Wiakiki

I have to tell you all. Wiakiki is just toooooo commercial for us. We couldn't wait to get back over to the North Shore. Our little house on the beach was so secluded and our beach was like our own piece of paradise.

Jungle expedition at Kualoa Ranch

This was a really fun ride, when we got back we were covered in dirt! They take you along jungle trails, down ravines, through rivers, and up to the top of this mtn which gives you a view of Kaneohe Bay and an ancient Hawaiian fishpond. After they went as far as they could in the jeep, we had to climb a very narrow trail up to the top of the mtn. WOW what a view it was!

Kualoa Ranch Movie Tour

Godzilla footprint for the movie. This used to be really deep, until the cows would fall into the hole at night and they would have to pluck them out in the morning. So they decided to fill it in and just leave enough to see it.

This is the spot that they filmed the scene with the penguin crossing the road, only to get ran over.

Last Full Day-Kualoa Ranch


 
 We took the Blockbuster Movie and Lost sites tour. While we were on the tour they just happened to be filming Hawaii 5 O.

Hawaii

Every day before leaving our beach house, I would walk out into our front yard and pick  flowers for my hair.

Pearl Harbor

No words. So many lives, young  lives.

WAIMEA VALLEY

 Fifth Day was a trip for me to this valley which is one of the last of the places that time has not erased. It was  1,875 acres that has remained intact for some 700 yrs.!  At the end of this UP-HILL hike was this wonderful waterfall. The bad part was I didn't know how much hiking this place was, so I wore my sandals. Because it was all up-hill  my toes had to grip hard to hold on to my shoes. When I got back down the hill my toes were raw! All the skin had been rubbed off. So for the rest of our stay I had band aids on each of my toes.

Darren, and the kids rented Kayaks and started at the entrance off the ocean, that went back up into a jungle like river for the day. They had a great time. Of course, both girls took a spill overboard! They also said they had alot of spiders falling down from the vines that they were going under.

 Sun burnt and happy, we all returned back to our beach house safely.

AND THE WINNER IS!

Fourth Day of our vacation we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Here the men (Ernie and Darren) are learning  to hula, then three men where picked to go up on stage for a contest. And guess who was one of the picks? And who the audience roared and clapped for to be the winner? Yeap, that's right my sweet husband Darren.

Darren won this island flower head piece, but he didn't want to wear it, so he gave it to me to wear. I wore it with great pride. LOL This is us at the Lu'au at the PCC. It was so hot and humid their! I fell in love with Hawaiian Shaved Ice, couldn't get enough.

 When we got to the PCC to buy our tickets, it turned out that we were able to get FRONT ROW SEATS for the show that night. Our seats were just off center, and our feet were actually on the sandy stage! How lucky was that! What a great day we had their.

WHAT? YOU FORGOT THE CAMERA!

On our third day, we hiked Diamond Head. As we are hiking up the mountain, I asked Katie to get her camera out so we could take some pics. Rustling around in her backpack she looks at me kinda funny and informs me, "I forgot the camera." WHAT?!

Thank goodness at the top of the mtn you could buy these certificates. This is my only proof that I made it to the top!

What a view it was from the top. The trail to the summit was hard for me, I didn't eat breakfast. Didn't drink enough water either. Climbed in the middle of the day. DAH ! But I made it!

If you click on the doc it will enlarge for you to read it.

After getting down from Diamond Head, we decided we needed to go over to Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling. We got there at 3:00 p.m. and found out that, it is free after 3! So we saved $60.00! Yeah!!!! We had our own snorkel gear and all the beach stuff in the back of our car. (Just in case we ever wanted to hit a beach we saw as we went around the island.)

We snorkeled for about 2 hours, and decided we had had enough. Now, if you are smart, you would pay to take their bus back up to the parking lot. Oh no, NOT MY Family. It was "come on mom let's just CLIMB back up this hill to our car." TOO MUCH CLIMBING IN ONE DAY!!!!!!

Here comes the kicker!! When we got back to our beach house, Katie FOUND the camera in her backpack. Appartently it was in a side pocket she hadn't looked in! Not one pic on that day. And, I didn't hear the ocean at all that night. Slept like a baby.

DOLE PLANTATION

On our second day. We woke up and hit the ocean for a few hours. Then off to the Dole Plantation where we took the train ride to see the place. Ernie figured out the maze before we entered by looking at the picture on the wall inside the gift shop. Ate lunch  (look at this sandwhich, it was HUGE!) We also had their Dole whip. Mighty fine.

After that the kids just wanted to go back to our place and swim the surf again. So we did.

Our back yard in Oahu Hawaii.

Every morning, my husband would wake up,  jump in the ocean for an hour or so. This is my family on our beach. Look there is NO ONE! My husband and son are out there boogie boarding. My girls are heading back to the house. The first night their I couldn't sleep, because the ocean was too loud! You all come back now, cause everyday for a while I will be posting more pics and especially more stories for you. Click on photos to enlarge them.

I'M BACK!

Leaving on a jet plane.

We took our family to Hawaii for our summer vacation this year. What fun we had.