nature

Honolulu – Oahu

May 25, 2016June 27, 2016Leave a comment

When we went to Oahu we stayed in downtown Honolulu for a few days before heading up the coast. There are tons of great restaurants and places to shop there. We went for a fantastic ride on a catamaran and saw our first green sea turtles and humpback whales! If you can visit Hawaii while the whales are there in season, I would highly recommend it. They’re so amazing to see. You can see a wonderful panoramic of Diamond Head while exploring Waikiki Beach and visit a statue of “The Duke”. Hanauma Bay is close by and a must for snorkeling. Driving is a nightmare though, so walking, if possible, is the way to get around. While the more local, laid back setting was what we were looking for on vacation it was a lot of fun getting to explore the city.

Makaha – Oahu, Hawaii

May 11, 2016May 16, 2016Leave a comment

While we were in Hawaii we stayed in a great little rental house right on the water in Makaha, which is on the leeward side of Oahu. The house had amazing views with nothing more than rocks separating us from the Pacific ocean. We were lucky enough to get to see “honu”(the Hawaiian word for green sea turtle) and watch humpback whales from the back lanai daily. Next to the house is Aki Beach, which is a small, private “locals” beach where the turtles like to sunbathe. Such a peaceful and quiet setting which was a nice change of pace from busy Honolulu. Being able to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of waves is what island living is all about.

Waimea Valley – Oahu, Hawaii

May 10, 2016May 16, 20162 Comments

Waimea Valley is a historical nature park full of amazing flowers, native gardens and a beautiful waterfall you can swim at. There’s a paved path that winds through the grounds which makes it easy to stroll along and really take your time checking out all the different varieties of plants. They also have a huge collection of hibiscus flowers here including many hybrids and endangered species.