Tag Archives: island life

life in hawaii

Emel Is Here!

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My first visitor in Hawaii arrived today…Emel!! I am so excited for our fun week ahead!! We went to one of my favorite restaurants to kick off the week (Soul de Cuba) and celebrated her arrival with dinner and drinks! Then we headed to Du Vin for dessert. Welcome to Hawaii Emel!!!

Emel is here!!!
We started the night off with bloody marys and a mojito.
Fricase de Pollo….my favorite!
Pollo Frito en Mojo y Miel
Chocolate cake at Du Vin
Affogato…an espresso float.

Old Pali Road to Likeke Falls Hike

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This past Saturday, Josh and I hiked the old Pali road to the Likeke waterfall. We started at the Pali Lookout and headed down the old Pali road (the Pali is now a major highway that takes you from Honolulu to Kaneohe). The hike was a little over three miles roundtrip…it was incredibly windy at the Pali lookout, so we jogged the first part down the road. We then came to a point in the trail where you can continue on to the Maunawili Trail or go left and climb under the current Pali Highway. To get to the waterfall we climbed down and under the highway and continued on through the woods. It was a super fun trail and a great workout as the entire way back up is uphill. The waterfall, while one of the smaller ones I have seen, was beautiful. There were also some great views along the way and at the falls. Great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

A sign warning us of bees during high winds. It was incredibly windy…no bees though.
The view looking back towards the lookout.
A slightly different view than the Pali lookout.
Looking back up the road after we came down from the lookout.
Beware of falling rocks.
Start of the trail after the road closed sign
Where we had to crawl under the current highway.
Graffiti under the highway. Pretty cool.
Under the highway.
More graffiti.
Panoramic of under the highway.
Walking down the path on the other side fo the highway. Pretty flowers.
Steps..the start to the next part of the trail to the falls.
Pretty view looking out towards Kaneohe from the falls.
Waterfall.
Once again me forcing Josh to take his picture.
A teeny, tiny frog was hanging out in the pond below the falls.
Me under the road.
Coming back up the old road.
It was my turn to be forced into a picture.

The Big Island: Trip 1 – Day 1

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This past weekend, Josh and I headed to the Hilo side of the Big Island for four days. Our Friday started out with our flight leaving at 5:30 a.m. So, Josh had set his alarm for 3:00 a.m. so we could get up, finish packing and be ready to leave around 3:45 a.m. for the airport. Well something happened and it didn’t go off so we woke up to the doorman from downstairs at 3:50 a.m. calling to let us know that our cab had arrived. We flew out of bed, grabbed our stuff and somehow made it to the security line at the airport in 25 minutes. Definitely an interesting way to start your vacation! But we made it!

We landed in Hilo around 6:30 a.m., grabbed our bag and got the rental car (a Jeep Wrangler…which turned out to be key for our weekend adventures). Now, many of you reading know our luck with rain and vacations (re: Kauai part one and our Molokai trip in December). Well, turns out this trip we would also be blessed with a TON of rain. Almost the moment we got in the rental car it started raining…to which Josh’s response was “Well they must have known we were coming”.

We ended up at a place called Ken’s House of Pancakes (recommended from online reviews and the lady at the rental car place) for breakfast. It was exactly what we needed…mostly I needed the coffee!

We could see this sign from our breakfast table and thought it was great. Not many places will you see a directional sign pointing you to the town of Volcano.
Much needed morning coffee!
I had scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. Delicious!

 

After breakfast, we headed to Sports Authority to get Josh a rain jacket. It didn’t open until 9:00 a.m. so we had some time to kill. What might you do in the pouring down rain waiting for a store to open in Hilo? Why take a car nap of course! So that is what we did. We took a nap in the Sports Authority parking lot for an hour (Yes, I’m sure to anyone who witnessed this we looked creepy. No, we didn’t really care because we were tired 🙂 ).

After our trip to Sports Authority, we were ready to start exploring Hilo. Our first stop was Rainbow Falls. It is possibly the most beautiful and unique waterfall I have ever seen. There is a cave underneath the falls where King Kamehameha is said to have buried the bones of his father. The cave is huge and, in my opinion, what makes this waterfall so unique. We ventured up the trail to the left and found a GIANT banyan tree! I doubt we will ever see anything quite like it again. The picture of Josh standing next to it really puts how large the tree is into perspective.

Rainbow Falls
Rainbow Falls
The cave underneath the falls.
Path to the top of the falls.
The top of the falls.
Giant Banyan Tree
Josh standing next to the tree for perspective.

 

After visiting Rainbow Falls, we headed about a mile up the road to Boiling Pots and Pe`epe`e Falls. It REALLY started to rain, so we took this time to change into rain jackets and hiking shoes. After waiting for the rain to stop (it did not…only slowed down) we went to see what these two attractions were all about. While they were beautiful, we didn’t get to hike down to them in the rain. Using our better judgment we decided to skip the possibility of hurting ourselves on the slick rocks hiking to the falls on our first day there (and by we I mean me, because I am the less graceful one).

Boiling Pots
Tree by Boiling Pots
Pe`epe`e Falls
Pe`epe`e Falls and Boiling Pots

 

About another mile up the road was Wai`ale Falls. We stopped and viewed it from the bridge. We didn’t hike for the same reasons as before since the conditions weren’t that great. It was beautiful and impressive with how much water was flowing. Rainbow Falls, Pe`epe`e Falls and Wai`ale Falls are all along the Wailuku River. Pretty magnificent span of nature along that river!

Wai`ale Falls
Wai`ale Falls and Dam

 

Taro Burger

After we finished exploring the waterfalls, we headed back into Hilo for lunch. We decided to eat at Island Naturals Market and Deli. I had a Taro Burger and Josh had a mix of stuff from the “create your own lunch” area. The burger was pretty tasty. I LOVE veggie burgers and wasn’t sure what to expect…but it was pretty good! We then decided to ruin our healthy lunches with a stop at Big Island Candies to see what it was all about. Along with tasting a multitude of different cookies, chocolates, etc., we were able to see their operation through big glass windows. It was impressive!

Big Island Candies

Big Island Candies

Once we had tasted our way through Big Island Candies, we headed to check out Kauamana Cave. The cave was created by the Mauna Loa lava flow of 1881. Kauamana Cave is a 2-mile long lava tube with an interruption, which is now the entrance to the cave. When we entered the cave we had two options, to the right is a large opening and to the left is a smaller one. We went to the right first and looked around. Josh went a little farther than I did..it was creepy…and I’m claustrophobic…and way more afraid of the dark than I previously thought I was. We then explored the part to the left and both went pretty far into the cave. At first it looks like it doesn’t go anywhere, but once you crawl through a pretty low overhang, it opens up into a huge, open cave. We could have spent hours exploring, but with the cave being pitch black and only having one flashlight and no extra batteries, we stayed for an hour or so and then headed back up to daylight.

Kaumana Caves entrance
Stairs to Kaumana Caves
Cave to the Right
Inside the first cave looking up.
Looking into the cave.
Entrance to the cave from the inside looking out.
Graffiti in the cave
Inside the cave a little farther looking outside.
Josh in the cave with his flashlight.
Inside the second cave looking out.
Cave within a cave. Who knows what was in there!
Brown hardened lava.
More lava in the cave.
Josh in the small crevice in the cave. I happily volunteered to take a photo and not crawl in myself.
After crawling through a small overhang, it opened up into this huge cave!
So dark! Picture of the lava tube with a flash.
This boulder had fallen from the top of the cave. It was very unique.

 

After being in the cave with one flashlight, we decided a second trip to Sports Authority was necessary for the day. This time, to purchase me a headlamp. Being in darkness like that with only one flashlight for two people made it rather difficult. So we ventured back into Hilo, purchased a headlamp (no nap this time), said goodbye to Hilo and headed towards Pahoa.

Pahoa turned out to be a pretty cool little town. At first, after reading in my guidebook on the way there that it was known as the Big Island’s outlaw town full of guerilla gardeners, dreadlock enthusiasts, FBI fugitives and the never-bathe crowd, I was somewhat concerned. Even more concerned when I realized this is where our B&B was located. However, no concern was needed as this turned out to be an excellent people-watching experience in a pretty dynamic town. Pahoa is a real hippie town…I’m talking organic loving, no-bra wearing, “I think I’ll smoke this illegal substance in my car”, hitchhikers everywhere kind of town. It definitely made it interesting!

After passing through Pahoa, we decided to have one last stop for the day before checking in to our B&B. We were excited because it had stopped raining and this seemed like a great time to go spend a half hour or so in Lava Tree State Park. Lava trees form when pahoehoe lava (lava with a smooth, shiny or swirled surface) covers wet trees. As the lava drains away, it leaves the tree entirely encased in a thick coat, hardening around the tree. The park was an easy 20 minute stroll around sections of lava trees. Pretty incredible to see. Towards the end of our stroll it started pouring (naturally) so we raced back to the car and headed to our B&B.

Beautiful flowers at the entrance.
Sign at the entrance.
The path into the woods.
The first lava tree
Group of lava trees.
I have no idea what this is but I liked it and thought it was pretty.
Earth crack in the ground.

 

We checked in to Hale Moana, our B&B, met the owner and saw where we would be staying. It was great! We had a private entrance and a small studio room. We would be eating breakfast out in a screened in porch area and both the front and back yards were incredibly gorgeous with unique flowers, rocks, etc. It was a beautiful place to stay!

Hale Moana from the back.
Hale Moana view of the backyard.

 

We showered and changed and headed into Pahoa to a restaurant called Kaleo’s Bar & Grill at the recommendation of Petra, the B&B owner. It did not disappoint! I got soup and salad and Josh got fish. It was delicious! The pictures below do a much better job of describing it than I ever could.

Tempura Ahi Roll served with spicy lilikoi sauce
Boston Clam Chowder…my favorite!
Orzo, spinach, tomato, olives, feta, capers, parmesan, pine nuts, lemon.
Fresh fish coconut crusted served with sweet & spicy lilikoi sauce.
Banana Spring rolls with Vanilla Ice Cream

 

Dinner was the end of an incredibly busy first day on the Big Island!! We headed back and crashed in preparation for the next few days ahead!

Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail

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Today Josh and I hiked the Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Trail. The trail has about a 1,700 foot elevation over the course of a little of two miles and it took us about two and a half hours. The trail was pretty easy for the first mile and a half…then it got pretty steep and was definitely a calorie burn for the last half mile or so. This is Josh’s favorite hike and absolutely one I want to go on again..the terrain changed frequently throughout the trail and we were constantly surrounded by different, beautiful landscapes. The reward at the end was a ridiculous 360 degree view which included the windward coast, Hawaii Kai, Koko Head and Diamond Head.

First nice view on the hike.
Random cave along the way.
Pretty flowers…they were everywhere!
Start of the pine trees
The trees made a canopy over the trail.
This area was so open…with a blanket of pine needles on the ground.
Heading into the woods. Loved this shot.
Looking back over the first steep portion of the trail. Harder than it looks.
Josh walking through the frame of trees in the trail.
Picture of the valley on the way up.
Josh heading up the trail. Loved the sky in the background.
Diamond Head in the distance.
Koko Head
The end had lots and lots and lots of stairs.
Looking back at Hawaii Kai and Koko Head.
The view at the top. Quite worth it. The view windward coast never gets old.
Peaks to the left.
Koko Head to the right.
Looking down at the valley.
Behind us, Hawaii Kai.
Stairs heading back down the trail.
Almost done with the stairs!
Josh heading down the trail.

Kayaking in Kailua

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Josh and I went kayaking yesterday off of Kailua. It. Was. Amaaaaazing. Definitely one of the most fun things I’ve done on Oahu (and I feel like I’ve done a lot of fun things). We started out in the morning around 9:30 and came back around 2:30 in the afternoon. It was pretty cloudy and windy…which made it rather chilly with the water spraying us from the wind. Along with it being overcast, there was a surf advisory for the north and west sides of Oahu which made the normal glassy, calm water around Kailua beach and Lanikai pretty choppy.

We loaded up the kayak from Windward Water Sports in Kailua and headed towards Kailua beach. We parked, got the kayak off Josh’s car and headed towards the beach with all our stuff. Neither of us had kayaked before, but we successfully launched off the beach (probably our most successful launch of the day) and headed towards Popoi’a (Flat Island). It is located about a quarter mile off of Kailua Beach Park and is about four acres in size. Flat Island is a State Seabird Sanctuary where about 3,000 wedge-taled shearwater seabirds call home. The birds nest in the many sink holes on the island so you have to be careful where you step, stay off the center of the island and walk only around the edge. You also have a great view of the Mokulua Islands (our final destination on our kayak adventure).

I was sitting there with my feet dangling in a hole, enjoying the view of The Mokes.
My feet in this random hole in the ground. So cool!
Kaneohe Bay from Flat Island
Kite Surfers taking advantage of the wind!
Fellow kayakers heading towards Moku Nui.
The house Josh and I would buy if we won the lottery.
Water rushing through the rocks on Flat Island.
Water tunnel on Flat Island. Very neat!

 

After taking some pictures and walking around the island, we got back in the kayak and headed towards The Mokes. This was a bit longer of a journey and definitely a good arm/back workout with the wind and waves. We also had to navigate around the reef and the snorkelers. We finally arrived at Moku Nui (the larger of the two islands) in a rather adventurous landing. A pretty large wave pushed us all the way up into the beach and we had to scramble out and drag our kayak up out of the surf (we were soaked). After getting ourselves together, we gathered our stuff and headed off to the right side of the island to see what it could offer. The terrain was rocky, but nothing that we couldn’t conquer in flip flops. We found a spot, sat down and had a snack and hung out and dried off in the sun.

After about a half hour, a tour came by and the guide pointed out a place where people could jump into a shallow pool. It was pretty cool, so Josh decided to jump and I took pictures.

Josh psyching himself up.
Josh posing.
Still talking himself into it.
Ok..this is it.
Go!
Flying man.
Hitting the water.
Splash!
Success!

 

After Josh jumped, we headed back towards the beach to visit the other side of the island.  We had a pretty good view of Moku Iki, which is off limits to visitors as it is also a State Seabird Sanctuary (so is the middle of Moku Nui), along with great views of Lanikai Beach.  After venturing the other way a bit, we headed back towards the kayak to take off and head back to Kailua Beach. This is where it gets interesting…we packed up our stuff and had the most adventurous launch off of Moku Nui. What we thought was a calm area turned out to be where all of the waves from both directions around the island converged into the perfect storm approximately right when Josh and I tried to launch off the beach. This resulted in us doing a 360 a few times and being completely owned by the ocean. Our water bottle went flying off the kayak, the dry bag somehow stayed attached and we both were dying laughing (along with the rest of the people standing on the beach watching us). A very nice person caught our water bottle in the waves and gave us a nice shove and we were off! It was absolutely hilarious…not a single part of us stayed dry. After that, we headed back to Kailua, loaded up the kayak (harder than it sounds) and drove it back to the rental place. All in all, a HUGE success for our first kayaking adventure!

The lighthouse Josh and I hiked to a few weeks ago.
Moku Iki
So pretty…
Water rushing into the inlet.
Fellow kayakers headed to and from Moku Nui.
Somewhere in there is our kayak.
If you look closely, you can see a small minnow.
More kayakers headed to and from.
A cluster of snails in the tide pool.
Panoramic view from Moke Nui.