a walking trail that winds through the park along the beach. This is a busy place...especially at sunset.
After the sunset, we got some dinner at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and went back to the hotel. We had worn ourselves out and we were exhausted. We went to bed at 10:00 pm and fell asleep the moment our heads hit the pillow. There was more adventure to be had tomorrow...
We started our morning doing the "Tantalus drive." The Tantalus drive is a winding road that goes through some of the mountains. I felt like I was in a rainforest! The Tantalus drive is actually a road that people live off...rich people.
Throughout the drive, there are places to pull over and look at the gorgeous view! This is definitely paradise!
After our drive, we decided to hike to the Makapuu lighthouse. This is actually a very popular hike. However, it is on the windward side so the scenery is not so swell and...you guessed it...very windy!
This side of the island is quite dry. Bet you never thought you'd see prickly pears in tropical Hawaii!
Eventually we made it to the lighthouse. The view from the top is gorgeous!
We finished the hike and decided to stop at the China Man's Hat beach. (That's China Man's Hat behind us.) That is truthfully what it is called. We spent some time on the beach. This is the best place to look for sea shells and coral. There must be a lot out there because there are tons of shells, white coral, and sea spongy things scattered across the beach.
Next stop: Kaaawa Beach. This is one of my favorite beaches. Hardly anyone goes to this beach so we usually have the whole thing to ourselves!
Next we visited Kahana Bay. This is also one of my favorite beaches. The sand is the softest sand of all the beaches in Oahu. The water is quite murky so I would be nervous to swim in it, but it is perfect for walking and dipping your toes in. The water is somewhat warm and quite shallow.
We met this little guy. He was completely flat! We almost stepped on him.
Next we visited Laie point. A few years ago, a tsunami ripped a hole in this island in the span of 1 day. That goes to show the power of the ocean!!
After that, I just HAD to see the turtles! They are my favorite part of Hawaii. Honestly, I just want to be a sea turtle...a grown one...that wouldn't be eaten by sharks. How could you not want to be a sea turtle? They swim in the surf all day and when they get tired, they lay on the beach. Now THAT is the life!!
We continued on our way and we passed this little gem...
We decided to head back to Waikiki to watch the sunset. We got caught in downtown Honolulu traffic. To prove our speed, our GPS asks us this question:
By the end of the day, we were fried! Even though I put sunscreen on multiple times a day, the sun in Hawaii finds the places that you miss! The tops of our feet were fried. The part in my hair was fried. Behind my ears and even inside my ears were burned! And this was just day 1!! I realized at this point that if I lived in Hawaii, I would get skin cancer.
We went to magic island to watch the surfers and the sunset. I was so worried for all of them that a shark would attack! Rule #1: don't swim at dawn or dusk...but I think I am the only one who cares about that rule.
Magic island is a man-made rocky peninsula located at Ala Moana Beach park. There is a walking trail that winds through the park along the beach. This is a busy place...especially at sunset.
After the sunset, we got some dinner at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and went back to the hotel. We had worn ourselves out and we were exhausted. We went to bed at 10:00 pm and fell asleep the moment our heads hit the pillow. There was more adventure to be had tomorrow...
posted by A.J. and Steph at
7:41 PM
2 Comments:
Your post makes me miss it SOOOO much! And I love how you want to be a sea turtle...but not just any sea turtle...and adult one that won't get eaten by sharks :). That made me laugh! You are too cute!
I wish our sunset pictures had turned out as good as yours! They are seriously so gorgeous! Tell me your secrets...although I have nothing to give you in return...other than clean your teeth. But that's what Carolyn is for...so, you may just want to keep your secrets to yourself :). Haha
Ya right. Your camera is so high tech compared to my little point and shoot. The trick is to take a zillion pictures...and odds are one of them will turn out! Oh and I have an idea. Let's just plan to go back to Hawaii. Eh?
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