Category: Hawaii

Categories
Hawaii National Parks

7 Day Family Vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii

Visiting the Big Island to see an active volcano was high on everyone’s wish list for the time we spent in Hawaii last fall. Our original plan was to island hop between the Big Island and Maui over Thanksgiving, but after we got bogged down in the logistics, we decided to just focus on the Big Island and I’m so glad we did! There is plenty to do, and I feel like we really got to appreciate the unique beauty of this island.

When We Visited: November 22-28, 2017

Ages of Kids: 12, 10, 7

We received plenty of recommendations from friends, and in the end decided to fly in and out of Kona International Airport on the west side of the island. We rented a car through Turo – which is a peer to peer rental network.

The vehicle ended up being smaller than we imagined (our fault, not theirs) but luckily Sam is a Tetris whiz and was able to cram everything in. I’m just glad we didn’t bring that extra suitcase.  It was really nice to have the owner drop the car curbside at the airport and pick it up there as well. No waiting in a car rental line!

Where We Stayed

We started our adventure on the west side of the island in Kona. There’s plenty of condo rentals available in the area, and ours was just okay so I won’t link to it here. Kona was definitely not our favorite place – its definitely touristy and felt rather crowded.

The second half of our trip we stayed in the cutest AirBnb in Volcano near the national park. As soon as I saw it, I knew we wanted to stay there! Only 15-20 minutes away from the entrance, it was the perfect home base for exploring the park. I loved that we weren’t camping in the rain (it rained a lot and was COLD), we had a full kitchen, a hammock, and a hot tub. Doesn’t get much better than that!

[pp_gallery id=”10241″] 

 

New to AirBnB? Use our link to sign up and get $40 of credit towards your first trip!

——-Day 1: Wednesday——-

Our flight was around noon, so we arrived in plenty of time to have a little adventure before checking in to our accommodations. We grabbed our car and then stopped for a quick lunch at at Annie’s Island Fresh Burgers. It was late for lunch so the restaurant was pretty empty, but the burgers were good and the onion rings were even better!

Afterwards we headed a little farther south to visit Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, or the Place of Refuge. It was a sacred place for Polynesians and a safe place for those who were basically running from the law.

There’s a self-guided tour, and both Cara & Andrew enjoyed earning their Jr. Ranger Badges. It was definitely a lot hotter than we expected and our short walk was plenty!

[pp_gallery id=”10217″] 

 

Afterwards we drove up to our condo rental, took showers and prepped for family photos! I had this crazy idea long time ago to have or family photos taken in Hawaii and when our friend Joe Hendricks found out we were headed to the Big Island he recommend Jim Dierking as a family photographer. After a few back and forth emails, we arranged to meet up at Waialea  Bay.

The light was perfect and Jim did a fabulous job capturing the spirit of our adventurous family!

[pp_gallery id=”10214″] 

——-Day 2: Thursday——-

Thanksgiving Day! The last two years we’ve been backpacking over Thanksgiving, and although that was a possibility this year, we did want to do something adventurous. After throwing a ham in the crockpot to cook while we were gone, we packed a lunch and headed south!

Kayaking & Snorkeling at James Cook National Monument

[pp_gallery id=”10218″] 

 

We had heard amazing things about snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay, and after I found a place where we could rent kayaks and paddled out to the bay ourselves we were sold! We rented 2 kayaks from Ehu & Kai Kayaks who are located right on the bay. After parking, we loaded up our gear and pushed off right from the dock! We were immediately greeted by a sweet, little turtle.

It was about a 20 minute paddle over to the James Cook National Monument, and since it was a brilliantly blue day we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

There’s no place to dock boats at the monument, and technically you aren’t allowed on land unless you are with an official tour & guide. We mostly just took turns snorkeling and keeping an eye on the boats. The current wasn’t strong so they mostly stayed put. I’ve mentioned before that Cara loves shallow water snorkeling where she can see everything up close, and Rachel loves deep water snorkeling because otherwise she gets claustrophobic. This spot had both! There’s a large reef that drops off fairly steeply, but also places where the water was fairly shallow.

[pp_gallery id=”10219″] 

 

After an hour or so of snorkeling we pulled out our picnic lunch and ate on the boats while floating in the bay. We couldn’t have asked for a more picture perfect location! Once we were done, it was a fairly easy paddle back to the dock.

Back at the condo, we swam in the pool (cause not enough swimming yet!), enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal and watched the sun set over the ocean.

——-Day 3: Friday——–

One thing that Rachel really wanted to do while on the Kona side of the island was to attend the LDS temple. She’s old enough now to participate in some of the ordinances, so we drove her over and spent a few hours in service. Perfect way to start the day!

Afterward, we packed up and started our drive over to the west side of the island. We planned to take all day and stop at various places along our route and it was perfect!

South Point

Quick stop at the southernmost point in the United States. It was pretty blustery and cold, but that didn’t stop the cliff jumpers we saw! There is a green sand beach you can hike out to, but we opted to pass this time around.

Punalu’u Bakery

ALL the malasadas. We bought round one and then went back for more. They weren’t hot – but still pretty dang good.

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

I’ve never seen anything like it! The kids were fascinated with the small, volcanic black pebbles that make up this beach. There’s also a group of sea turtles that relax in the sun on a daily basis. We ate our picnic lunch, wandered around and stuck our toes in the surf.

[pp_gallery id=”10239″] 

 

On our way through Volcanoes National Park, we swung by the visitor center to grab our Jr. Ranger books and scout out the hiking and exploring possibilities before checking in to our AirBnB accommodations.

That evening we drove back into the park to see the Kilauea Caldera at night – which was super awesome. We spent all of Saturday & Sunday exploring the National Park before heading back over to the Kona side on Monday morning.

For more information about our visit into Volcanoes National Park  see our post here.

——-Day 6: Monday——-

We woke up to rain Monday morning which was fine, since it was a driving day. The east side of the island is more jungle-ly and it is incredibly beautiful. I had hoped to do some snorkeling on this side of the island before we left Hilo, but it was not to be.

ʻAkaka Falls State Park

We did make a brief stop at ‘Akaka Falls State Park. We paid a small fee for parking and then sloshed down the pathway to the falls overlook. Despite the fog, clouds, and rain the 442 falls were still quite impressive! Even with rain jackets and umbrellas we still were drenched by the time we made it back to the car.

Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site

As we drove across the north shore of the island the weather became increasingly better. So crazy how one side of the island can be pouring rain, and by the time we get to the west shore we are pulling on our shorts again.

We did find more malasadas – hot from a food truck this time – which we counted as lunch. Probably not the healthiest option but it worked.

Andrew was in full on Jr. Ranger mode so we spent some time exploring the Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. The park is dedicated to the history of the early Hawaiian kingdom and we enjoyed walking around on the property to stretch our legs.

[pp_gallery id=”10251″] 

Despite the terrible weather, we knew this was our only chance to visit the Mauna Kea observatory. As we climbed the road up the mountain the weather became increasingly overcast until it was once again, a downpour. Turns out all of the star watching that evening was cancelled. 🙂

We brought our own hot chocolate (which was good because it was freezing up there!), and watched the video in the small visitor center.  Kind of a let down because we had heard amazing things, but we also can’t control the weather.

Costco was on our route home, so we grabbed a pizza for dinner and some muffins for breakfast in the morning before settling in to another AirBnb condo in Kona.

——-Day 7: Tuesday——-

Our flight wasn’t until noon, so after packing up we attempted one more national historic site near the airport. Unfortunately to earn the badge we needed to visit more sites than we had time for, so we just strolled along the ocean instead.

This was our first legitimate vacation in years. Sam left the laptop at home and we acted like tourists. It was a blast! Although there is much more to see and do (we left Hilo relatively unexplored) we accomplished our goal of seeing lava and everyone went home happy!

Categories
Biking Hawaii Hiking National Parks

5 Family Friendly Activities in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Our conversation about living in Hawaii went something like this:

Me: Okay, so Hawaii. If you kids could do anything you want while we are over there, what would it be?

All 3 Kids: See a volcano!

That settled it. We are huge National Park advocates and there are two in Hawaii – Haleakalā National Park on Maui, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Since Hawaii Volcanoes has a currently active volcano, that hit the top of our list for this trip. We island hopped from Oahu for about a week an spent three days on the windward side of the island at the National Park.

  • When We Visited: Nov 24 – 26, 2017
  • Ages of Kids: 12, 10, 7

Where We Stayed

We had friends suggest staying in the park at the lodge, and I also looked into possibly camping or staying in one of the cabins in the park. Unfortunately by the time we nailed down our dates, there was no availability.

That actually turned out to be a good thing because we found the the most amazing AirBnb rental in the nearby town of Volcano. Only 15-20 minutes away from the entrance, it was the perfect home base for exploring the park. I loved that we weren’t camping in the rain (it rained a lot and was COLD), we had a full kitchen, a hammock, and a hot tub. Doesn’t get much better than that!

New to AirBnB? Use our link to sign up and get $40 of credit towards your first trip!

1. Visit the Kīlauea Caldera Overlook & Jaggar Museum at Night

We spent Friday the 24th driving over from Kona, and managed to stop by the Kīlauea Visitor Center on our way through to our rental. We talked with the rangers about hikes, picked up our Jr. Ranger Books and made plans to return in the evening to see the Caldera at night.

After dinner we drove back into the park and managed to snag one of the last parking spots at the Jaggar Museum. We could easily see the glow of the Kīlauea Caldera in the distance. The overlook has an amazing view, with plenty of information displays. Inside the museum the kids spent their time doing a photo scavenger hunt for their Jr. Ranger Books and learned all about Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of Volcanoes.

It was cold – so definitely dress warm and bring layers! We never made it back to see the overlook during the day, but from photos I’ve seen the view during daylight is also quite spectacular.

2. Explore the Lava Tubes

We’ve visited multiple caves and lava tubes all over the country, but never in a forest jungle quite like this one. The lave tube trail is a short, 1/3 of mile hike and takes less than 20 minutes. In fact, we did it twice!

We easily tacked this on to our Kīlauea Iki Crater hike as we ascended out of the crater right at the entrance to the Lava Tubes. It was a great way to do both without having to move our car and try and get parking!

3. Hike Across a Crater

The Kīlauea Iki Trail was pretty spectacular! We knew we wanted a longer hike (more than just a 1/2 mile to an overlook) and this one came highly recommended by the ranger. What blew our minds was the change in geology from up on the rim to down in the crater.

We started at the trailhead along the Chain of Craters road in a lush jungle. Once we started the descent into the crater, the landscape quickly changed from tropical rain forest, to barren rock garden.

The trail across the crater felt like we could have been on the moon! The kids loved looking at all the cool rock formations, and we even found some of “Pele’s Hair” – fine threads of volcanic glass that are formed when a spray of lava droplets cools rapidly in the air.

Once across the bottom of the crater, we had to make the 400 ft hike back out and then it was a short walk along the rim back to our car.

  • Total Miles: 4
  • Time: 2-3 hours
  • Difficulty: Moderate to challenging – 400ft descent and ascent in and out of the crater. Trail is switch backed and you can just take your time.

4. Bike and Hike to See Surface Lava

Finding surface lava is a bit tricky. Sometimes the lava is pouring into the ocean (I’ve seen photos – so cool!) but other times its just slowly moving on the surface in different areas. Current conditions are available on the NPS Hawaii Volcanoes website, and you can also talk to a park ranger to find where the most recent lava flow is.

We drove out to the Lava Viewing Area (Google Maps) where there is a huge parking lot and a gazillion vendors that sell bikes and tours. We arrived around 3:30pm which was perfect as we wanted enough time to get out to the lava before it got dark – just check when your sunset time is (ours was about 5:45pm).  We spent about $65 for bikes for the 5 of us (2 adult bikes and 3 kid sized). Most rental companies included a headlamp (you’ll need it), a bottle of water, a bike lock and a fanny pack to put it all in.  We also saw vendors that had bike trailers for rent, and even ride along attachments for smaller kids. It can definitely be family friendly adventure!

We biked along the dirt/gravel road for 4 miles until we reached the National Park boundary. Here, everyone locks up their bikes and heads out on foot across the cooled igneous rock to find the good stuff. There were enough people out there we mostly just had to follow them towards the smoke. There are no trails, but the rock is uneven and in some places we were jumping across deep gaps. As we got closer, encouragement from others coming back was pretty awesome.

We crested a small hill and then in the distance we could see it – LAVA! Being up close to legit volcanic lava has been one of our favorite experiences to date. We found slow moving lava, but every once in awhile an entire shelf of rock would lift up and the molten stuff would just come pouring out. It was incredible. If you get too close I can imagine that your shoes would melt (we didn’t have that problem), and while it smelled bad, the stench was not overwhelming. There are no rangers out there, no guardrails, fences, or anything to protect you from doing something stupid. Just be aware that you are on you own. We saw at least 2 ambulances on their way out at the end of the night so injuries do happen, just be careful!

We stayed out there well past dark just waiting and watching and soaking it up. After a quick snack we turned on our headlamps and made the trek back to our bikes. The ride back was difficult. Cara was really tired, the road is NOT flat, and we had our share of tears and frustration over a bike that wouldn’t shift very well. She ended up walking most of the hills and then we’d ride as fast as we could downhill. We managed to get back close to the cut off time (all the bikes MUST be back on time).

Overall it was an amazing adventure! We’d do it again in heartbeat, but maybe just make sure all the bikes shifted a little easier. Dinner in Volcano afterwards was a definite treat!

5. Drive Chain of Craters Road

Sunday afternoon was a perfect time to drive the Chain of Craters Road. There are multiple pull offs to see varies craters, and the weather changed dramatically from up at the visitor center (lots of clouds & rain) down to the coast where we could see the sun! The road ends at the Hōlei Sea Arch which extends out into the ocean. Eventually it will collapse, but it was a beautiful view along the coast!

There’s plenty of other hiking trails, back country adventures, ranger led tours and activities we could have participate in, but overall we are happy with our time spent in the park. Seeing lava up close was definitely the highlight of our trip to the Big Island and we highly recommend it!

Categories
Hawaii Hiking On the Water

A 7 Day Family Vacation on Kauai, Hawaii

We enjoyed living on Oahu but when my parents came to visit last September we decided to island hop over to Kauai for a few days just to mix things up. I had quite a few people tell me Kauai was their favorite island and we were curious to see the differences. Our top activities were to hike a section of the Na Pali Coast, and kayak up Wailua River to Secret Falls. Everything else we’d just play it by ear one day at a time. It worked out pretty perfectly if I do say so myself.

When We Visited: September 22-28, 2017

Ages of Kids: 12, 10, 7

Where We Stayed

We don’t particularly enjoy staying long term in hotels and resorts get pricey so we opted for an AirBnb rental in Lihue. I looked into staying at different parts of the island but with a  $200 cleaning fee we opted to not move around. That meant we had to drive a little further for some things, but overall it was worth it.

Our rental was fabulous! We were on the top floor with an amazing view of the ocean. The condo was well cared for, we had what we needed in the kitchen (maybe a little cooking oil would have been nice), fans in all the rooms, and they had a chest full of boogie boards and sand toys for the kids to use at the beach. Peter was responsive as host and sent over shampoo/conditioner and extra beach towels when we asked.

We’d often come home from the days activity and more often than not jump in the pool for an hour. It was lit up pretty at night, and there was something soothing about swimming in the water while it was dark out. We definitely loved having easy access to a pool!

“Out of the ocean and into the pool. Sometimes its nice to take a break from the salt! We absolutely loved this @airbnb property we stayed at on Kauai. As a recent host ourselves, we know how hard it can be to keep things in tip top shape, and these guys totally nailed it. ” -Currentlywandering

We were also just a few minutes walk to the ocean. There is no swimming, but the sunrise was totally worth getting up for! We’d definitely recommend his place if you are planning a vacation.

If you’ve never used AirBnb but want to give it a try use our link to earn $40 towards your first trip!

The Island of Kauai

If you imagine the island of Kauai like a clock, Na Pali Coast is at about 11:00, Lihue & Wailua is at about 3:00, Poipu Beach is at 6:00, and Waimea Canyon is at 9:00. You can’t drive entirely around the island, so Lihue is a perfect middle spot to create a base camp. Its also where the airport is located and since we had to drop Sam off early so he could fly back and teach it was quick and easy.

——-Day 1: Friday——-

The flight from Oahu was only about 30 minutes, so we were barely in the air at all before landing at Lihue airport. We picked up our rental car and stopped by both Costco & Walmart to pick up groceries before heading to the condo. Once there we dropped the kids with a movie (don’t worry they were extremely excited) and the four adults headed off for our first adventure: a helicopter ride.

Helicopter Ride with Blue Hawaiian

My dad had been looking forward to this for weeks and it did not disappoint. Most of Kauai is wilderness (both privately owned and state land) and there are many places you can’t see except by air. The raw majesty of the cliffs were amazing and I love seeing the Na Pali coast from the air. My only disappointment is that I feel my photos didn’t even come close to capturing the experience. Next time we’ll have to go doors off just to see if I can do better!

There are a few companies to choose from, but since my parents were graciously gifting us the trip they had the honor of choosing. My mom had heard good things about Blue Hawaiian from friends so that’s who we went with.

Our pilot was great at explaining the geology, history, and other interesting facts about the islands. Plenty of movies were filmed here (Jurassic Park anyone?), and we also flew over Tunnels Beach where Bethany Hamilton had her shark attack while surfing (If you’ve never seen Soul Surfer its a definite must!).

——-Day 2: Saturday——-

Sleeping Giant Hike

I desperately wanted to hike this, but knew that our kids probably wouldn’t enjoy it so I convinced Sam to go early with me on Saturday morning. It was steep but luckily it hadn’t rained recently so the trail was relatively dry. Even though it was 8am the sun was still up and we became hot and sweaty fairly quickly. So, totally normal Hawaiian hiking experience.

“Sam and I got a little exercise early Saturday morning by climbing to the top of Sleeping Giant. Within 30 seconds we were dripping sweat and not just because of the elevation gain. Hiking in humidity is no joke.” – @currentlywandering

All Trails does a great job with trail descriptions and maps for pretty much all of Hawaii so we followed their route. Once you get to the picnic shelter its a bit of scramble up to the point with a view. If you aren’t scared of heights it is pretty spectacular.

Wailua River Kayaking

Everything I researched mentioned kayaking up the Wailua River and then hiking up to Secret Falls. Traveling the river is the only way to get to these falls, and we enjoy a good paddle anyway so this adventure was top on our list. We rented boats from Wailua Kayak Adventures who were fantastic.

They helped us load 2 double kayaks (that can seat a small child in the middle) and one single onto our rental minivan with no problem. Our rental included the boats, paddles, life jackets, and really cool dry bag backpacks. We had a few dry bags of our own, but theirs were way better. They also gave us a map of the river, explained where to tie up our boats for the hike, and gave us directions to the put in on the river.

The paddle up the river was a lazy 45 minutes. We splashed each other and just enjoyed the scenery.

“We kayaked the beautiful Wailua River last week on Kauai and had a blast! We managed to fit three people on these two person kayaks by having a kid sit backwards in each one. It made for some entertaining conversation during the 45 minute paddle, especially when Cara decided she wanted to paddle backwards!

Unfortunately, on our way back she was a little bored and ended up playing with her glasses just above the waterline. Yep. You guessed it. They slipped from her fingers and despite Rachel’s valiant snatching attempt, and me bailing out of my kayak after them her glasses sank into the murky depths. ” -@currentlywandering

We took a little side detour on the way back and found a spot to do a little cliff jumping. The paddle back is always the worst with kids, so we were prepared with snacks but we were all still pretty excited to get to the take out.

Secret Falls Hike

Once we arrived at the trail head, we pulled our kayaks out of the water and onto to the muddy bank. We were advised to not leave any personal items with the boat, so we grabbed our packs, and our Ice Mule Cooler with lunch (this dry bag cooler has come in handy SO many times!) and set off up the trail towards the falls. We’ve learned that hiking in Hawaii is best done in Chacos, or other similar sandals. Its frequently muddy, there are usually stream crossings, and sandals are great for keeping our feet protected once we get to the falls and want to swim.

The hike was fairly flat, 1 mile trip to the falls. There is a stream crossing with a rope but be advised there can be flash floods here so just be careful! Stick to the trail and before you know it, you’ll arrive at the falls! The water was cold(er than the ocean!) but we enjoyed swimming, had lunch, and then started the trek back to the boats.

Dinner at Verde Restaurant

We didn’t eat out frequently (it adds up when you factor in kids) but we had heard good things about Verde Restaurant and since it was already 5:00pm by the time we brought the boats back we went for it.  Really great Mexican food, casual enough we didn’t feel out of place in our swimwear, and not overly pricey. The portions were large, so Cara ordered off the Keiki menu, and Rachel, Andrew, Sam, and I split two burritos between us. It was perfect.

——-Day 3: Sunday——–

Going to Church

We are in the habit of attending all three hours of our Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint meetings every Sunday while traveling and this was no exception. I’ve found that church is a great way to meet some of the locals and get a feel for the culture, plus its nice to just rest. Even on vacation.  We definitely weren’t the only visitors as the chapel was packed, but we enjoyed the services. We did attend at 9am so that left the afternoon free for exploring.

Waimea Canyon Drive

We decided to have a big lunch since we knew we’d be out later. Waimea Canyon was about an hour drive from our condo, plus driving in the canyon itself and I wanted to be out late enough to catch the susnet. Luckily our kids can read in the car and are used to driving.

We had heard mixed reports about the canyon – some said the roads were too windy and they ended up getting car sick, others raved about how beautiful it was. Our opinion is probably somewhere in the middle. We didn’t really hike anything, but mostly just stuck to the overlooks which was just fine. Definitely drive all the way to the end of the road as the view over the Na Pali coast was one of my favorites.

“Driving Waimea Canyon and stopping at the overlooks was the perfect Sunday afternoon activity. Its like the Grand Canyon, only GREEN. So, not really?” – @currentlywandering

“Remember how I said that every mountain range is unique and I love it? Hawaii has taken that to a whole new level. I can’t get over these ridges and how the greenery just grows right up these vertical slopes. Blows. My. Mind. .” @currentlywandering

On our way back down out of the canyon we caught that sunset.

——-Day 4: Monday——-

Na Pali Coast Hike

Originally we planned to visit Kauia I was set on backpacking this trail. I had heard it was downright spectacular, but after some initial research we decided that it wasn’t feasible with our kids.  Then I thought we’d do the 8 mile round trip to Hanakapi’a waterfall, but in the end we decided that staying with my parents was more important and just went to the beach.  Parking was rumored to be a nightmare so we tried to get there early, but even so we barely managed to squeeze into a spot.

The trail has quite a bit of elevation (both up and down) which kept us entertained, and luckily it wasn’t too muddy. Much of the trail was in the shade, but there were sections that were unprotected and got quite warm. We were with my parents so we kept a slower pace which was totally fine with me as we were pretty out of hiking shape ourselves!

The beach was okay. It is not advised to get in the water, so we walked along the sand, Cara collected rocks, and we at our picnic lunch before starting back along the trail.

Ono Shave Ice

After a good hike, I’m pretty sure everyone needs a little shave ice. We found Ono Shave Ice in Kapa’a.  They had a great selection of flavors, large portions and weren’t terrible expensive. We may or may not have come back at least 2 more times before we left the island. If you’ve never had Shave Ice (not ShaveD ice) our favorite way to eat it is with ice cream on the bottom and condensed milk on top. So delicious!

We spent the evening at the condo cooking dinner and swimming in the pool.

——-Day 5: Tuesday——-

Today was a rest/logistics day. I had to drop Sam off at the airport so he could teach class at BYU-H by the afternoon and since Cara lost her glasses kayaking I took her to the local optometrist at Costco to get her a new prescription (it was about time anyway) and get new ones ordered.

The kids lazed around the house playing games with grandma and grandpa until Cara and I returned and then we meandered down to the local beach.

Lydgate Park Beach

Lydgate Park Beach is a  man made beach so its protected from riptides and rocks. The rock wall surrounding the swimming area attracted fish, so we enjoyed a little bit of snorkeling in addition to playing in the sand and throwing around a frisbee. Perfect Hawaiian vacation evening.

“We had a totally relaxing, calm evening on the beach tonight at Lydgate Park. Little bit of snorkeling, lots of digging in the sand (Cara), and Rachel let me use her as a model. Just couldn’t pass up this gorgeous evening light.” -@currentlywandering

“Found a way to shower post snorkel without getting water in his eyes. 😂 .” -@currentlywandering

By the way – coolest snorkel masks EVER. We could breath through our noses (such a huge plus!) and they had great vision. Also we never had to blow them out – the tube stops up when you dive under water. Check them out on Amazon.

——-Day 6: Wednesday——-

Poipu Beach

My mom requested a beach where we could snorkel AND body board. Now, if you are familiar with either you’ll know they generally don’t go together (one is better in calm water and the other you need waves) but it just so happens that Poipu Beach had great snorkeling and the neighboring Brennecke’s Beach deliver a powerful 1 -2 punch. I had packed over our Wildhorn snorkel gear (can’t leave home without it anymore) and we rented gear for my parents at Snorkel Bob’s in Koloa. They had prescription masks which my mom was excited about so she could actually see the fish!

“A family that snorkels together totally rocks! Cara is my little fish, and it was fun to have grandma & grandpa experience the joy of snorkeling with this girl. She gets so excited and its contagious! Poipu Beach is also one of the BEST snorkeling spots I’ve been too. So many fish and beautifully clear water!” -@currentlywandering

We snorkeled for a few hours at Poipu and then grabbed our stuff and wandered over to Brennecke’s where the surf was coming in. Its a small area but we all managed to catch some waves.

“She doesn’t like to snorkel, but can ride a pretty mean boogie board. ” -@currentlywandering

Puka Dog

We had our fill of the beach by early afternoon and stopped by Puka Dog for a late lunch/dinner on our way back to Lihue. They are Hawaiian style hot dogs which were highly recommended by a friend and oh – so -yummy! Add in a freshly squeezed lemonade and we were in heaven!

——-Day 7: Thursday——-

Koloa Zipline

Our final day on the island we chose to zipline as a birthday present from my parents to the kids for birthdays/Christmas. They are not many places that will let 7 year old kids zip, but Koloa Zipline was awesome. Not only did all my kids get to zipline, they went by themselves almost the whole time. The restrictions are weight dependent and also factor in wind and length of the zip. Totally up to the guides in the moment, and ours were fantastic.

After a short stop for more shave ice, we headed to the airport and them home to Oahu! We packed quite a lot into our 7 days on the island and it was fabulous! I felt like for the first time in a LONG time we were on vacation. Sam took work off, I didn’t worry about blogging and the kids didn’t bring school. We played hard, ate good food, and watched movies or played games together in the evening. We definitely loved our Hawaii vacation and can’t recommend it enough!

Categories
Hawaii

Visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center

The Polynesian Cultural Center is one of Hawaii’s top attractions located on the North Shore in Laie next to the Brigham Young University Hawaii campus.

We were able to visit a few different times – once with my parents in September, and then again briefly with our friends who came in October. Sam also had an aunt visit and we split time attending between Sam, Rachel, and I.

Dates We Visited: Fall 2017 (Sept, Oct, & Nov)

Ages of Children: 12, 10, & 7

Background & History

The PCC started as away for students to earn money for their education and to preserve the cultures and crafts from their home islands in Polynesia. It still employs  mostly students who are enthusiastic and excited about helping visitors get a taste of their cultures!

One of my favorite activities was talking with the students – finding out where they were from, what they were studying, and their plans for after school. Most students are on a work/study program where they return to their country of origin after they graduate.

There are many different packages you can buy when you visit the PCC.  When we visited with my parents we chose to do the Ali’i Luau package which included the Islands, a Luau dinner, and the night show. It was pricey (about $500 for all 5 of us) but totally worth it.

The Islands

The Polynesian Cultural Center opens at 11:45am which allows the students employees to complete their classes in the morning. Its definitely worth it to be there right from the beginning as there is so much to do! Each of the Islands (there are 6) has a cultural presentation at various times during the day, and when they aren’t doing a presentation, there are activities to do in each village.  We got a schedule when purchasing our tickets and then it takes some planning to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Even though it was expensive, the tickets do come with a “return within 3 for free” deal where you can come back to the islands anytime within the next three days at no charge. Totally worth planning to take advantage of that!

We learned about coconut oil, threw spears, started fires, saw Tahitian dancing (crazy shaking hips!), played Hawaiian checkers, had an Ukelele lesson, watched the Haka, and got tattoos.

Our favorite presentation by far was Tonga – it was lively, energetic, and just plain fun. They include audience participation which also adds humor. We also enjoyed the Hawaiian presentation as they have some pretty amazing Ukelele players!

At 2:30pm everyone takes a break and there is a Canoe Pageant that runs down the river through the villages. Its best to try and get seats in the shade as the sun gets pretty warm when you sit there for awhile! Totally fun and a great way to get an overview of all the islands.

The Samoan presentation with Chief Kap was also a favorite. He’s made quite a few YouTube videos and is just as fun in person as online. We made small toys out of coconut leaves which the kids loved, tasted fresh coconut water, and watched a young man climb a palm tree.

Luau Dinner

Since we were not ambassadors, our dinner was scheduled for 4:30 (the other group was at 6:00). It was a little early, but we managed to make it work. We received leis on the way in, and then were shown to our table. All of the dinners are buffet style with amazing Hawaiian food, but if your kids are picky eaters they may not enjoy it. We also loved the entertainment as it was very different than the show later that night.

“Ha: Breath of Life” Evening Show

The evening show is a beautiful, symbolic story about a young Polynesian boy that grows up through the islands.  There’s music, dancing, and our favorite: FIRE. The production quality was amazing, we were entranced the entire show, and wished that we could have gone back again!

Photo courtesy of the Polynesian Cultural Center as no photos are allowed of the show.

We loved the PCC and are extremely happy with our time spent there. We did manage to see just about everything in two days (there’s also an IMAX film that’s beautiful!) and would definitely recommend a visit if you are headed to Oahu!

Check out the rest of our photos below:

Categories
Hawaii Hiking State Parks

Ka’ena Point Hike & Bird Sanctuary – Oahu

We’ve desperately been missing hiking (well, at least Sam and I are) so we decided to drive to the dry side of the island and check out the Ka’ena Point Trail. You can hike two different ways to the point (from the south or Farrington Hwy) and while I’ve heard the south trail is preferable it was also an extra 45 minutes away. So north it was.

Our poor little beach car has seen better days (the passenger side window is no longer rolling up, and the the driver’s side won’t open from the inside) so we rented a car through the university Car Share program and drove a Nissan truck out there instead. Let’s just say we a) liked being back in a truck and b) immensely enjoyed the air conditioning.

This was a 5 mile return trip with most of it being a long a 4×4 dirt road. We were…disappointed. I think maybe if we had lowered our expectations or done a little more research we would have been better prepared. There were a lot of people driving vehicles (I’m pretty sure you have to have a permit or code to get past the gate) for some 4-wheeling and quite a few fisherman set up along the coast. We were ready for some “wilderness” and didn’t really get that.

Still, we explored the coast a bit on the way out and loved watching the waves. The weather over there is definitely more dry and we even saw a CACTUS! I can’t tell you how in heaven I was. It felt a little like a combination between the Oregon & Northern California coasts. As winter approaches the north shore waves are getting bigger and they are pretty spectacular.

At the end of the road we arrived at the Seashore and Albatross Sanctuary. The are is enclosed by a large black fence to keep out predators (and NO dogs), but its easy to open and slip through the gate once you’ve cleaned off your shoes. We were surprised to run into a ranger (the fact that this was part of a state park somehow eluded me) but she was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. She even let us step off trail to see a baby wedgetail shearwater chick hiding in the bushes. The parents come to land and lay one egg and then once it hatches take turns flying out for food. This chick is almost fully grown and when they are this size the parents will leave for up to two weeks! It was pretty curious about us (thinking maybe we were mom with some food?) so we didn’t stay too long.

The trail through the sanctuary was more what we expected. Combination of rocky and sandy turning to sand dunes once we got out to the point. Kind of cool that you can look back towards the islands and see both the north and south shores at the same time.

After arriving and taking in the view we sat on the concrete base for the old lighthouse and dug into  our @trailfoody bags for some snacks. We are really loving the Nut Butter Nation peanut butter/cracker combination we learned from these guys!

Depending on the time of year, there are hundreds of albatross that come and nest out here on the point. They typically lay their egg in January so were were a bit early. There’s also usually Hawaiian monk seals laying around but either they blended in *really* well with the rocks or they were absent. Instead we inspected the coral and climbed some rocks while taking in the view & sunset.

We hiked the loop inside the sanctuary and then had to book it back to the truck so we could get home on time. We made it in just over an hour which for 2.5 miles is a pretty decent pace! Overall, I’d say we enjoyed ourselves. We love hiking with the kids as it gives us a chance to move our feet and spend quality time together. I love the random topics we discuss – lots of programming between Sam and Rachel, while Cara & Andrew prefer anything Minecraft related.

It was nice to explore a different part of the island. This hike has zero shade so if you are going in the summer definitely take a hat, sunscreen and lots of water!

As we reached the parking lot, the sky decided to put on a show for us. Bold move, Hawaii. Bold move.