Tag Archives: Oahu

The Day of the Honu

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This past week, I had friends visiting Oahu after the wedding in Maui. On Saturday, we did the tour of the North Shore and on our way stopped at a beach close to Haleiwa to check out all of the sea turtles (Honu). There were probably about 20-30 turtles in the water that we could see and many of them came up on the shore. I hadn’t ever seen anything like it and am so happy I got to see these unique creatures up close while I live here!

Loved this one!
Turtles of all sizes in the water.
Thinking about going back in….

Hau`ula Loop Trail

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On Monday, we hiked the Hau`ula Loop trail with the kids. It is a 2.6 mile loop and was a great workout. We had nice weather with the exception of the major humidity. We were all soaked by the time we were done!

We all started out together, but definitely ended separately.
The riverbed was almost completely dry. Easy to cross.
It was super shaded on most of the trail.
Pretty flowers lining the trail in places.
Loved the shots of the sky and ocean through the trees.
Loved this.
First view of the valley. Gorgeous.
More of the valley.
Random palm tree in the middle of the woods.

First Peak of Olomana

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On Saturday, Josh and I hiked the first peak of the Olomana Trail. It has three peaks, but the first peak has the best views and is the highest. The other two peaks require you to be a much more advanced rock climber and since the best views are of the first peak, we didn’t see a need to hike past it (plus Josh has already done this hike a few times..including all three peaks). We could not have picked a better day to hike it. What can be a very muddy trail was dry and in perfect condition for hiking. It was a VERY humid day, but it made it quite the workout. We had a pretty steep incline the whole way there and towards the end, you had to start using ropes to hike up the rocks. I LOVED the rock climbing portion! Once we got to the top, the views were absolutely breathtaking. We could see Molokai, Maui and Lanai all at the same time. I didn’t even know that was possible! We had a beautiful 360 degree view of Kaneohe, Kailua and the Ko’olau mountain range behind us. One of the BEST hikes I have done on Oahu yet. Pictures below!

Walking down the road on the way to the trail.
The start of the trail.
Random abandoned buildings.
Starting to climb.
Little sign to water the Koa tree.
Pretty plant.
The start of the rock climbing.
At the top!
One side of our view from the top.
Maui, Molokai and Lanai. Amazing to see them all so clearly.
Mountain side from the top.
Mountains meeting the ocean.
Kailua (where I work).
So green.
Climbing down!

Chinatown – Honolulu

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On Thursday, Josh and I wandered around Chinatown and got a smoothie. After living just steps from it for two years, he had never been there. It’s WONDERFUL. I love going there and browsing the open markets, getting smoothies and just wandering around and soaking up the culture!

Loved walking through the marketplace and seeing all the fruits, vegetables and flowers!
Fun colors with the umbrellas and produce.
Cool shot of the different buildings.

Honolulu Museum of Art

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Yesterday, we went to the Honolulu Museum of Art for our field trip for work. We only went to a part of the museum, but I should definitely go back. It’s only about three blocks from where I live and they had some really neat pieces! A few of my favorites below.

Chihuly glass art. Love it!
Cool wall of masks
Part of a float (can’t remember where it’s from).
They had beautiful courtyards.

The Hawaii Nature Center

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Today for work we went to the Hawaii Nature Center to explore the trails there. We spent over two hours fishing in the stream, observing the plants in the area and searching for “decomposers” (bugs such as millipedes, beetles, roaches and worms that decompose the leaves and make soil). It was really cool to learn all about the different types of wildlife in the stream. We caught tons of freshwater shrimp…they are incredibly small..and see-through!

The stream at the beginning of our hike.
The trail.
Canopy of trees.
Allspice tree..the leaves smelled like gingerbread cookies.
There was a huge beehive in this tree.
Tons of heliconias.
Bridge over the stream.
Freshwater shrimp and snails.
Skeleton leaf.
Banyan tree
With all the rain and wind this past winter, this huge tree came tumbling down. This is the root structure of the tree. Pretty neat.
Fungus of sorts growing on the tree.

Waikiki Aquarium

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Today, I ventured to the Waikiki Aquarium for work. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they had great displays of the different marine life around Hawaii. My favorite were the two monk seals. One of them was abandoned at two days old by his mother. When he was rescued, they discovered he has cataracts and about 20% of his vision left. Once he was healthy, they set him free to live in the wild but he rapidly started losing weight because he couldn’t see to find his food. They brought him back in and he has lived at the aquarium ever since. He hopped up on the rocks while we were there. The volunteer that was educating us about him said any time he hears someone by his back gate he goes to investigate who it is. She said he loves the human interaction and just likes to spend time with people. The other monk seal that was there is significantly older and was abandoned at three weeks old by his mother. He is less active since he is older and gets really excited to be fed. Loved hearing their stories!

A crab crawling over a starfish.
Squid of sorts.
Jellyfish!
More jellyfish.
Starfish, sharks and giant fish.
Seahorses.
Creepy eels.
Some type of rays.
Hawaiian monk seal.
Hawaiian monk seal.
Hawaiian monk seal…love this one!
Shrimp

Ko Olina Beach

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Today, Josh and I decided to head to Ko Olina since neither of us had ever been to that part of the island. We hung out at Lagoon 4 (it is made up of four lagoons and numerous resorts sit on the various lagoons). It was great for swimming and a great place to enjoy the beautiful day!

Enjoying the scenery at Ko Olina Beach.
Ko Olina Beach Lagoon 4