Hawaii
Per usual this trip was thrown together the week before. Kate and I decided we wanted to go to the beach, and Meghan, Dante, and Adam jumped on board for Hawaii.
Looking back, probably the funniest part of the trip happened before we even got to Hawaii. Direct flights filled up the night before, so we decide we need to go to LAX and try for a short connection to American. Then to the only flight that looked decent into Hawaii.
Picture it with me... a Captain and 3 flight attendants in full uniform sprinting through LAX airport. We looked like a crew full of hustle for our airlines on time departure stats. Really, we had 30 minutes to get out of our terminal, run 2 terminals down, and then back into Americans terminal annnnnd make a flight. Here's how our 'Amazing Race' moment went down... the girls, being in heels or flats that slip off, had issues hauling 2 bags behind us at a run. We had to slow or stop a couple of times. Dante had 2 advantages, his shoes & as a pilot he could use Known Crew Member and bypass TSA. At the time we could not... So, we run past everyone staring at us, airport staff mocking us, and everyone in line. We throw our stuff on the TSA belt and lose a couple of minutes in the process. We make it to the gate juuuuust in time to see Dante throw his hand up in a wave and the gate agent shut the door. As a standby passenger this is the most demoralizing situation imaginable. We still had 5 minutes before departure and tried to talk to the agent, no luck. So, we slowly drag our bags BACK to the other terminal and eventually caught Hawaiian Air. The irony is that we were served nice meals and Meghan had first class. Dante sat in the middle of a giant tour group of Asians who did not understand English or the paperwork they needed to fill out. The only person to help the entire group sat riiiiight next to Dante. Hahahaha...
We came into the trip knowing a few things we may want to do on Oahu, but woke up each morning and put together a little game plan for the day. Adventure and good times was the name of the game, and we decided that the North Shore was the part of the island for us. I'm sure you've heard of the North Shore because of the surfing, and the pipeline surf competition. I've been to that competition, and it's one of the craziest things I've witnessed with my own eyes. However, in June, the waves aren't that big and it's just a chill beach town.
My favorite day of the trip went as such.... Over bloody Mary's upon waking (duh) we decided we would go to the Halewia Park & hit the waterfalls since it was close by, and then to jump off the Waimea beach's famous rock. During all of this, we met a local who told us a specific time & beach to go to and watch the sea turtles come to shore.The waterfall ended up being in a state park that was pretty touristy not exactly what I would consider a good hike. Like, the trail to the falls was paved... Or you can just go off roading everytime a pathway is blocked off or a 'dont go past this point' sign like our friend Adam decided to do. Either way, you can still enjoy the lush surroundings and the many type of native trees & flowers. The falls themselves were a disappointment. You had to wear a life vest to swim, and there is no jumping point into the swimming hole. But, for a family or someone not looking for an adrenaline rush, it's pretty cool. The waterfall was 15-20 ft high.
Waimea beach is a beach lovers dream come true. Turquoise waters, a mountain background, Sandy shore, rocks to jump off of, and locals striking up a beach football game. The rock everyone jumps off is quite popular, and quite the rush. It's a heck of a lot higher in person and looking over the edge. Some of us took a little longer to take the leap than others, ahem... Kate ;).
After our adrenaline rush of an afternoon, relaxing on an empty beach waiting for sea turtles was welcomed. We napped, we walked, we got bored and built a sand turtle, we climbed a tree and chilled up there for a while, and finally... we went and bought booze & tuna poke. The determination to see the turtles was there. But after 2 hours, our attention span was not. We were very careful not to disturb the turtles along the shore that kept poking their head out of the water, until we started with the vodka lemonades. Around sunset we finally threw in the towel and went for a swim. Of course that's when a giant sea turtle decides to come ashore. It was quite the sight, and picked the spot right where an intimate wedding was taking place.
Our own sand turtle we built was a hit with a few tourists (apparently our 'local' beach was also a tourist spot to see the turtles). A bus dropped off at one point and a group of Asians hurried off cameras in hand and hustled excitedly to our turtle. Only after snapping a couple of photos and getting close did they realize it wasn't a real turtle. We were watching the entire thing unfold from our tree, this was definitely a highlight on the day. One guy even turned and told us, 'I'm a Japanese TV star' as we laughed at them & our booby-trap turtle set up.
After enjoying the sunset, and meeting a surfing pig (seriously), we decided more booze and a bonfire should happen. We built our own little beach bonfire, and enjoyed an evening making s'mores and sitting around a bonfire on the North Shore of Hawaii. I bet ya can't find that day on any tour guide.
Per usual this trip was thrown together the week before. Kate and I decided we wanted to go to the beach, and Meghan, Dante, and Adam jumped on board for Hawaii.
Looking back, probably the funniest part of the trip happened before we even got to Hawaii. Direct flights filled up the night before, so we decide we need to go to LAX and try for a short connection to American. Then to the only flight that looked decent into Hawaii.
Picture it with me... a Captain and 3 flight attendants in full uniform sprinting through LAX airport. We looked like a crew full of hustle for our airlines on time departure stats. Really, we had 30 minutes to get out of our terminal, run 2 terminals down, and then back into Americans terminal annnnnd make a flight. Here's how our 'Amazing Race' moment went down... the girls, being in heels or flats that slip off, had issues hauling 2 bags behind us at a run. We had to slow or stop a couple of times. Dante had 2 advantages, his shoes & as a pilot he could use Known Crew Member and bypass TSA. At the time we could not... So, we run past everyone staring at us, airport staff mocking us, and everyone in line. We throw our stuff on the TSA belt and lose a couple of minutes in the process. We make it to the gate juuuuust in time to see Dante throw his hand up in a wave and the gate agent shut the door. As a standby passenger this is the most demoralizing situation imaginable. We still had 5 minutes before departure and tried to talk to the agent, no luck. So, we slowly drag our bags BACK to the other terminal and eventually caught Hawaiian Air. The irony is that we were served nice meals and Meghan had first class. Dante sat in the middle of a giant tour group of Asians who did not understand English or the paperwork they needed to fill out. The only person to help the entire group sat riiiiight next to Dante. Hahahaha...
We came into the trip knowing a few things we may want to do on Oahu, but woke up each morning and put together a little game plan for the day. Adventure and good times was the name of the game, and we decided that the North Shore was the part of the island for us. I'm sure you've heard of the North Shore because of the surfing, and the pipeline surf competition. I've been to that competition, and it's one of the craziest things I've witnessed with my own eyes. However, in June, the waves aren't that big and it's just a chill beach town.
My favorite day of the trip went as such.... Over bloody Mary's upon waking (duh) we decided we would go to the Halewia Park & hit the waterfalls since it was close by, and then to jump off the Waimea beach's famous rock. During all of this, we met a local who told us a specific time & beach to go to and watch the sea turtles come to shore.The waterfall ended up being in a state park that was pretty touristy not exactly what I would consider a good hike. Like, the trail to the falls was paved... Or you can just go off roading everytime a pathway is blocked off or a 'dont go past this point' sign like our friend Adam decided to do. Either way, you can still enjoy the lush surroundings and the many type of native trees & flowers. The falls themselves were a disappointment. You had to wear a life vest to swim, and there is no jumping point into the swimming hole. But, for a family or someone not looking for an adrenaline rush, it's pretty cool. The waterfall was 15-20 ft high.
Waimea beach is a beach lovers dream come true. Turquoise waters, a mountain background, Sandy shore, rocks to jump off of, and locals striking up a beach football game. The rock everyone jumps off is quite popular, and quite the rush. It's a heck of a lot higher in person and looking over the edge. Some of us took a little longer to take the leap than others, ahem... Kate ;).
After our adrenaline rush of an afternoon, relaxing on an empty beach waiting for sea turtles was welcomed. We napped, we walked, we got bored and built a sand turtle, we climbed a tree and chilled up there for a while, and finally... we went and bought booze & tuna poke. The determination to see the turtles was there. But after 2 hours, our attention span was not. We were very careful not to disturb the turtles along the shore that kept poking their head out of the water, until we started with the vodka lemonades. Around sunset we finally threw in the towel and went for a swim. Of course that's when a giant sea turtle decides to come ashore. It was quite the sight, and picked the spot right where an intimate wedding was taking place.
Our own sand turtle we built was a hit with a few tourists (apparently our 'local' beach was also a tourist spot to see the turtles). A bus dropped off at one point and a group of Asians hurried off cameras in hand and hustled excitedly to our turtle. Only after snapping a couple of photos and getting close did they realize it wasn't a real turtle. We were watching the entire thing unfold from our tree, this was definitely a highlight on the day. One guy even turned and told us, 'I'm a Japanese TV star' as we laughed at them & our booby-trap turtle set up.
After enjoying the sunset, and meeting a surfing pig (seriously), we decided more booze and a bonfire should happen. We built our own little beach bonfire, and enjoyed an evening making s'mores and sitting around a bonfire on the North Shore of Hawaii. I bet ya can't find that day on any tour guide.
Staying on the North Shore is the way I would recommend to go if you're staying on Oahu and want a relaxed Hawaii experience. We had at house on a resort where Zac Efron was filming a movie.... yes, our eyes were always on the lookout. Actually we walked straight through the movie set at the pool like bosses on our first day there. We were just trying to find the beach. On the North Shore we also snorkeled at Sharks cove, and enjoyed some delicious food truck eats on a couple of occasions.
Kate and I decided to road trip back to Honolulu after snorkeling where we hiked up Diamond Head. Sweat was pouring by the time we climbed all the stairs to get to the top. The view was worth a hike 3 times longer tho. It was a a long day, but very much worth it.
We all packed up and headed to the airport on day 4 only to send 2 of the 5 off. Kate and Dante got jumpseats, and after Meghan and I did not we were able to convince Adam to stay another night with us. That was about the extent of our attempt to leave Hawaii that day. So we stayed an extra night on Wikiki Beach and had a great time. We really should have stayed at the airport and tried to go home. The hangover on the long flight to lax and redeye to dfw the next night were rough.
But we made it, and have a great trip to look back on. Til next time Hawaii
No comments:
Post a Comment