Tag Archives: Hawaii

Image

North Shore revisited

16 Friday Sep 2016

Tags

, , ,

Today was an explore on our own day. We left probably a bit later than D. had hoped (I was a bit slow getting going this morning, as we had awoken to flash flood warnings on our phones. I turned on the news to catch a weather report, and well, got a little distracted with local news, shall we say?  My parents were news “junkies,” and it appears the apple may not have fallen far from that tree. The sun was shining in Waikiki, and it appeared whatever storm had blown through overnight had blown out to sea.  It was another beautiful day in paradise!

We headed out to the North Shore by way of the USS Bowfin Museum store as we’d seen something there on Sunday which we’d not seen anywhere else. Time to stop looking and just run in and get it. The only item on today’s agenda was a visit with one of my daughter’s best friends (affectionately known in our family as Daughter #2, and yes, occasionally “favorite”daughter when mine was being a typical teenager) and her son whom I had not yet met. 
First stop, Waialua Coffee Company (and tea) which was quite yummy.  They had a very eclectic collection of coffee advertisements from around the world on the walls, and a small cafe area. A more local, hipper vibe than the chain coffee stores…locals in with their laptops, visiting with friends, and us tourists thrown into the mix. (We tourists likely brought the “hip” vibe down a notch, but we did purchase a bit more than the locals, so it seemed a good balance to me.)  

A beautiful drive along the coast to Haliewa where we wandered around for a bit. I managed to find some Christmas gifts, got some ideas for craft projects, and took pictures of things that brought back memories while we waited for Daughter 2 to meet us.

This was the main “highway” around the island when I called Oahu home. One lane in each direction kind of highway!

Queen Liliuokalani Protestant Church, Haliewa, HI

Seriously, does it get much better than this?

I believe my father had this LP. (Mom will let me know if he didn’t!) If he didn’t, he should have because I have a memory of someone having it!

We definitely had a set of these…at least 6.

We had a wonderful lunch at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck (I believe garlic will be oozing out of my pores for the next few weeks. Apologies to anyone standing or sitting close to me!) combined with a visit with Daughter 2 and the cutest little surfer dude I’ve ever seen. I could tell he was a “local” as he arrived barefoot and was walking around the rocks as if it was nothing. Flashbacks to my brother at the same age many, many (ok, maybe only one many) years ago. We got some ideas of further places to explore, said our farewells (yes, for those who know me well, my eyes leaked), and we were on our way. 

Our directions were head “that way, left at the stop sign and around,” or something like that…we were headed somewhere, and that was really all that mattered.  When you’re on an island you really can’t get too lost!

As we are driving down this road, we pass a sign…Camp Mokule’ia. Seriously?! This was my first ever overnight camp. I think I was 7? Maybe 8? I still have the shirt with my name embroidered on it. This was such a trip down memory lane – especially as I had recently scanned my father’s slides from when they dropped me off and picked me up. I couldn’t have found this place if I’d tried. But I could yell “Stop! I need a picture!” 

We kept driving and came upon another long stretch of beach. I opened the car window for a picture, and D. commented “Now this smells like the beach.” I couldn’t have agreed more. Outside of Waikiki with all its aromas mingling with the sea air, you really don’t smell the beach. On this stretch, you really smelled the salt air, the sand, the sky, the Beach. (Yes, at The Beach you can even smell the sky.)

Love the wind power in the background.

We came to the end of the road at Ka’ene Point in Molokai and headed back to see where else the road would lead. A few turns later and we stumbled onto The Old Sugar Mill in Wailua. It has been turned into shops, boutiques, and a coffee roastery. One of the wonderful things about Hawaii is how people take care of one another.  Here in the middle of the old sugar factory, which likely employed most of the community at one time, was the Community Kitchen.  Where anyone can come for a meal. How much better would the world be if we broke bread together and shared our abundance with our neighbors? 

It was still relatively early, so we headed for Waiamea. On the way we crossed Rainbow Bridge.  I immediately thought of my Auntie S. who tells the BEST stories about the heavenly Rainbow Bridge. I didn’t see any fish here, so this one was good to cross. 

We were hoping for the lighthouse, but saw signs for the Waiamea Falls and turned in there.  Unfortunately the falls were closed by the time we arrived, but they had a wonderful farmer’s market going on, and we had a great time exploring it. And we may be back next week to explore the falls and surrounding area further. Lots of Hollywood movies have been filmed here, and it definitely peaked our interest. I was able to get a few pictures from outside the entrance, though.

We started back to the hotel, but made a detour back to Haliewa Beach to watch the sun set. This is where we swam with the turtles on Monday, and it was fun to sit and watch for them to poke their heads up out of the surf.  And yes, I am my father’s daughter, and if one sunset photo is good, more are better. Fortunately I will only share one…ok, two.

WWII Veterans Memorial at Haliewa Beach

(C)DoubleAAdventures

Tomorrow the actual “work” part of this trip begins, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be out exploring. I believe there may be a mouse involved in tomorrow’s adventures.

Posted by | Filed under beach, Haliewa, Hawaii, Hawaii beaches, Honu, Molokai, North Shore, Oahu, Pacific Ocean, sea turtles, sunset, Travel, Waiamea

≈ Leave a comment

Image

Kauai – Sun, Oahu – Flash Floods

15 Thursday Sep 2016

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The alarm went off at 5AM, and we were on our way to the airport at 5:45AM to catch our 7:20 flight. As we walked into the lobby we were greeted with signs reminding us why we are in Hawaii. It was still a little drizzly this morning after the downpours last night.

We got there with no problem, and had plenty of time to spare.  Island Air’s terminal is very separate from the main terminals, and was more like the airport I remembered – long glass windows looking out to the tarmac where you would stand and watch arriving guests deplane, and departing guests would stand at the top of the stairs and wave goodbye.  

It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden in a prop plane!

A quick, easy flight and we were on the ground in Lihue, Kauai. We got our rental car, and we were off! Kauai is lush and green, just the way I remember it. 

First stop, Kauai Coffee Company. We sampled a lot of coffee, and learned a lot on the self-guided tour. Did you know dark roast coffee has more body, but medium roast has more caffeine? The coffee was excellent, and their sense of humor evident throughout.

Next on our list, Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Stunningly beautiful and serene. As we were pulling into the lookout, there were two blacktail deer on the ridge above the parking lot. One buck, the other possibly a doe. And lots of “free range” roosters.  The nene may be the Hawaii state bird, but the rooster is the unofficial bird of Kauai.

Waterfall on the way to Waimea Canyon

Hydrangeas! Not sure who brought them to Kauai, but they were abundant at this lookout.

The nene – Hawaii’s state bird. This is a teenaged one 

A drive back down the mountain into town where we stopped for lunch at Porky’s. Sausage or hot dog covered with kalua pork, or a grilled cheese with kalua pork. We double checked the time and distance to the light house, and realized we were going to be cutting it very close as they closed at 4PM. 

Fortunately traffic was light, but phone batteries were dying, so no photos of the scenery along the way. (I brought my battery pack with me today, but I forgot the charging cable. Guess we’ll chalk that up to the early morning hour!)   We passed Sleeping Giant in the Noi Noi mountains. Lush, tropical paradise continued, and even included a few stretches of beachs. We pulled into the lighthouse parking lot at 3:52PM. The park ranger tried to convince us we didn’t have time. D and I looked at each other and knew we could do what we needed to do – she stopped in the gift store to pick up a special request, I ran ahead for the photos. She had time to round the corner and see the lighthouse in person before the park rangers began shooing us out. One of the straggling visitors even pointed out a baby bird in its nest to us.

As we began our trek back toward Lihue, we stopped at a market we’d passed earlier, Kong Lung Market. Wonderful shops and local artisan’s wares. We had to be mindful of what we purchased as we had to carry everything back with us, in a carry-on, on a plane…let’s just say I wish I’d remembered that at stop #1 this morning! I can’t say what TSA confiscated or I will give away a Christmas gift (which I will replace before I head home.)

Fortunately most of the artisan’s we have seen and really liked have websites where we can purchase items. We were back to the airport in plenty of time. The ticket agent advised us Honolulu was under a flash flood watch as it had been raining all day, and there was a good possibility we could hit turbulence on the way home. Our initial thought? What a stroke of luck for us! We had sun and gorgeous weather the entire day. The flight left about 15 minutes early, and all was drying out when we arrived back in Oahu. Fingers crossed it stays dry for the next several days.

We went back to Duke’s tonight for a quick bite to eat before turning in.  We both opted for Hula Pie. I would say a perfect way to end a great day! Tomorrow we are headed back to the North Shore of Oahu for a slower look around at stores, swimming, sunning and whatever strikes our fancy.

Posted by | Filed under Vacation2016

≈ Leave a comment

Image

Hidden Gems and Sea Turtles

13 Tuesday Sep 2016

Tags

, , ,

Today was an early start as we had to meet the tour bus at 7:30 for the Hidden Gems Tour of Oahu. We were up in time to see the sunrise, but being on the west side of the island with a mountain range in between, it was a little hard to see.  And the cloud cover wasn’t helping much, either.  Once the van was full our driver, Mikos (the short version of his name. He is named for 7 generations of grandfathers, so his given name is very long!) pulled over and had us introduce ourselves. Quite an international group in our tour – Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Brazil, Egypt, Alaska, Slovakia, California, and of course, Arizona and Georgia. It made for very interesting conversation throughout the day, but I have to say the youngest two Californians did not make the best impression. They did provide us with plenty of “entertainment” throughout the day, though. Our driver was very patient and kind…I’m sure he has seen it all! The driver’s wife and 2 year old grandson were also along for the ride. 

We drove around the south end of the island, past Hanauma Bay with our first official stop at Blow Hole and Eternity Beach.  (So named because scenes in the movie From Here to Eternity were filmed here.)  Unfortunately it was low tide, so we weren’t able to see it “blow.”

An ancient altar to a Hawaiian god on the way to Halona Blowhole.

From there we went to Makapu’u and Rabbit Island, Waimanalo Bay, through part of Kailua and on a small portion of the Pali Highway to He’eia Park where we could see Gilligan’s Island.

Gilligan’s Island was filmed on the small island on the left.

When the tide is high, the waves carry fish over the sea wall. Holes in the wall allow the smaller fish to return to the sea when the tide goes out. The medium and large fish are then caught by local fishermen.

A quick stop at the Macadamia Nut Outlet for samples of macadamia nuts and coffee, stretching our legs and picking up some gift items, and we were back underway to Kualoa , Ka’a’awa, Hau’ula, and on into Kahuku for lunch at Funi’s Kahuku Shrimp.

Hala, or pandanus trees.

Mokoli’i Island, otherwise known as Chinaman’s Hat

One of two houses built with coral. It is illegal to use coral as a building product now.

The “back” side of Crouching Lion in Ka’a’awa.

Hukilau Cafe – part of the movie 50 First Dates was filmed here.

Hawaii is seeking alternative forms of energy, including wind energy. We passed 2 areas of windmills today.

After lunch you need dessert, right? And why not a Hawaiian fried banana and fresh fruit? The fried bananas were scrumptious, and the fruit will be dessert after dinner tonight.

Fresh coconuts…juice, anyone?

After filling our bellies, we began the drive south with stops at Sunset Beach, Waimea Bay Beach, and on into Hale’iwa Beach to swim with the Honu – Hawaiian sea turtles.

I purchased a waterproof case for my phone on Sunday just for the turtle swim.  With the weather today, the water was just a bit murky.  Between the murky water and my mask continually fogging up, I really wasn’t sure what I was taking pictures of…but somehow managed to capture a photo of a turtle!

Murky water today due to cloud cover

I managed to get a photo of a honu underwater!

We were lucky to have a turtle come very close to shore (the waves kept washing it up, and he didn’t seem in much of a hurry to leave), so I was able to get some better pictures.  Such an incredible experience!

After all the excitement of seeing the honus, we dried off and boarded the bus.  A stop at the Dole Pineapple Factory for those who were still hungry and wanted a pineapple whip (we both passed but wandered around the gift shop), then it was on to the final bit of our journey, down the west coast and back to Waikiki.  We dropped one couple off in downtown Honolulu just near the Aloha Tower, once the tallest structure in Honolulu. 

Pineapple field

 Hawaiian free range rooster

A short walk back to the hotel from our drop off spot, and in time to catch the final moments of tonight’s sunset. Tomorrow is a “down” day with nothing major planned. A welcome break after the long day today.

 

Posted by | Filed under beach, Blow Hole, Crouching Lion, Dole, Dole Pineapple, Dole Pineapple Factory, Halona, Halona Blow Hole, Hanauma Bay, Hawaii, Hawaii beaches, Honolulu, Honu, Kahuku, Kahuku shrimp, Kailua, Kualoa Ranch, Maunaloa Bay Beach, North Shore, Oahu, Oahu Hidden Gems Tour, pineapple, Rabbit Island, sea turtles, Travel, Vacation2016, Waimanalo Beach, Waimea Bay

≈ Leave a comment

Image

Memorials, submarines and memories

12 Monday Sep 2016

Tags

, , , , , , ,

We slept in a bit this morning…we were both awake by 6:30AM or so. Considering the time change, that is sleeping in for us!  We grabbed a coffee from the lobby, enjoyed the remainder of yesterday’s grandona and had a leisurely morning.  And with this view, how could you not?!

First on today’s list was a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial. I was too young to visit it when we lived here, so this was a first for me, too. And to be there on the 15th anniversary of the 2nd surprise attack on the US was very poignant and humbling. We got to the park about an hour or so before our scheduled tour time, so we had a chance to wander through many of the exhibits. So many thoughts and emotions as we read the history, and particularly the names, of those killed. 

We watched the short movie prior to boarding the boat that took us out the the Arizona Memorial. I hope the pictures convey what words cannot…

35 of the original survivors have been buried with their shipmates, the most recent on December 7, 2015 at the age of 100. There are 6 remaining survivors of the Arizona today.

When we finished our visit here, we were picked up by my cousin and his wife and given a wonderful tour of Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island. We had to stop and get cleared to go on base due to the high security given the day. A lot has changed, but there were many spots that were very familiar and held many memories…especially the submarines! The USS Mississippi must have recently returned as she was still wearing her lei and the welcome home banners were still on the fence. I remember standing on the pier watching and waiting for the arrival of my dad after many patrols. We were fortunate to see the USS Utah Memorial, the bullet markings in the concrete from machine gun fire, the original Arizona Memorial, and a view of the more well known Arizona Memorial that most do not get to see.

And a trip to Ford Island wouldn’t be complete without a picture of my parent’s names carved in the banyan tree. There’s no confirmation that it is in fact them, or who carved it, but it dates to roughly our early years in Hawaii…and given the Navy social events of the time, anything is possible! Plus, I just love the thought that my father would have proclaimed his love for my mother by carving their names in a tree for the all to see

A short drive back to our car, and we followed them home for dinner. PuPus of poke, kimchi octopus, edamame and poi followed by a delicious hot sandwich roll. I did try the octopus (yes, Mom, I tried it…still not tops on my list of seafood) and the poi.  I cannot believe I used to eat poi as a child without hesitation.  I admit I am not as much a fan as an adult.  A wonderful evening of good food, great conversation, laughs, and lots of kisses from Lui, their dog. 

We made it back to the hotel in time to catch the 3-D Liquid Light Show at the pool. A lot of fun, and a perfect end to the day. 

Posted by | Filed under Ford Island, Hawaii, Honolulu, Memorials, Navy, Pearl Harbor, PuPus, Submarines, Travel, USS Arizona, USS Utah, Vacation2016

≈ Leave a comment

Image

Hawaiian Adventures – Day 1

11 Sunday Sep 2016

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,


Several months ago a friend, D.,  asked if I would be interested in accompanying her to Hawaii to celebrate her birthday (which was actually in July and one worth celebrating) and her achieving a significant designation in our industry.  Of course I said yes, and my other half agreed to let me travel without him for 2 weeks. We’ve done months of text messaging, FB messaging and phone calls to decide what were “must do” items, when we wanted to do them, what needed reservations…all the little details that go into planning what we hope will be an unforgettable visit to the land of Aloha.I snuck into Arizona on Friday night, got to visit my favorite pizza joint where we’d had dinner a few times before, then crawled into bed after we got my friend packed.  Thank goodness for the small travel scales you hook on the suitcase. They aren’t perfectly accurate, but we both were just under the 50 pound limit.  Whew! 

An easy check-in at the airport, and we departed on time. A quick 6 hour 20 minute flight and we were in Hawaii. (I am probably one of a small number of people who think nothing of a 6 hour flight…trips to Sri Lanka will do that to you, I guess.)  We got to baggage claim and I spotted a familiar face.  My cousin had come to meet us and gave us the traditional Hawaiian lei greeting. He also had a bag of goodies for us – bottled water, macadamia nuts, and chocolate covered macadamias.  It was fun to see him after 4 years, and a nice surprise for D. He walked us to the rental car center, helped get our bags in the car, then left us to our own devices for the day.

Our first stop was downtown Honolulu as we’d placed a special order that would be ready for pick-up at 3PM. As our plane had arrived 30 minutes early, we had plenty of time to kill.  First order of business, find a spot for lunch!  So after driving around the block twice (I missed the parking lot entrance the first time), we parked the car and checked Yelp for nearby restaurants.  We were in Chinatown, so we had lots to chose from!  We settled on Lucky Belly, a ramen fusion restuarant. One of the things they’re known for are homemade sodas. Our waitress recommended the lilikoi fizz – a passion fruit soda.  It was wonderful!  Fruity but not overly sweet, and just the thing after walking in the heat and humidity. 

We had a wonderful lunch, then wandered around Chinatown a bit as we were told our order wouldn’t be ready until 3. We passed several flower shops where women were stringing leis, and found the Chinese Cultural Center where the Moon Festival was taking place. A walk across the river brought us to a Japanese Shinto shrine.

We still had time to kill before our order was ready, so we headed in the opposite direction and stumbled onto the Catholic cathedral where Fr. Damian was ordained and celebrated his first mass. It is a relatively non-descript building from the outside, dwarfed by the large highrise buildings surrounding it.  Inside, a beautiful respite from the world outside its walls. 

We had to tear ourselves away as it was just before 3PM, and our order was ready for pick-up.  Just a few doors down was our destination – Let Them Eat Cupcakes Bakery. We had preordered their grandona pastries. (Thanks to the article in Hawaii Magazine espousing their buttery, flaky goodness, we had to try them!) These are described as malasada meets croissant. They were hot, delicious smelling, and it took a fair amount of will power (ok, and the fact we put them on the back seat out of reach) not to indulge as soon as we left the bakery!

An easy drive further south, and we were checking into our hotel at 4PM. We settled in, decided we really had an obligation to try the grandonas and make sure they were good (we plan to take them to my cousins’ house tomorrow when we visit).  We sat on the balcony and savored several bites. They were sinfully rich, and I don’t know that I could even attempt to eat a whole one in one sitting. Well, enough sitting around eating pastries – the beach called, and we didn’t want to miss the 6PM torch lighting and hula show.

We set off down the beach thinking it would be an easy walk. I had completely forgotten how “soft” Hawaiian sand is.  Even going closer to the water was a good workout for the calves! So we wound our way to the sidewalk, and walked and walked and walked…all the way to the Honolulu Zoo entrance, and a little bit beyond.  We thought we were in the right area, but it turns out we’d walked about 1/2 mile beyond where we needed to be. Oops. Nothing like an extra mile of walking for the day, right? We figured it helped burn off one of the bites of grandona!

We eventually found Kuhio Park and a place to sit on the sea wall to watch the show. So many memories flooding back for me of all my hula lessons many, many years ago.  

It turned out we had stopped on the other side of this banyan tree to take a picture of it while walking to the park…we just missed the signs that said the show was there.  That seems to be today’s theme – hidden/hard to find or follow signs. The show was wonderful, and thanks to D.’s tap on my shoulder, I was able to turn around and grab a last photo before my camera died for the day.

(Along with the many others trying to capture the beauty of the moment!)

A light dinner back at the hotel with a Hawaiian musical duet and hula dancer, then it was back to the room where we are turning in and resting up for more adventure tomorrow!

Posted by | Filed under Vacation2016

≈ Leave a comment