Hawaii recap
Hawaii - Arrival
We arrive in Honolulu at 8:50 PM, about 10 minutes early. Which is great because our plane for Kauai takes off at 9:35. We don't have time to grab our luggage so we abandon it at the airport (It wasn't checked through as we were switching airlines) and sprint for the far end of the airport. (go from gate 16 to 73!) I get there first and tell the attendant that three more are coming. I show my ID but when the other three arrive we are rushed onto the tarmac with no security at all. The pilot checks that everyone is going to Kauai as there are more people on the plane than there should be….. Hmmm.. Wonder why :) Our attendant is a part time steward, full time surfer and was very entertaining. We were greeted in Kauai by the 'rents with Leias for kachera and I.
Day 1 Sunday
We had a lazy morning at our Condo at the Cliffs in Princeville. There was some hand feeding of birds and a Nene welcoming committee. then it was off to Lihue for luggage and a Costco Run. (There was also some Christmas shopping in Kapaa. After our return to the North side we hit the beach for some body surfing.
Day 2 - Christmas
It was a little rainy so we headed down to the South side of the island. We visited Spouting Horn where it really did sound like dragons. There were also a few sea turtles playing in the surf. We then went to Po'ipu Beach where there was a Monk Seal sand bathing. We had a good time watching it try to bury itself in the sand. That evening was Christmas so there was much wrapping of presents and several last minute trips into Princeville (Foodland Express!!!) for gifts. Santa was good to us with socks for everyone, some scalp massagers, Hawaiian bags and a Kauai Helicopter tour.
Day 3 - Tuesday
Kachera, Mr. Kachera, macavite and I headed to Waimea Canyon. The weather was beautiful and the skies clear so there where some great views. On the way there we stopped off at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens Admin building to see the building that Mr. Kachera's company provided the wood for and got into a great conversation with two employees there. We were offered free passes to the park and told to "go past the do not enter sign and you will see a great waterfall." We didn't have time to take them up on it today but thought we might try it Wednesday after our catamaran trip. The Canyon was fantastic. We went to the very end and then three of us hiked in for about a mile. (Mr. Kachera stayed behind). It was a crazy hike with a lot of steep climbing, some tree hugging and mud. The views though were worth it. That evening was a belated birthday party for Macavite's older brother. He turned 40 so there was cake, ice cream and a few 1970 themed presents.
Day 4 - Wednesday
We got up early to head to the other side of the island for the catamaran trip up the Na Pali coast. Got there to discover that the trip was canceled due to high wind and surf. We managed to reschedule for Friday. The six of us then headed further west to Polihale Beach State Park which is as far west as you can go before you hit the Na Pali cliffs. It is at the end of a 5 mile dirt road labeled 4 wheel drive only. Macavite's background of North Dakota farm driving served us well and the minivan made it without any problem. When we got there the beach was practically empty with two women sunbathing and one man walking around. and we had a great time. The tide was out enough to expose some rocks so we snorkeled the morning away. The tide did push us around a bit and I managed to bang my leg against the rocks at some point leaving some DNA behind. Our "exclusive' 2 mile beach was starting to fill up around 11:30 with nearly 12 peopple, so we headed into town for lunch and then on to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens Admin building for our "exclusive self guided tour". We received our visitor passes and "authorized vehicle" pass for the van and as we had an invitation to go past the "do not enter" signs we did. We never found the waterfall but we found many other things including some very steep cliffs, one way roads and official garden vehicles coming towards us. EEEEP! After making the garden van back up so that we could get past them, we turned around and followed them back out and left town before the officials could be called in on the stupid tourists :)
Day 5 - Thursday
Woke up early again for a helicopter tour. Somehow Mac's dad found a company that would seat all three kids and their spouses so we have a grand ride over the island. It was fun having him point out the many places we had all ready been to. We also saw mountain goats on the Na Pali cliffs. We rested a bit at the condo and then we headed out again toward the north coast. Mac's mom, dad and sister in law parked out on the beach while the other five of us found some great snorkeling at Tunnels. It is here we discovered what it is like to snorkel in SHALLOW water and heard Kachera yell the fated word "Turtle!Turtle!Turtle!". Sure enough, several turtles were swimming in the same reefs we were. We made it back to shore the long way and watched a different set of turtles play in the rocks right in front of our beach towels. Mac and I finished out the day with a shopping trip in Kapaa where I purchased a great dress and had drinks in Scotty's bar.
Day 6 - Friday
Super early morning as we had to be at the south side of the island by 7am! We made it there in plenty of time and were very happy to find out that the boats would go out for the first time since Monday. After stern warnings about how rough the seas could be and that if the boat has to turn around it is not refundable, we loaded up on the Blue Dolphin II with about 30 other folks. One family with a young boy in crutches was asked to leave the boat and it didn't take long for us to discover why. The seas were rough and it was a fun ride. I think Mac's mom had the most fun though; she didn't stop smiling. Eventually we got to calmer waters and we were allowed to wonder the boat and they serviced a great breakfast. The entire time the crew was there offering us sodas, juices, and snacks. The service on the boat was fantastic!
We spotted several dozen humpback whales (shouldn't they be off the Oregon coast by now?), including two that came up and slapped their tails right in front of the boat. Sharp eyed Kachera also spotted some dolphins who promptly found the now slowing boat and before you know it we were surrounded by at least 30 spinner dolphins, many with babies at their side. After about 10 minutes we had to leave the dolphins behind and we made for our snorkeling spot where most of us jumped in the water. The highlight was spotting a very large blue trevally. The fun part was talking about it to our native Hawaiian lifeguard who didn't believe it and told us it was a parrot fish. Eventually we convinced him to come over and look at it and when it put his goggles on and looked into the water he was so excited. After muttering something about wishing he had his spear he dived deep into the water. Fish that had ignored our white skin and bright yellow life jackets suddenly scattered when they saw the brown skinned, no life jacket swimmer deep in the reefs. He told us that spotting that had made his day. Eventually snorkeling was over and we reboarded the boat for lunch and mai tais. We headed up the Na Pali coast line until high waves and surf forced us to turn around and head for home.
We had a great dinner that night at Tahiti Nui, the olded Hawaiian bar. We got to hang with the locals, listen to local musicians and watch some hula dancers. Mac even stuck up a conversation with a local who owns a few Harley dealerships in California and promised to send him a HD shirt.
Day 7 - Saturday
Woke up Saturday to an Easter egg hunt. Although soundly defeated in number by those that had been up early and had time to scout around I did manage to redeem myself a bit by finding the last egg in the kitchen sink pipes. We then packed up our bags and headed toward the airport. Mac's parents were joining us in Oahu but were on an earlier plane and his brother and sister-in-law where spending a few days on the big island so it was just Mac, Kachera, Mr. Kachera and I. As the four of us had 3 hours between checkout time and airport time we took the long way to Lihue. We wandered around what we called the Jurassic Park area and looked at houses and lots for sail and then we checked out two area waterfalls. Finally it was time to head to Oahu. Our Oahu digs were fantastic! It was a beautiful house in a residential area on the ridge overlooking Pearl Harbor. It had a huge covered deck from which we could watch incoming planes land at the airport by night and keep an eye on the harbor by day. Mac and I did an evening scouting mission of Waikiki before turning in for the night.
Day 8 - Sunday
The six of us toured Oahu and visited many of the place the Eide's hung out while they lived on Oahu. We spent some time exploring the Queen's Gate area including Sandy Beach, Makapu'u Beach and Bellows Beach. Unfortunately it was to windy and cold to actually spend any time there so we headed down to Waikiki where the weather was much better. We wandered the street for a bit and did a little shopping before gathering back up and heading back to home base for a wonderful barbeque dinner.
Day 9 - Monday
After doing a bit of online research I found several reviews of a beach up on the north shore that was highly recommended for snorkeling during winter's high surf. The four kids headed up there early morning with plans to join the parents at the Polynesian Cultural Center in the afternoon. It was a beautiful drive and we stopped a few times for pictures, particularly when we spotted a surfing championship sign. While watching the surfers I also spotted a girl riding with a bareback pad (okay), barefoot (eep!), no helmet (double eep), running her horse in the super soft sand (Oh my God!!!!!). I was so very close to telling her off and likely would have if I saw her in the parking lot as we were leaving. Gah! The snorkeling at Turtle Bay Resort was as good as promised. We saw puffer fish, needle fish, and our favorite, blue spotted box fish. There were also lots of sea cucumbers, sea urchins and sponges for you invertebrate fans.
PCC was also lots of fun. We learned how Samoans make fire and coconut juice, listened to Tongans drum, watched Tahitians dance (makes belly dancing look slow) and took in the evening show that was very very impressive - lots of fire!
Day 10 - Tuesday
It was our last day in Hawaii and we wanted to make it count. Again, the kids struck off on our own. First it was a trip to an orchid farm where Mr. Kachera went a little crazy. He purchased several variety including my personal favorite, a small little flower that smelled like coconut. We then followed directions to a waterfall hike but aborted that idea when we saw some hikers come out of it covered in mud. It was also starting to rain again. Learning about Hawaii weather we left the rain and went to the dry side of the island and ended up hiking the Makapu'u Point Trail that ended up overlooking the Makapu'u lighthouse. Once again there were many whale sightings as well as some interesting plants and birds.We then revisited Mac's brother's and Obama's favorite beach, Sandy Beach, for some surfer crushing wave action. Finally we headed home and were joined again with Mac's brother and sister-in-law for a "traditional Eide Hawaiian dinner" of rice and chili. It was then off to the airport for the 4 Portlanders for our red eye flight home.
Pics are up at our flickr site.
We arrive in Honolulu at 8:50 PM, about 10 minutes early. Which is great because our plane for Kauai takes off at 9:35. We don't have time to grab our luggage so we abandon it at the airport (It wasn't checked through as we were switching airlines) and sprint for the far end of the airport. (go from gate 16 to 73!) I get there first and tell the attendant that three more are coming. I show my ID but when the other three arrive we are rushed onto the tarmac with no security at all. The pilot checks that everyone is going to Kauai as there are more people on the plane than there should be….. Hmmm.. Wonder why :) Our attendant is a part time steward, full time surfer and was very entertaining. We were greeted in Kauai by the 'rents with Leias for kachera and I.
Day 1 Sunday
We had a lazy morning at our Condo at the Cliffs in Princeville. There was some hand feeding of birds and a Nene welcoming committee. then it was off to Lihue for luggage and a Costco Run. (There was also some Christmas shopping in Kapaa. After our return to the North side we hit the beach for some body surfing.
Day 2 - Christmas
It was a little rainy so we headed down to the South side of the island. We visited Spouting Horn where it really did sound like dragons. There were also a few sea turtles playing in the surf. We then went to Po'ipu Beach where there was a Monk Seal sand bathing. We had a good time watching it try to bury itself in the sand. That evening was Christmas so there was much wrapping of presents and several last minute trips into Princeville (Foodland Express!!!) for gifts. Santa was good to us with socks for everyone, some scalp massagers, Hawaiian bags and a Kauai Helicopter tour.
Day 3 - Tuesday
Kachera, Mr. Kachera, macavite and I headed to Waimea Canyon. The weather was beautiful and the skies clear so there where some great views. On the way there we stopped off at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens Admin building to see the building that Mr. Kachera's company provided the wood for and got into a great conversation with two employees there. We were offered free passes to the park and told to "go past the do not enter sign and you will see a great waterfall." We didn't have time to take them up on it today but thought we might try it Wednesday after our catamaran trip. The Canyon was fantastic. We went to the very end and then three of us hiked in for about a mile. (Mr. Kachera stayed behind). It was a crazy hike with a lot of steep climbing, some tree hugging and mud. The views though were worth it. That evening was a belated birthday party for Macavite's older brother. He turned 40 so there was cake, ice cream and a few 1970 themed presents.
Day 4 - Wednesday
We got up early to head to the other side of the island for the catamaran trip up the Na Pali coast. Got there to discover that the trip was canceled due to high wind and surf. We managed to reschedule for Friday. The six of us then headed further west to Polihale Beach State Park which is as far west as you can go before you hit the Na Pali cliffs. It is at the end of a 5 mile dirt road labeled 4 wheel drive only. Macavite's background of North Dakota farm driving served us well and the minivan made it without any problem. When we got there the beach was practically empty with two women sunbathing and one man walking around. and we had a great time. The tide was out enough to expose some rocks so we snorkeled the morning away. The tide did push us around a bit and I managed to bang my leg against the rocks at some point leaving some DNA behind. Our "exclusive' 2 mile beach was starting to fill up around 11:30 with nearly 12 peopple, so we headed into town for lunch and then on to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens Admin building for our "exclusive self guided tour". We received our visitor passes and "authorized vehicle" pass for the van and as we had an invitation to go past the "do not enter" signs we did. We never found the waterfall but we found many other things including some very steep cliffs, one way roads and official garden vehicles coming towards us. EEEEP! After making the garden van back up so that we could get past them, we turned around and followed them back out and left town before the officials could be called in on the stupid tourists :)
Day 5 - Thursday
Woke up early again for a helicopter tour. Somehow Mac's dad found a company that would seat all three kids and their spouses so we have a grand ride over the island. It was fun having him point out the many places we had all ready been to. We also saw mountain goats on the Na Pali cliffs. We rested a bit at the condo and then we headed out again toward the north coast. Mac's mom, dad and sister in law parked out on the beach while the other five of us found some great snorkeling at Tunnels. It is here we discovered what it is like to snorkel in SHALLOW water and heard Kachera yell the fated word "Turtle!Turtle!Turtle!". Sure enough, several turtles were swimming in the same reefs we were. We made it back to shore the long way and watched a different set of turtles play in the rocks right in front of our beach towels. Mac and I finished out the day with a shopping trip in Kapaa where I purchased a great dress and had drinks in Scotty's bar.
Day 6 - Friday
Super early morning as we had to be at the south side of the island by 7am! We made it there in plenty of time and were very happy to find out that the boats would go out for the first time since Monday. After stern warnings about how rough the seas could be and that if the boat has to turn around it is not refundable, we loaded up on the Blue Dolphin II with about 30 other folks. One family with a young boy in crutches was asked to leave the boat and it didn't take long for us to discover why. The seas were rough and it was a fun ride. I think Mac's mom had the most fun though; she didn't stop smiling. Eventually we got to calmer waters and we were allowed to wonder the boat and they serviced a great breakfast. The entire time the crew was there offering us sodas, juices, and snacks. The service on the boat was fantastic!
We spotted several dozen humpback whales (shouldn't they be off the Oregon coast by now?), including two that came up and slapped their tails right in front of the boat. Sharp eyed Kachera also spotted some dolphins who promptly found the now slowing boat and before you know it we were surrounded by at least 30 spinner dolphins, many with babies at their side. After about 10 minutes we had to leave the dolphins behind and we made for our snorkeling spot where most of us jumped in the water. The highlight was spotting a very large blue trevally. The fun part was talking about it to our native Hawaiian lifeguard who didn't believe it and told us it was a parrot fish. Eventually we convinced him to come over and look at it and when it put his goggles on and looked into the water he was so excited. After muttering something about wishing he had his spear he dived deep into the water. Fish that had ignored our white skin and bright yellow life jackets suddenly scattered when they saw the brown skinned, no life jacket swimmer deep in the reefs. He told us that spotting that had made his day. Eventually snorkeling was over and we reboarded the boat for lunch and mai tais. We headed up the Na Pali coast line until high waves and surf forced us to turn around and head for home.
We had a great dinner that night at Tahiti Nui, the olded Hawaiian bar. We got to hang with the locals, listen to local musicians and watch some hula dancers. Mac even stuck up a conversation with a local who owns a few Harley dealerships in California and promised to send him a HD shirt.
Day 7 - Saturday
Woke up Saturday to an Easter egg hunt. Although soundly defeated in number by those that had been up early and had time to scout around I did manage to redeem myself a bit by finding the last egg in the kitchen sink pipes. We then packed up our bags and headed toward the airport. Mac's parents were joining us in Oahu but were on an earlier plane and his brother and sister-in-law where spending a few days on the big island so it was just Mac, Kachera, Mr. Kachera and I. As the four of us had 3 hours between checkout time and airport time we took the long way to Lihue. We wandered around what we called the Jurassic Park area and looked at houses and lots for sail and then we checked out two area waterfalls. Finally it was time to head to Oahu. Our Oahu digs were fantastic! It was a beautiful house in a residential area on the ridge overlooking Pearl Harbor. It had a huge covered deck from which we could watch incoming planes land at the airport by night and keep an eye on the harbor by day. Mac and I did an evening scouting mission of Waikiki before turning in for the night.
Day 8 - Sunday
The six of us toured Oahu and visited many of the place the Eide's hung out while they lived on Oahu. We spent some time exploring the Queen's Gate area including Sandy Beach, Makapu'u Beach and Bellows Beach. Unfortunately it was to windy and cold to actually spend any time there so we headed down to Waikiki where the weather was much better. We wandered the street for a bit and did a little shopping before gathering back up and heading back to home base for a wonderful barbeque dinner.
Day 9 - Monday
After doing a bit of online research I found several reviews of a beach up on the north shore that was highly recommended for snorkeling during winter's high surf. The four kids headed up there early morning with plans to join the parents at the Polynesian Cultural Center in the afternoon. It was a beautiful drive and we stopped a few times for pictures, particularly when we spotted a surfing championship sign. While watching the surfers I also spotted a girl riding with a bareback pad (okay), barefoot (eep!), no helmet (double eep), running her horse in the super soft sand (Oh my God!!!!!). I was so very close to telling her off and likely would have if I saw her in the parking lot as we were leaving. Gah! The snorkeling at Turtle Bay Resort was as good as promised. We saw puffer fish, needle fish, and our favorite, blue spotted box fish. There were also lots of sea cucumbers, sea urchins and sponges for you invertebrate fans.
PCC was also lots of fun. We learned how Samoans make fire and coconut juice, listened to Tongans drum, watched Tahitians dance (makes belly dancing look slow) and took in the evening show that was very very impressive - lots of fire!
Day 10 - Tuesday
It was our last day in Hawaii and we wanted to make it count. Again, the kids struck off on our own. First it was a trip to an orchid farm where Mr. Kachera went a little crazy. He purchased several variety including my personal favorite, a small little flower that smelled like coconut. We then followed directions to a waterfall hike but aborted that idea when we saw some hikers come out of it covered in mud. It was also starting to rain again. Learning about Hawaii weather we left the rain and went to the dry side of the island and ended up hiking the Makapu'u Point Trail that ended up overlooking the Makapu'u lighthouse. Once again there were many whale sightings as well as some interesting plants and birds.We then revisited Mac's brother's and Obama's favorite beach, Sandy Beach, for some surfer crushing wave action. Finally we headed home and were joined again with Mac's brother and sister-in-law for a "traditional Eide Hawaiian dinner" of rice and chili. It was then off to the airport for the 4 Portlanders for our red eye flight home.
Pics are up at our flickr site.