Punchbowl Cemetery

Posted on January 14, 2013 by sandersnm

Yesterday afternoon Josh and I walked to Punchbowl Cemetery or the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which is about a mile and a half from our apartment. Punchbowl is a giant volcanic crater that now serves as a memorial and resting place for those men and women who have served in the US Armed Forces. Approximately 53,000 men and women who served our country during WWI, WW2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, along with their significant others, have been buried or cremated here. It was incredibly peaceful and serene and you get a pretty cool view of the city as well. It was also a great reminder of those that have fought and died for our freedom. Thank you to so many individuals out there for serving our country past, present and future (including three of the most important men in my life…both of my wonderful grandfathers and Josh).

The view of the crater by our apartment.

Entrance to the Cemetery

I loved the trees. They were so different.

Thanks to our Molokai Flower Farm tour, Josh and I both knew that these were ginger flowers.

I forced Josh to take a picture with his Purdue shirt on…boiler up!

Kaena Point

Posted on January 13, 2013 by sandersnm

Yesterday Josh and I hiked to the westernmost tip on Oahu, Kaena Point, which has one of the last intact dune ecosystems on the Hawaiian Islands. You can reach the point via two ways, the North route or the South route. We hiked on the Mokule‘ia side, the North route to the point, which is about 2.7 miles one-way. The hike was pretty flat and the majority of our hike was along the beach (I ended up with a lot sand in my running shoes). It was a gorgeous day with tons of sun and very few clouds. The absolute best part was seeing whales all along the way, as well as when we got to the point. Kaena Point has been designated as a Nature Reserve to protect nesting Albatrosses, Hawaiian monk seals and natural vegetation. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any monk seals, but saw plenty of Albatrosses flying around (they are HUGE). There were tons of tide pools along the way, and at the point, that contained fish, snails, crabs, etc. At the point, people were swimming in the tide pools (not something I would do with the fish), but Josh was definitely sad he didn’t bring a swimsuit.

Start of the hike.

Boats on the water…and whales somewhere out there.

The sun shining through the peaks.

The unique rocks.

Josh out on the rocks.

Carefully walking on the rocks…so as to not fall.

Snails up close on the rocks

Inlet on the shore.

Old, rusted gate leading to the point.

The very secure barrier to keep the sanctuary protected.

The point!

The dunes

More rocks on the point.

If you look closely, you can see the whale blowing water.

If you look closely, you can see the top of the whale sticking out of the water.

Cool picture of all the coral washed up.

Tide pool with fish and snails.

View from the rocks looking back a the dunes.

Rocks leading to the point.

Water rushing in to the tide pools.

A little crab (who was not interested in us).

More of the crabs and snails in the tide pool.

Pretty view of the dunes with the West Coast in the background.

Albatross sitting on her nest. HUGE!

`Iolani Palace

Posted on January 8, 2013 by sandersnm

Today I put on my tourist hat and went to visit `Iolani Palace. Our apartment building is surrounded by all of these historical buildings/landmarks/churches/etc…`Iolani palace is one of them. It sits about two blocks from where we live and is the only royal palace in the United States.

A little history: The palace was completed in December of 1882 and King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi`olani officially moved in. The palace became the center of social and political life for the Kingdom of Hawaii. After the king’s death in 1891, he was succeeded by his sister Queen Lili`uokalani. A few years later, a provisional government was formed and the monarchy was overthrown — organized and carried out by the American Minister to Hawaii and a group of Hawai`i born citizens of American parents, naturalized citizens and foreign nationals. In 1895 Queen Lili`uokalani was arrested, forced to sign a document relinquishing her claim to the throne and suffered through a trial resulting in a $5,000 fine and imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom of `Iolani Palace. In 1993, President Clinton signed a Congressional resolution formally apologizing to the Native Hawaiian people. In the 1960s, after years of abuse and neglect as a government headquarters, restoration began on the palace. In 1978, `Iolani Palace opened to the public.

`Iolani Palace from the corner of King and Richards Streets.

`Iolani Barracks

They made you wear booties inside to protect the floors.

The main staircase constructed of koa wood with kamani and walnut trim.

Blue Room

Blue Room Chandelier

State Dining Room

Dining Table

Butler Area/Pantry

Throne Room

Thrones

Crowns

Throne Room Chandelier

Upper Hall

King Kalakaua’s Bedroom

Library

The king was very interested in technology and had a phone in his library to call various places on the grounds.

Library Table

Music Room

View from the Upper Parlor to King’s Street

The room where Queen Lili`uokalani was imprisoned. She was allowed interaction with one lady in waiting.

The windows in the imprisonment room were frosted on the bottom.

Queen Lili`uokalani made this quilt while imprisoned.

Middle Bedroom

All of the ceilings were beautiful.

Queen Kapi`olani’s Dressing Room

I think this was a bathroom area in the basement.

Kitchen Dishes

More Kitchen Dishes

Different Badges

I don’t remember what this was…something royal :).

Mom this is for you!

More Pretty Dishes

Front of `Iolani Palace

On the walk home as I was getting poured on, I looked up and there was a rainbow so low to the ground. I have never seen anything like it!

Recycled Glass Necklace

Posted on January 7, 2013 by sandersnm

When we went to Haleiwa on Saturday, we roamed around the charming boutiques and art galleries the town had to offer. My favorite was Kai Ku Hale. The store has tons of one-of-a-kind home decor, jewelry, art and a million other random gifts. Their focus is on environmental friendly products…which I find really unique. The necklace below (compliments of Josh) is made out of recycled glass and it’s making it’s big debut tonight at dinner!

Recycled Glass Necklace

Honolulu Harbor

Posted on January 6, 2013 by sandersnm

Today I took a quick walk to Honolulu Harbor, Pier 8. It was sunny (but still incredibly windy), so I wanted to get outside at least for a bit. Its about a half mile from where I live and an easy walk through downtown. I sat and watched these beautiful tropical fish swim around the harbor and also saw an eel!

Star of Honolulu pulling into the Pier.

Somewhere in there is the eel.

The fish all vying for a piece of bread someone threw in the water.

Shrimp, Açaí & Rainbows

Posted on January 5, 2013 by sandersnm

Today Josh and I headed to the North Shore to have some shrimp and an açaí bowl. The first stop was Giovanni’s for some shrimp scampi with a side of hot sauce. It’s so incredibly good…I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get there since I’ve moved. Giovanni’s is a shrimp truck parked on the side of the Kamehameha Highway on the north shore of Oahu. There is a pavilion where you can sit, eat and enjoy the day (or get rained on on days like today). There are also a few other stands and stores around the area with BBQ corn, smoothies, shave ice, frozen yogurt, clothes, jewelry…the list goes on. Today we stuck to the famous shrimp only.

Waiting in line…apparently everyone else wanted some Giovanni’s today too.

Amazing shrimp scampi..thank you Josh for my two hot sauces!

After we stuffed ourselves with shrimp, we continued north to Haleiwa to wander around and eat an açaí bowl. I like to think of it as a slightly healthier version of ice cream. The bowl consists of a frozen blend of açaí berries, strawberries, blueberries, bananas and rice milk topped with granola, apple bananas, coconut flakes and drizzled with honey. SO GOOD! You order at a cute little stand/hut and then enjoy your treat on the small patio in the back. We also wandered around the different shops and boutiques and then headed home.

You order at this stand.

Towards the end of our time in Haleiwa, and on our drive home, we saw either three different rainbows or a few different versions of the same rainbow. I have never seen an entire rainbow end to end until today. It. Was. INCREDIBLE. I was completely in awe at how brilliant the colors were. One of them (the last picture below) I could literally see where both ends hit the ground. If you look closely at the last picture, you can see the beginnings of a double rainbow on each end. I will say, this state continues to amaze me and am incredibly thankful to be continually experiencing amazing things such as this!

First rainbow we saw as we were leaving the açaí bowl hut.

The second rainbow (or a different version of the original) as we were leaving a few of the shops.

You can see the double rainbow here pretty well. This was driving down the road on the way home.

A full rainbow end to end. You can see the double rainbow on both ends. The picture does not do the beauty of this rainbow justice.

Koko Head Crater

Posted on January 4, 2013 by sandersnm

After eating my way through Molokai, I knew I needed to workout big time this week. Today, I wanted to tackle Koko Head (I did it this time last year after another big hike and it took me forever because I was so sore). At .7 miles, the trail isn’t very long, but it’s definitely challenging with a 1,200 foot elevation and 1,048 “steps” to the top. You hike up an old rail track and the cross ties provide a natural stair master (which is much harder than a real stair master). There is also a 30 foot rail bridge that can be a bit tricky…I just had to focus on not looking down and had to really concentrate on where I put my feet. This is definitely a great workout with a beautiful 360 degree view as a reward at the end. It was pouring down rain almost the entire time I was out there, which made it a bit slippery. I made it up in 32 minutes and down in 23 minutes. You would think down would be easier, but it’s brutal on the knees and since it was muddy and the cross ties were slippery, you had to be extra careful not to fall. I saw two people slip on their way down as I was hiking up…since I’m so graceful, I took my time on the way down. I didn’t get too many pictures because of how windy it was at the top and the rain. But it should give you an idea of why hiking up Koko Head is worth it!

Koko Head Crater from the parking lot.

The beginning.

At the top, looking towards the rain.

At the top, looking the other way where it was sunny. Beautiful ocean!

It was SO windy! A view of Hawaii Kai at the bottom.

At the top about to head back down.

Looking up after I just started back down. A pretty cool view of the track.

Spitting Caves

Posted on December 26, 2012 by sandersnm

Yesterday, after presents, breakfast and facetime with the family, Josh and I went to Spitting Caves to try out my super awesome new camera that he gave me for Christmas. It takes AMAZING photos…I think we took almost 100. I will spare you from all of them and just post the best ones! Spitting Caves is located in Hawaii Kai surrounded by the most expensive real-estate on the island. It is incredibly beautiful. People actually cliff jump off of the rocks…which is pretty dangerous. We just sat and took pictures and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The reason for the name: when water and air rush into the cave it “spits” water out pretty forcefully. The spray connects with the sun and creates a rainbow. It’s quite unique!

The Spitting Cave in Action

: The spitting cave before, filling up with water.

: The cave about ready to “spit”.

: Starting to spray water.

: You can see the rainbow it creates!

: Less water, but still a small rainbow.

: Finished

: Getting ready to fill up with water again.

Scenic Pictures from Spitting Caves

So serene.

Looking straight down to the Spitting Cave.

Walking to look down at the Spitting Cave.

Me with the sun and beautiful ocean behind me.

Incredible.

There were divers (insane b/c the water was so rough) and the boat was hanging out waiting on them.

Apparently I was contemplating something.

Jealous of this guy!

Not sure why this was blocked off.

Close up of the rocks.

More waves crashing on the rocks. I love it.

I love that you can see the different shades of blue in the ocean.

Another small cave

More waves crashing.

Josh and the waves crashing on the rocks. Cool picture.

One of the ridiculous houses.

Me admiring the waves crashing on the rocks.

Sunrise at Lanikai Pillboxes

Posted on December 24, 2012 by sandersnm

This is about 30 minutes before sunrise.

Sunrise over Lanikai. Beautiful!

Merry Christmas Eve! Josh and I got up at 5:15 am to go watch the sunrise over Lanikai. We were joined by about 50 of our best friends as we apparently weren’t the only ones to think of this fantastic idea. It only takes about 15 minutes to get to the first pillbox (left over from WWII), but it was definitely a cardio workout, as the first five minutes were up a pretty steep hill (and we navigated this in the dark). After that, the trail leveled out for the most part so we made it up in pretty good time. Once at the top, we sat and enjoyed the coffee (me) and tea (Josh) we brought and took a million pictures waiting for the sunrise. It was gorgeous and a great way to kick off the day. After that, we went and had breakfast at Koa Pancake House to kill some time. I had Hawaiian sweet bread french toast with coconut syrup and Josh had an omelet…both were pretty good..mine was better :). Then we took cookies to the barracks on base for the Marines who didn’t go home for Christmas and finally ended our morning around 9:30 am with a stop a the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout on the way home.

Sunrise Slideshow (captures about a half hour before and a few minutes after sunrise)

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Waiting on the sunrise and the hike back down.

People waiting on the sunrise.

Waiting on the sunrise.

Koolau Mountains with the clouds.

A guy hanging out waiting.

Walking back down.

Kaneohe Bay in the background.

Josh and his base in the background.

The Koolau Mountains with the sun shining on them. Incredible.

Panoramic of the Koolau Mountains and the sun.

The trail in the daylight.

The first part of the trail.

The entrance to the trail.

Manoa Falls

Posted on December 23, 2012 by sandersnm

Today Josh and I hiked to Manoa Falls. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes roundtrip. A pretty easy hike, but muddy and slippery on the rocks. It is a trail that is about .8 miles long and leads to a 150 ft waterfall. It’s completely different than what we hiked yesterday, as you don’t feel like you’re in Hawaii at all…it feels like a jungle!