!i! First Day in Paradise !i!

We woke up early our first day in Hawaii. Our time clocks were still adjusting to Hawaii time and we were with AJ who literally cannot sleep in...EVER! Plus...we were in paradise. Why would we waste a single second staring at the back of our eye lids when there was blue sky, sunshine, and endless beaches to play in?!

Waikiki is a very congested city...full of tall hotels. But even through the chaos, we could see a hint of the ocean from our balcony. It was beckoning to us to come play!
Still groggy, we stood on the balcony feeling the humidity embracing our skin and inhaling the salty smell from the ocean.
Our first adventure was to hike to the Makapuu lighthouse. We had heard that this was a great place to find humpback whales. In all the trips to Hawaii, we had never been there during whale season and this was definitely something we wanted to investigate!

We arrived at the beginning of the trail and began hiking. This hike was on the windward side of the island and it definitely lives up to it's name. The waters below are tumultuous and you definitely wouldn't want to get too close to the edge.
We kept scanning the waters, but no sign of whales. Then, about 2/3 of the way to the top, there they were! Out in the distance, there were two or three of them! We saw their tales splashing the water. We saw them doing the pectoral slap. It was incredible to see their gray slick backs as they surfaced the water. But mostly, every now and then, we saw HUGE puffs of sea spray. The whales were at least a mile out, but we could see them as clear as day. They were so big!

We made it to the top for a beautiful, but windy view.
We couldn't see any whales from the top, but we were in awe of the majestic blue of the ocean! I think that is the most beautiful color in the entire pallet of the colors of nature.
After a much needed diet coke, our next stop was the Valley of the Temples (the Byodo-In temple). This is a Buddhist temple located in Kaneohe.
The grounds are gorgeous and serene. It is very peaceful and quiet. Although, the mosquitoes are quite hungry there. I think I walked away with at least 3 bites.
There were huge groves of bamboo that we walked through. The wind rustled through the leaves and there was a deep, hollow cracking sound as the bamboo shoots clacked together and arched back and forth. I felt very small.
Our next stop was China Man's Hat beach. We were approaching our favorite part of the island! This is the place where we spent most of our time. China Man's Hat beach is course and sharp due to the amount of coral and rocks out in the water, but cool pieces of rock and coral constantly wash up on shore and it's fun to search for new treasures.
It was here that Matt got his first taste of the ocean EVER!
The water is cold at first, but after getting over the initial shock, the water warms up. Occasionally, there are pleasant pockets of warm water that soothe your skin, but they are so small, you are immediately washed into a colder current and your body needs to go through the adjustment process all over again.

Next we made our way to Kahana Bay which has the 2nd softest sand on the entire island! Walking on that beach felt like a massage for my toes! The water is much more shallow here so it is a lot warmer. I could wade in the water for hours!
Because this is where a river meets the sea, the water is quite murky so it's not a place I would feel safe swimming in, but it's the perfect place to take your shoes off and feel the soft sand squishing between your toes!
And of course, the day would not be complete without visiting my very favorite beach: Laniakea or as we call it "Turtle Beach." Quickly, we parked and ran across the street hoping to get a glance at my most favorite sea creature! My fingers were crossed as I skipped across the small road in anticipation. I took my flip flops off and walked through the soft sand scanning the beach for a glimpse of those turtles. And there I found them: FIVE OF THEM! I have never seen so many at one time! I was so excited!
So far on our first day in Hawaii, I had seen hump back whales playing in the ocean and now I was watching 5 turtles bask in the Hawaiian sunshine. I was in heaven!
In keeping with our Hawaii vacation traditions, watching sunset was a necessity. What better place to watch the gorgeous sun set across the beautiful waters of Hawaii than at the turtle beach?!
Even the turtle stuck his head out of the water to get a last glimpse of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean.
After the sun goes down, the world feels so dark and isolated. We ate dinner at Pizza Bob's in Hale'iwa town and then we began the long journey back to our hotel in Waikiki.