Day 9 Hawaii-North Side of Oahu

Day 9

Wow, time flies! Today we drove up to Nu'uanu Pali Look-Out. The road winds through the

hanging vines, bamboo, wild ginger and the thick jungle. The vines hung so low we stopped so Jaren and Michelle could swing through the trees dropping right into the convertable! Just like Tarzan & Jane. :)

The Nu'uanu Pali Look-Out is unique in that it is at the center of a canyon that cuts through the Ko'olua Mountians ~ which cut right through the middle of the island. You have stunning panoramic views of both sides of the island. And because this canyon cuts through these large mountains there are gale force winds that rush through the canyon and nearly knock you over. Or, we had fun leaning into the raging wind and the strength of the wind held us up.

There were fierce battles fought here anciently, again reminiscent of Book of Mormon battles.

From there we continued our drive down Pali Highway to the north side of the island: the quiet, cooler, wetter, greener side. Quite different than the bustling, toursit filled leeward side with Honolulu & Waikiki.

We stopped at a couple different beaches, finally settling on Waimea Bay. We never did find big waves- which the North Shore is so famous for. But we were there the wrong time of year. Wintertime brings the giant 50' waves. Oh well. We swam & snorkeled and we saw lots of fish again, another big sea turtle, eels and sting rays.

There were big lava rocks Jaren & Michelle climbed up and went of a pretty high one: about 25'. We swam out to a smaller clump of rocks and jumped & dove into the water. It was lots of fun. Then Doug & the kids discovered a tunnel under a bunch of rock. It took a BIG breath but I made it through. It was so cool. So everyone tried and made it. We went through a few times. We stayed & swam & snorkeled & jumped off rocks until the sun went down. We wanted every last minute ~ every last ray of sunlight that we could get on our last day on a Hawaiin beach.

Day 8 Hawaii-Poly Cultural Center

Day 8

Welcome to the Polynesian Cultural CenterWe drove to the complete opposite side of the island to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. As usual it was another picturesque drive with spectacular scene after spectacular scene! I was so excited for Doug, Jaren & Michelle to experience the PCC. It was one of my favorite things when I came to Hawaii as a teenager. I told them it was like Disneyland, but without the rides... but just as fun and entertaining.

First, we stopped at the temple, which is right next door. We were disappointed, as we were planning our trip, to discover that the temple would be closed for renovations while we were there. We really wanted to do baptisms. We have had such neat experiences going to the temples in places we travel. Next time ~ we'll just have to come back! :) But the temple grounds in Hawaii are, of course, amazingly beautiful.



We also stopped in at BYU Hawaii. We found the Assistant Athletic Director and the Basketball Coach. We had a nice visit with them. Who knows, it could be a fun option for Jaren. Then Doug & I would definitely have to visit often!



Then to the PCC where we spent the whole rest of the day. We were welcomed with a lei greeting. We visited all the different villages. Our favorite villages were: Tonga and Samoa. Both the guys that performed were hilarious ~ especially the Somoan kid.(above) The whole time we were cracking up. We were laughing so hard we were crying.



We played Maori games with sticks and balls, we danced the Hula, we learned how to correctly and perfectly crack and shed a coconut, and we did some spear chucking. And we loved watching the parade along the canal. It was hot so we ate lots of delicious fruity ice cream with fresh peaches and pineapple in it. Mmmm...














At 6:00 we went to a big, delicious all-you-can-eat Hawaiin Luau! We loved the fruit, the fish, the rice, the purple sweet potatoes and especially the Kuala pork! It is so good. Jaren especially loved the all-you-can-eat part! During dinner there was, of course, a show with singers and dancers. All in authentic, splendid Luau form. I loved that there was absolutely no alchohol served anywhere in the park and we started dinner with a prayer. After dinner we stayed for the big show in their new amphitheater: "Ha ~ the Breath of Life". It was very good. It was a long, fun, wonderful day. Just like Disneyland. :)

Day 7 Hawaii Cont...Arrive Honolulu

Day 7 Continued..

Oahu, Honolulu, Waikiki... just one little island away from Maui but in some ways it seems worlds away. We arrived in Oahu and got our rental car and we got a convertable Mustang. Now, that's the way to drive around Hawaii. So fun! The kids were totally excited. We checked into our hotel and then we went out to walk around Waikiki. Waikiki is filled with tourists: 10,000 hotel rooms crammed into dozens of skyscraper hotels. The streets are packed with people and shop after shop after shop filled with much of the same touristy memorablilia: T-shirts, candy, jewelery, grass skirts, leis, swimsuits, woodcarvings and postcards! The streets are also lined with restaurants, ice cream parlors, or the popular shaved ice. We decided that Waaikiki reminded us of New York City: crowded with shops & people ~ but also with palm trees. :)

Day 7 Hawaii-Last Day Maui

Day 7 Our last day on Maui. Very Sad! We spent some time shopping for souvenirs, but mostly we spent the day on the beach. We went down to Mekena ~ Big Beach again because we like the waves there and it is close.

We are sad to leave Maui. We have had so much fun here. We have loved the beaches, swimming, snorkeling, all the fish, and the beautiful scenery.

We are glad we've had the chance to come see this beautiful paradise ~ it is a bit of heaven on earth! We flew out at 5:00pm... here we come Oahu!

Oahu, Honolulu, Waikiki... just one little island away from Maui but in some ways it seems worlds away. We arrived in Oahu and got our rental car and we got a convertable Mustang. Now, that's the way to drive around Hawaii. So fun! The kids were totally excited.

We checked into our hotel and then we went out to walk around Waikiki. Waikiki is filled with tourists: 10,000 hotel rooms crammed into dozens of skyscraper hotels. The streets are packed with people and shop after shop after shop filled with much of the same touristy memorablilia: T-shirts, candy, jewelery, grass skirts, leis, swimsuits, woodcarvings and postcards! The streets are also lined with restaurants, ice cream parlors, or the popular shaved ice. We decided that Waaikiki reminded us of New York City: crowded with shops & people ~ but also with palm trees. :)

Day 6 Hawaii "Up Country"

Day 6
Today we drove to the "up country" of west Maui. To the wet, lush and magnificently beautiful, green 'Iao Valley and 'Iao Needle.


Thick with rain forest, trees, vegetation, bushes, vines, flowers, and a river flowing through. But in all it's splendor and beauty it has a tragic history. It was here that King Kamehameha I battled and conquered the people of Maui ~ uniting , for the first time, all of the Hawaiin islands. King Kamehameha and his 1200 fierce & skilled warriors trapped the Maui warriors in this canyon. Finally after the 3rd day of bloody battle King Kamehameha was victorious.


But it is called the Battle of Kepamiwai, which means: "Battle of the Damned Waters" because there were so many dead that their bodies filled




the river and blocked the water. It is said that the river ran red with the blood of the slain. As we thought about this violent scene it reminded us of Book of Mormon battles.



From there we drove around the west coast of Maui. We have now driven the entire circumference of this island! It is another long, narrow, twisty road. Although not quite as long or twisty as the Road to Hana it is still filled with beautiful beaches & breathtaking scenery. Whoa-Jaren, watch that edge!








Another roadside stand with fresh, ripe, sweet fruit. Here we drank the coconut milk fresh, right out of the coconut! Mmmmm....

Eventually we ended up in a favorite spot: Ka'anapali Beach for more swimming & snorkeling.

Day 5 Hawaii-Scuba Diving!

Day 5

SCUBA Diving!

Today was super fun! I love SCUBA diving and I was excited for Doug, Jaren & Michelle to go. We had to wake up really early: 5:45 am to catch our boat. We went out to Molokini Crater for our first dive. Molokini is a small volcano about 15 miles from Maui. It has a vast coral reef which makes for spectacular diving.After a mini Intro-Lesson for Doug, Jaren & Michelle we jumped into the water. Some of my photos turned out better than others. And some are from our SCUBA guide and his good camera. But nothing quite captures what it is really like being underwater with all the sea creatures. Awesome! We saw big sea turtles... lots of tropical fish... eels... sting rays...

And our guide caught an octopus! Doug & Jaren both held it! They let it go when it started to wrap it's tentacles around their necks and chest... just kidding, I mean around their arms! :) It was fascinating.











Our second dive was closer to the coast of Maui. We saw more turtles, eels, and tons of colorful fish. I was hoping for a shark, but no luck. It's probably for the best because I don't think Michelle would have done well with a shark!

After SCUBA diving we spent the rest of the day at Big Beach in Makena again. We had fun swimming and body surfing.

Day 4 Hawaii-Road to Hana

Day 4

*The Road to Hana*

Tucked away on the windy/rainy side of the island is Hana. It, in fact, is so far removed from the rest of the island that in ancient times the island chiefs would keep this little spot as their own hide-a-way. It is so beautiful and desireable that some fierce fighting occurred over it anciently.

To get to Hana one must drive the crazy Road to Hana! It twists & turns through thick jungles, lush rain forests, over bridges, past waterfalls, and along cliff edges for some 50 miles! Now, that may not sound long, but it is so twisty & turny & narrow it takes most of the day to drive it.

Plus we stopped several times along the way to hike into the jungles to discover streams and waterfalls, to look at the beautiful scenery, and to take lots of pictures. That was Jaren's favorite part. Haha

This is our first stop(left). We hiked back to Twin Falls. It was so cool ~ really like being in an Indiana Jones movie: hiking through thick jungles, pulling away the heavy vines dangling from the giant trees overhead, walking through the water-up to our hips-until we got to the falls. I was just waiting for a big snake to bite my ankle! :) These falls reminded us quite a bit of Misol Ha in the jungles of the Chiapas in Central America. Jaren & Michelle jumped off the rocks, swung like Tarzan from the rope into the water and swam around.




Mmmmm... a delicious fresh fruit smoothie from one of the many little roadside stands. We loved stopping at these stands for fresh, sweet, ripe fruit and/or yummy smoothies.
Mango-Pineapple ~ scrumptious!

We stopped here at Kaaumahina State Wayside for a picnic lunch. As you can see the view is truly breathtaking!
Our next stop was very exciting: the Ke'anae Peninsula, which is a huge lava coastline. The giant waves crash dangerously and excitingly on the lava. The wind blew furiously and the waves splashed. It was so fun, and a little scary. :) But mostly really fun and exciting.

We ended the long drive at the Oheu' Gulch: Seven Sacred Pools, where we swam and jumped off the cliffs.
It was a really fun day!

Day 3 Maui-Makena Beach

Day 3: August 2

Wow! Things sure have changed in the 30 years since I have been here. We found a nice, typical LDS chapel and the ward was big ~ filling the chapel & the overflow. Those are good changes.

After church we drove up to the first little, old chapel ever built in Hawaii. The early missionaries, in the 1850's had the most success here in Maui and this is where the first chapel was built and it still stands today. It is located near Pulehu, in the Kula area. George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith were two of the very first missionaries here.

We loved the acres and acres of sugarcane fields with their giant stalks of sugarcane. We had to get out and see just how tall the sugarcane stalks really were. They were tall! Jaren & Michelle thought they might sneak a sweet taste. :)

Then we went to the beach ~ Big Beach in Makena. It is a fun beach because it has good waves. One thing that Doug & the kids were surprised to discover about Hawaii was that there aren't always very many big waves on the beaches. But they enjoyed the other beach activities: snorkeling, swimming, cliff jumping etc... But we all really liked Big Beach in Makena because it had big fun waves and that is my kid's favorite part of the beach.