Kauai: Trip 1 – Day 1

Posted on July 1, 2013 by sandersnm

Josh and I landed on Kauai Friday evening for our third trip to the island for a quick weekend away from Oahu. We were only an hour late (which is pretty awesome on an inter-island Island Air flight), but since everything on Kauai shuts down at 9:00 p.m., we had few choices for dinner. We grabbed food at Duke’s in Lihue and then checked into our hotel (Kauai Beach Resort).

The entire purpose of this trip was to take a helicopter tour of the island. In February of 2012, Josh and I hiked the Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali coast of Kauai. It was an ridiculous trip (for many reasons) and during those 22 miles there and back, we kept hearing all of the helicopters above us. We decided that we were coming back to Kauai and viewing our amazing hike from up above. We went back to Kauai in September of 2012 to do just that, but got rained out for our tour (shocking). However, I am happy to report that this trip was a COMPLETE success! We had the most amazing helicopter tour with Jack Harter Helicopters. We flew in a helicopter with doors off for a whole hour around the island. We had great weather and the views were incredible! It was by far the highlight of our trip :).

Taking off!

The Marriott Resort in Lihue.

Waterfall from Jurassic Park (also known as Manawaiopuna Falls).

Five waterfalls that pour into Manawaiopuna Falls.

Rainbow!

Waimea Canyon.

The Nā Pali Coast. Incredible.

The Kalalau Trail.

Kalalau Beach…the beach we hiked to.

The trail from above.

Hanalei Bay.

Weeping wall.

Looking back through the valley we just flew through.

Wailua Falls.

After the tour!

After our helicopter tour, we headed to Wailua River to go kayaking. We kayaked two miles upriver to Secret Falls (120 ft water fall). We hiked (much further than we thought) in extremely muddy conditions to the waterfall. I had flip flops on (horrible idea) and we were covered in mud by the time we left.

Along the hike to Secret Falls.

Rooster in the woods.

Covered in mud!

So peaceful.

Kayaking in action.

Action shot of Josh.

This cracks me up.

Almost done!

After kayaking, we went to view ‘Opaeka’a Falls. It was late in the day, so we didn’t get that great of a shot. But it was huge!

After quickly stopping there, we went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner at Hukilau Lanai. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed some amazing food after a terrific day!

Focaccia Bread

Poke Nachos.

Lobster Curry Bisque.

Caesar Salad.

Opah fish with risotto and vegetables.

Macadamia nut tart and cinnamon ice cream.

Maha’ulepu Trail

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Enjoying Waikiki Beach

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Ko Olina Beach

Posted on June 16, 2013 by sandersnm

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

Hanauma Bay

Posted on June 10, 2013 by sandersnm

Today, our field trip was Hanauma Bay (which is where everyone goes snorkeling on Oahu). Hanamua Bay is actually a volcanic crater (possibly the last volcanic action on Oahu). The ocean eventually cut through the low wall of the crater, which formed the bay. I hadn’t been yet, so I was pretty excited to go. It was beautiful! I even went snorkeling with the help of some of my kids (seriously one of them held my hand). For those who know me and how afraid of the ocean I am, this is big news! I didn’t last long but I made it far enough out to see a few different kinds of fish and coral. Then I started to panic, so I went in :). Baby steps…

So beautiful!

Waikiki Beach

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Kailua Beach Park

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Today for work we took the kids to Kailua Beach Park. We had a beach clean up and then played in the ocean. Not bad for a Friday at work :).

Mom’s Visit: Part One

Posted on June 2, 2013 by sandersnm

My mom arrived on Thursday and since then we have been taking her all over the island doing as many things as possible! I picked her up on Thursday and in complete tourist fashion, got her a beautiful lei from Chinatown! We then stopped by the apartment before heading to the Kailua Farmers’ Market where we met Josh for dinner. After that, we headed home and called it a night!

Lei from Chinatown.

So happy she’s here!

On Friday, we stopped by Spitting Caves, hiked to Makapuʻu Lighthouse and then headed to Serg’s for fish tacos. It started raining so we headed back to Honolulu and wandered through Chinatown for a bit. For dinner, we were touristy and had dinner at Duke’s in Waikiki. They are famous for their Mai Tais and we decided my mom needed to try one! Dinner was delicious and was a perfect way to end a busy first day!

My mom at Spitting Caves. Super happy to be there!

My mom and I at the top of Makapuʻu Lighthouse trail.

Josh and I at Duke’s.

Crab Wontons…our delicious appetizer!

My mom and I split fish. So good!

Josh had ahi..also amazing!

Saturday, we headed to the North Shore for some shrimp, açai bowls and shave ice. Our first stop was Giovanni’s. We had corn and shrimp (so good). After enjoying a fantastic lunch, we headed to Haleiwa for dessert. First, we all split an açai bowl (my mom’s first one) then headed across the street for Matsumoto’s famous shave ice. We all picked one flavor and split (mom: tangerine, Josh: coconut creme, me: cherry). Delicious! After our tour of food, we went off-roading on the trail to Kaena Point. It was an extremely bumpy ride with a beautiful rewards at the end. We wandered around Kaena Point and took pictures of the incredible scenery and the endangered birds (albatrosses and shearwaters). We then made our way back to Honolulu for my mom’s first experience of Shabu Shabu!

Our buddy hanging out with us while we enjoy our açai bowl.

Shave Ice!

Me napping on Josh on our way to Kaena Point. I was tired!

My mom and I and Josh’s car on our way to Kaena Point.

My mom and I at Kaena Point.

Vegetable Shabu Shabu. So good!

On Sunday, we hiked Mariner’s Ridge. It was cloudy and rainy but we still had a decent view at the top! After that, we went to Kailua to have lunch at Kalapawai Cafe and then Josh gave my mom a tour of base. We ended the day with dinner at home and some time enjoying the hot tub! First few days of her trip have been a blast :).

Josh and I hiking to the top of Mariner’s Ridge.

Josh at the top of Mariner’s Ridge enjoying the view.

My mom and I at the top of Mariner’s Ridge.

Maui: Trip 1 – Day 4

Posted on May 31, 2013 by sandersnm

On our last day in Maui, we finally got to sleep past 6:00 a.m. It was glorious. We got up and had breakfast on our balcony (which was gorgeous) and then headed down to enjoy the resort pool and Kāʻanapali Beach. We swam for a bit, walked on the beach and played some ping pong. The resort had different games set up on the lawn outside our hotel room (ping pong and a few others). It was so fun. We then checked out and headed to downtown Lahaina to wander around and grab lunch before we headed to the airport. Lahaina is an old whaling town and has a lot of character. This was our last stop before heading to the airport. We had SUCH an amazing time and I cannot wait to go back for Laura and Jim’s wedding in July!

Breakfast on the balcony.

Kāʻanapali Beach

The lawn games viewed from our balcony.

Lahaina

Downtown Lahaina.

Maui: Trip 1 – Day 2

Posted on May 29, 2013 by sandersnm

On Saturday, Josh and I decided to do the road to Hana, which is an entire day trip (we left around 7:00 a.m.). Our first few stops were Upper Puohokamoa Falls, Haipua`ena Falls and Lower Puohokamoa Falls. We missed Lower Puohokamoa Falls at first, but it was definitely the most impressive waterfall we saw all day at 200 feet. We backtracked about a mile and found the short trail to an incredible view of the impressive falls. The other two falls were beautiful as well, but much shorter.

Beautiful view early in the morning on the start of our trip to Hana.

View of the valley at our first stop.

Old bridge.

Josh on the trail to Upper Puohokamoa Falls.

Upper Puohokamoa Falls.

Stream that Upper Puohokamoa Falls flows in to.

Hana Highway

Gorgeous flowers growing everywhere.

Haipua`ena Falls

Old bridge. Love this picture.

Heliconia..they were growing everywhere along the way to Hana.

Cool shot of fallen petals on the rocks.

More heliconias.

Just breathtaking.

Trail to Lower Puohokamoa Falls.

Lower Puohokamoa Falls.

Incredible! Lower Puohokamoa Falls.

Flowers and trees along the road at our stop to see Lower Puohokamoa Falls.

We continued along the coast and made a variety of stops that included capturing some amazing shots of the Ke`anae Coast, the ribbon of the highway cut into the cliffs and Ching’s Pond. Ching’s Pond was filled with people jumping into it from the bridge along the highway. After watching a few people jump, we continued on and stopped at an adorable stand a few miles down the road called Halfway to Hana for a midmorning snack.

Ke`anae Coast

Hana Highway

Hana Highway

Hana Highway..amazing turn in the road.

Hana Highway cutting along the cliffs.

Ching’s Pond.

Halfway to Hana!

Our treat! I picked this out…Josh had egg salad sandwiches :).

After our snacks, we continued on and stopped near the town of Wailua to check out the views from there. We climbed up some stairs at the Wailua Valley State Wayside and had a beautiful view of the Ko`olau Gap on one side an a great view of the tiny settlement of Wailua on the other side. After that, we drove about a mile and stopped at Upper Waikani Falls (sometimes called Three Bears Falls).

More heliconias

Ko`olau Gap

Coast off of Wailua

Hana Highway

Tiny town of Wailua.

Rocks seeping water at Upper Waikani Falls.

Upper Waikani Falls

Our two stops were Hanawi Falls and Makapipi Falls (seriously so many falls). Makapipi Falls was unique because we stood on the bridge directly over it and could see how it fell into a large pool below. Different than the other waterfalls we had seen that day. Next to Makapipi Falls is Nahiku Road which lead to the community of Nahiku. Everything was so incredibly green and there were tons of beautiful flowers. After driving through the beautiful plants, we came to the end and had a beautiful view of the shoreline all the way to Ke`anae. We took a little path to a small waterfall and a pool that eventually lead to the ocean. After taking in the gorgeous views around us, we headed back up to Hana Highway to continue on.

Hanawi Falls

Standing above Makapipi Falls.

At the end of Nahiku Road. Gorgeous!

Close up of a heliconia.

Small waterfall and pool.

So beautiful!

Love this photo.

It looked like there used to be a bridge over the river here.

Nahiku Road leading away from the shoreline.

Nahiku Road and Hana Highway intersection.

Our next stop was at Coconut Glen’s for some dairy-free ice cream (made from coconut milk). It was sooooo good. We split the coconut ice cream and picked up some of their famous coconut candy. It was an interesting stop…Glen loves Willy Wonka and had decorated in that way…fairly odd but charming. After that, we stopped at Wai`anapanapa Park and explored Pa`iloa Black Sand Beach and found a really cool cave. There was also a sea arch and other lava tube caves to explore, but we didn’t have a flashlight or the time to stop.

Coconut Glen’s sign

More of Coconut Glen’s signs.

Coconut Glen’s ice cream bar/shack.

Coconut Ice Cream. Unbelievably fantastic.

Coconut Candy.

Pa`iloa Black Sand Beach

Cool cave..the ocean is coming in behind us.

Sea Arch

We left Wai`anapanapa Park and finally made it to Hana! Our first stop in Hana was Hana Bay where tons of locals were swimming. The Pier was closed, but we knew there was a trail to a hidden red sand beach near there. This was probably my favorite part of our Hana trip. The trail leads about 200 yards along Ka`uiki Head that had a plaque at the end of the trail marking the spot near a cave where Ka`ahumanu (King Kamehameha the Great’s favorite wife) was born. It was so unreal to see this plaque in the middle of no where. There was also a small light beacon near the end of the trail and tons of amazing rocks to climb on.

Hana Bay

This log was actually pretty high up…I was practicing my balancing.

Amazing red sand beach.

Along the trail near the red sand beach.

Ka`ahumanu’s plaque.

Cove

Josh on the rock at the end of the trail.

Josh taking a picture of the light beacon.

Light Beacon.

Me on the rock enjoying the magnificent view.

The plaque and it’s surroundings.

Hana Pier

After we hiked back to the car at Hana Bay, we headed to Red Sand Beach (Kaihalulu). The trail to the beach was on the side of a hill and was a bit rough in a few places, but nothing too difficult (much easier than the trail to the other red sand beach). This beach was much larger and there were people laying out, relaxing and enjoying the views. At the beginning of the trail to the beach, there is an ancient Japanese cemetery that was pretty interesting to see.

Trail to the red sand beach.

Kaihalulu Red Sand Beach.

Treacherous rocks near the beach.

Japanese Cemetery.

After the read sand beach, we headed out of Hana into Southeast Maui and stopped at (no surprise here!) Wailua Falls…yet another beautiful waterfall. Then we continued on to ‘Ohe’o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) where you can sometimes swim and enjoy the multiple waterfalls right by the ocean. They were closed to the public that day because it was raining, but they were still beautiful from up above!

Wailua Falls

‘Ohe’o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools)

The road becomes a bit more narrow and less paved….

Waterfall flowing into the ocean from afar.

After this, the landscape changed drastically from rainforest and incredibly lush to dry and desolate. Very different, but still very pretty. We drove all the way around Southeast Maui and continued into upcountry and back through Kahului. We stopped and had a MUCH anticipated dinner (our first real meal for the day) at Buzz’s Wharf. We were both starving and VERY ready to be out of the car! The Road to Hana definitely lived up to it’s amazing reputation. I’m sure we missed so many things along the way, but what we did get to stop at and enjoy was phenomenal.