During the spring of 2010, my family and I traveled to beautiful Hawaii! It was my first time traveling there so I was pretty psyched. We spent our time exploring Oahu and the Big Island, two of the eight main Hawaiian Islands.
Oahu
Our first flight landed in Hawaii’s main airport in Honolulu. From there, we took a connecting flight into Oahu. (a bit about Oahu)
The first few days we... walked on Waikiki Beach, visited an army museum, and fed fish at the resort's lagoon. We also went to the Dole Plantation where we took a train tour of the pineapple and sugarcane plantations. After the tour was over, I got to try some yummy pineapple ice-cream! Next was the Polynesian Cultural Center. This day-long experience included various activities and performances that taught us about the incredible Hawaiian culture. Then, at the end of the day, everyone came together for the Luau where we ate a Hawaiian dinner and enjoyed a live hula performance. (here's what the meal included)
Another day we took an audio tour of the anchored U.S.S. Missouri. This vessel was the last battle ship built during World War II, and it now stands next to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. We explored the sleeping and eating quarters of the ship and then headed off to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. This white, simple structure floats on the water, and is connected to land with a bridge. Once on the memorial, we were struck with a sudden sense of peacefulness. Everything was white and the only thing we could hear besides the occasional whisper was the American flag flapping in the light wind.
Because our time in Oahu was quickly coming to an end, we decided to grab a few souvenirs...What better place to go than the Hawaiian flea market?! First off, there were rows upon rows of vendors with their little stands, so the variety was endless. Seriously. We did NOT intend to spend that much time there! Secondly, you can get some pretty great deals and that's always a plus, right? I ended up buying a purple side purse, a glow-in-the-dark turtle, and some Hawaiian flower hair clips.
Big Island
Our first stop on this island was to the car rental. Super exciting, I know. But seriously if you are thinking about doing a good chunk of sight-seeing, I recommend renting. It is wayyy easier and faster than finding a taxi, and you can explore the island at your leisure.
SO our actual stop was at a random beach...and as we left, we saw this sign:
SO our actual stop was at a random beach...and as we left, we saw this sign:
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| o_o |
A few days into our stay, we drove to Hapuna Beach to relax on the white, powdery sand and go for a swim in the "blue-tiful" waters. Or at least that's what we thought...Little did we know that a few AWESOME sea turtles were going to join us. There I was floating around, soaking up some rays when all of a sudden I spotted two sea turtles swimming less than 4 feet away from me! It was totally cool, dude!
Later, on our way up to Pololu Valley Lookout, we stopped by a little coffee place where we got a tour of how coffee is grown and later sold in Hawaii. While there, we spotted quite a few lizards that looked like this:
Overall, the Big Island is probably most famous for its active volcanoes. Some places even offer helicopter rides that let you check out the lava up close. We just decided to hike over the hardened lava rock to see the moving lava from a distance. We went around nighttime (6-8pm) with a large group of people and saw a small amount of bright orange lava moving slowly down the rocks. It was definitely a strange sight! It was crazy because people actually have houses on stilts near the lava and they sell tickets to tourists that want to watch the lava from their balconies!
Akaka Falls Park was another location we visited. This picture should sum it up:
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| 270 ft |
And here's Punalu'u Black Sand Beach (oh, and some more turtles):
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*Hawaii Travel Tip: Go to Costco before you leave. Grab a few boxes of 'Hawaiian Host' chocolate covered macadamia nuts. You shall not be disappointed. :)
~sb