Hawaii pt. 6: Pineapples, the North Shore, and Hanauma Bay

The next day, after sleeping in (we'd had a lot of early mornings and late evenings - and what's a vacation without some sleeping in and relaxing?) we headed to the Dole Plantation.  There are so many things to do here.  We tried the maze, rode the train, and wandered in the gardens.  But no trip is complete without having at least one serving of their pineapple ice cream.  I dream about this stuff.  And it always seems to taste better here than anywhere else.

Their grounds are so pretty.

They have the world's largest hedge maze.  Dang, it was big.  We didn't find
everything before we were all exhausted and very hot from the sun.

Inside the maze.

We rode the train after we did the maze.  We all wanted to sit, so it seemed like a great activity.

Here Emma is showing just how hot and tired she was.  She's enjoying the little fan quite a bit! 

Lots of different plants to see on the little train ride. 

One of their pineapple fields. 

Starfruit. 

In their garden.

After the plantation, we went to the North Shore.  There are several cute little towns that are fun to visit.  Eric had been wanting to get a new ukelele while we were in Hawaii, and we happened to pass a ukelele shop, which just happened to be the best shop on Oahu to find ukeleles.  No lie.  What a great coincidence!  We went in and he found one he liked.  Well, actually he found several he really liked, so I should say he found one he decided to purchase.  We all love it.  I think Emma wants it for herself, even though Eric gave her his old one.

We stopped by a beautiful beach to enjoy some of the north shore waves.  I went in and swam with Emma first, and then Eric took a turn with her.  I don't think Emma was ready for the big waves.  It was so fun to watch her try to stay standing only to be bowled over by the water.

This might be my favorite picture from the trip.  I love Emma's expression mid-wave.

As we passed Pearl Harbor on our way back into Honolulu, Eric was excited when we saw an aircraft carrier.  Those things are huge!  Once back in town we went to Ala Moana mall for some shopping.  Emma wanted more souvenirs.  I already didn't know how we were going to get everything to fit in our suitcases.  More stuff was crazy to think about.  But she was determined.  I admit that I always like wandering around this mall, so I didn't really mind.

The next day was an early one for us.  We were heading to Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling.  This place is always packed with people, and the parking lot fills up early.  We grabbed a waterproof camera on our way, which Emma was excited to use.  Sure enough there was already a line, but luckily it wasn't too long yet.  In order to get down to the beach you have to walk down a steep road.  We went down and found a spot for our towels and umbrellas.  Then Emma and I went to look at the fish.  I love Emma in a snorkel mask.  She's so cute!  After awhile I switched places with Eric.  This is the kind of place you could stay all day.  So beautiful.

The light was all wrong when I took this, plus I took it with my iPod, so not a great camera.
 But I love it.  She's like a creature that just emerged from the water!

This place really never disappoints.  Every time I come here
I am blown away all over again with its beauty. 

When we left it was packed.  This is just one part of the beach!

Afterwards we drove through Hawaii-Kai (the town where Hanauma Bay is located).  It's really pretty there.  Then we headed to the Island Snow store (a store my family has always loved because we're all Snows), bought Emma her first Island Snow shirt, and enjoyed some of their shaved ice.   On our way back home we stopped by Makapu'u Lookout for the views.  After we got home, we cleaned up, and hung out in the backyard.

Hawaii-Kai

The view from Makapu'u lookout.  Looks like a rabbit.

Emma playing Eric's new ukelele.  I think she played it there more than he did!

We ate dinner with my aunt, uncle, and cousin, and then held a ginger jam on some ukeleles (my cousin also has red hair).  My cousin Matt was so great with Emma.  He would teach her chords and help her learn songs.  He also taught her the blues.  She spent the rest of the trip trying to sing the blues.  Not an easy task while in Hawaii I might add.

All of us!  My cousin Matt on the left, my aunt Jo on the right, and my uncle Marcellus in the front.

Hawaii pt. 5: Heading to Oahu & the PCC

Our last morning on the Big Island we just had some breakfast at the hotel and packed.  We enjoyed our time on the Big Island so much, and very much want to visit again.  We feel we barely scratched the surface of things to do here.  We were here for parts of 6 days, and it wasn't long enough.

Our flight to Oahu was nice and short and gave us some nice views of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai.  Emma was excited to see Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head out the window.  And as an added bonus, we saw an active operating submarine leaving the harbor as we were about to land.

We got our luggage, picked up our car, and headed to my aunt and uncle's house.  It was so nice seeing them again!  My aunt gave us a tour of the place (much of it was the same as I'd seen it on previous trips, but they'd changed a few areas, and of course, Eric and Emma hadn't ever seen it), and I instantly remembered how much I love their house.  We brought our luggage in and got settled in, and then explored the yard.  Their yard is amazing.  It's huge and absolutely gorgeous.  I've always loved spending time outside just enjoying their yard.  The first banana I ever ate (at least the first banana I ever enjoyed) was picked off a banana tree in their yard during my first visit.  It's still the best banana I've ever eaten.  Emma was in love with their yard too!  She wanted to spend every spare moment we had running around outside or lounging on the patio.  We had dinner with my aunt and uncle as well as my cousin who came by for the evening.  After dinner we played some ukeleles with my cousin while singing and talking.  It was a great first day on Oahu.

My Aunt and Uncle's house.

The backyard.  I'm standing in the back of the yard.  You can see Eric and Emma
standing by the patio which gives you an idea of how big the yard is.

This is the view as we entered the yard from our rooms.  It's a little side
yard that leads back to the main part of the yard.

The next day we got up early and headed up around the island to Laie.  Here we visited the Laie Temple, which has always been one of my very favorites.  There was some construction around the grounds, so we couldn't wander around too much.  That gave us some time to stop by a beach before lunch.  We found a little beach and enjoyed getting our feet wet.  Emma got a little more than her feet wet though, so we tried letting her dry off a bit before we left.

Emma thought it was so funny that she was sitting there in just her panties.  You can see her shorts drying in the sun on the bench.  I told her no one would see her (hardly anyone was at the beach), and even if they did they'd think she was in a swimsuit.  Plus her shirt was long.  But I had to share the picture and story because I told her I would.  =)

The rest of the day was spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC).  This is a center owned and run by the Church that helps preserve and teach others all about the island cultures in the pacific.  The employees are almost all students at BYU-Hawaii, which is right next door.  Since many (if not most) of the students there are from pacific islands, it works out very well for them to come and represent their island nations.  It's a great place to visit if you haven't been before.  I tend to always go to Hawaii with people who haven't been, so I've visited the PCC several times.  But I didn't want Emma to miss it.  Their grounds are divided up in to sections representing different island nations in the pacific.  You wander around and can see dancing, learn about island life and culture, and participate in activities.  We also chose to enjoy a Luau dinner there (I wanted Emma to attend at least one luau), and then stayed for the evening show, which consists of more dancing and story telling.  The best part of the show is the fire dancing at the end.  Emma was excited for that.  It made for a very late evening by the time we got home, but it had been fun.

Eric and Emma got matching temporary tattoes.

Emma learning a dance.

Eric learning a dance with the men.  

See?  We did learn how to make the fish from palm leaves.

There were performances all over the center.

It's always impressive seeing people climb the palm trees.

They have a bigger show on the water with dancers from all the different islands.

Emma loved the little tiki.  Plus this is a rare photo of Emma actually smiling while showing her teeth.
She rarely does that.  Her natural smile is closed-mouth.

Learning a game that requires coordination as you toss sticks to each other. 

Coconut bowling.  You were supposed to roll the coconut up so it would roll back down in between the sticks on the right. I was the only one who did it, and that was on my first try.
I still say it was skill, not luck.  Eric disagrees.

During the dinner luau all the October birthdays were supposed to go up to the stage and they had to perform a dance for everyone.  Eric was a good sport and went.  Sadly this picture didn't turn out that great because of the pouring rain between us and the stage, the lighting wasn't great, and the distance.
Oh well.  I've still captured his shining moment. Ha!

Hawaii pt. 4: Exploring Hilo

We left the park the next morning and for our last full day on the Big Island we decided to explore Hilo.  The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.  The kind of day you imagine having while in Hawaii.  When we got to Hilo we could just make out the observatories on the top of Mauna Kea. The air was so clear!  Those observatories are at the top of the volcano, which is 13,796 ft above sea level.

We first headed back to the Mauna Loa macadamia nut farm to attempt an actual visit sans rain.  You can take a self-guided tour of part of their manufacturing and packaging process, but more importantly, there is a sample bar with every kind of macadamia nut they sell.  A free sample bar people!  And they are totally fine with and actually encouraging of you trying them all.  At least once.  Did I mention how fantastic this place is?  =)

There were several beaches we wanted to visit, so we headed to the first one which was very kid friendly.  It was basically protected from the big waves and current by some lava rocks, which made it ideal for snorkeling.  I think Emma could have gone all day!  She never stopped.  I don't think she put her feet down once the entire time.  At one point she turned around and there was a sea turtle right there.  She decided we needed to follow it for awhile.

Emma's sea turtle friend.

Right next to this protected area was a beach where the waves were crashing.  It was just so beautiful.

Then we headed down the road to another beach park.  This one did not disappoint.  Very beautiful grounds with more amazing views.  This one was a black sand beach though, which I loved!

Emma being silly because of the sign, pretending she had been hit by a falling coconut.

After we were done at the beach we didn't have a specific plan as to what to do, so we just started to drive around and stumbled upon a fantastic park.  We walked around Liliuokalani Park for quite awhile.  This park had several cute little bridges and some wonderful trees.  Along one side of the park was a road called Banyan Drive, where many large Banyan trees line the road, each one planted in honor of a celebrity, often done by the person themselves in a ceremony.  They started planting the saplings in the early 1930s.  There are trees in honor of US Presidents and other politicians, movie stars and directors, adventurers, religious leaders, and notable Hawaiians.  The names include Franklin D Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Cecil B DeMille, Amelia Earhart, and Heber J Grant, among others.

Some of the paths were a little flooded due to all the recent rain.

After all this swimming and wandering around we were in great need of something refreshing.  And since we hadn't had lunch yet, we thought Jamba Juice sounded great.  Emma certainly enjoyed hers!

We checked into our hotel, and putted around relaxing a bit before going out to grab some dinner. Then we headed up Mauna Kea to the Visitors Station there where you can do some stargazing.  This is what the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Hawaii said about Mauna Kea:

"Mauna Kea is unique as an astronomical observing site. The atmosphere above the mountain is extremely dry -- which is important in measuring infrared and submillimeter radiation from celestial sources - and cloud-free, so that the proportion of clear nights is among the highest in the world. The exceptional stability of the atmosphere above Mauna Kea permits more detailed studies than are possible elsewhere, while its distance from city lights and a strong island-wide lighting ordinance ensure an extremely dark sky, allowing observation of the faintest galaxies that lie at the very edge of the observable Universe. A tropical inversion cloud layer about 600 meters (2,000 ft) thick, well below the summit, isolates the upper atmosphere from the lower moist maritime air and ensures that the summit skies are pure, dry, and free from atmospheric pollutants."

No wonder the sky was so clear on our first night on the island as we drove across Saddle Road to get to Kona!  You can enjoy stargazing at the station every night.  This is a little lower than the observatories at the summit, which would be great to see, but they have some further restrictions that wouldn't allow Emma to go (she's too young).  But the visitors station had several huge telescopes we could use as well as a stargazing program run by the staff where they point out and talk about all the bright constellations and bright objects visible the night you're there.  The telescopes are pointed at various objects in the night sky, including open clusters, globular clusters, double stars, nebulae, planets, galaxies and supernova remnants.  And visitors can make requests if there are other things they'd like to see and learn about.  The station is at 9,300 ft elevation, and it gets really cold up there as you view the stars.  Inside the station they have warm clothing you can buy if needed.  We had brought a few things and were okay, but we thought it would be fun to have a snuggly warm blanket from Hawaii.  Seems like an odd souvenir.  We loved snuggling under it though while watching the sky.

On our way up to the visitor station.

The sunset on our way was glorious!

Again, without a tripod, our camera wouldn't be able to get a very good shot of the stargazing, but I wanted you to see the telescopes and the station.  The station was lit by red lights that wouldn't interfere with our seeing the stars.  It was a really great setup.  (This picture and the next two: Credit: Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station)