Hawaii -- It Was So Fun!!

 We left for Hawaii on Wednesday, June 12th.  We had a direct flight from Salt Lake to Honolulu.  It was a 5.5 hour flight.












We arrived in Honolulu around 2:30 p.m. local time.  We were headed to get our luggage and there were Uncle Roy and Aunt Vina to greet us!  Although we were renting a car, Jason told me he wouldn't be surprised if they were there to meet us.  And they were!  They gave us leis and had fresh manapuas for us.  Jason chose steamed and Jacob and I chose baked.  They were good.

After renting our car, we drove to Roy and Vina's home.  This is a hill they have on their property.  They have a great view over looking Honolulu.  They live in Manoa and it is a beautiful neighborhood. Their home is not large, but it very comfortable.  You have the front room, dining room, kitchen and then to the right you step up 2 steps to the hallway that leads to 4 bedrooms.  I really liked it.

After settling in Roy took us down to Ala Moana Beach park and gave Jacob some surfing lessons.

Autumn, Tasha and Mia with Jacob

We came home and Corey and Erin were there with Tasha, Mia and Autumn.  We had dinner and a very nice visit with them.

Jason, Erin, Corey, Aunt Vina, Uncle Roy

The next morning Jason, Jacob and I headed out to see Pearl Harbor.  Our tour tickets were for 11 a.m. and we arrived at 10.  We got our headsets and headed for the museum.  We walked through the first before going to the theater and then taking the boat tour out by the memorial.

We couldn't enter the memorial because they are fixing the dock, but we were able to go around it.

 After the boat tour we walked around outside looking at the names listed from each boat that was sunk.

We then went and finished our museum tour and walked around the submarine memorial that listed the ships and their history.

When we got home we went on a picnic with Roy and Vina to another part of Ala Mona park.  After dinner Vina and I walked around Honolulu and did some window shopping. 

 On the way home, my this time it was dark, Jacob noticed a sign for malasadas.  He had read a magazine at Roy and Vina's that advertised Leonard's.  He saw the sign lit up and commented about how he had seen that in the magazine.  So we stopped and got some manapuas.

The next morning we got up and Roy and Vina took us to Hanama Bay.  We had our snorkel gear with us and headed out to see the fish.  It was a beautiful day.  The water was fairly warm and we had a fun day!
We left around noon...which I think was a little sad for Jason.  His memory is of going with a lunch and spending the day there with family.  He also thinks of the water of being a lot warmer!  :)

After snorkeling we went to lunch and had a variety of manapuas, brook tripe, shrimp shaming, chicken feet and some noodles.  I don't like fried chicken feet.  After lunch we went to Waiola's for shaved ice.  That made Jacob happy!

That night we went to Corey and Erin's home for dinner.  They have a big home with an unusual layout.  Many rooms!

Saturday morning we had breakfast with Roy and Vina. We packed up and as we headed out Vina gave Jacob a red envelope with $20.  They are such kind people and wonderful hosts!  We had a great time with them!!
We then headed to the swap meet and to meet up with Ahyous.  They had flown in the day before and were staying with Ben's cousin Adrian and his wife Dreana.  We walked around with them and his cousin Adrien and his son.
After we went for lunch to a place that sells manapua.  It seemed to be a goal to find good manapua.
We then left to go up to Laie to check in.  They weren't quite ready for us so we went to a local beach and Jacob splashed around.
 After checking in we met up with Ben and Andrea at the beach.

 Jacob was obviously happy to see Elias!

The next day was Father's Day.  We got up at 7 a.m. and went to Adrien's house where they were doing a "luau" or umu as they called it.  Here Adrien is weaving a basket to put the food in when it was cooked.

 The fire pit being readied for the meat, bananas and taro.

 We cut open coconuts, drank the coconut water, then scraped out the meat.  They also had a bench with a special metal scraper on it to flake the coconut.  Probably the only drawback were the mosquitoes.  Poor Elias is allergic to them and had many bites!

Shaving coconut

Andrea and I making "plates" for dinner.

Learning to weave a headband

Dinner is ready.

After seeing the umu prepared, we went back to our hotel room and got ready for church.  We went to Ben's uncle's ward.  In Primary Jacob got a shell necklace because he was a visitor.


Dinner time! Jacob plated up Jason's food and served it to him for Father's Day.













After dinner we all headed over to the temple.  We walked around the visitor's center and the grounds. It was a nice way to finish the day!

 Monday morning we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center.  It rained a bit, but we had a good time going from "island to island."

Trying to make fire.

Tonga

 Tuesday morning we went to the pool with Jacob and Elias.  Elias had spent the night with us to get away from the mosquitoes.

We then went to Waimea beach with Ben, Andrea, Elias, Tenya, Dreana and her daughter Viv.

Ben and family had dinner with his aunt that night.  We went to L & L's for dinner.

View from our room

 Wednesday we flew to Kauai.  We got to the resort early, but they took our bags and gave us use of a changing room so we could use the pool until we could check in.  It was a beautiful pool and the beach was attached.  Nice set up!

















That night we went and got dinner at a place called Da Crack.  It reminded me of Chipolte.  It was good, but we got too much food.   We were down at Popui beach and played around there, saw the sunset, and when it got dark we saw sea turtles come up on the beach!  It was so cool!

 Thursday morning we had a helicopter ride for $540!  It was very cool!!  We flew over the entire island.  Some interesting facts...The Robinson family owns a lot of the island.  In the 1800s she came and bought a small island off of Kauai from the king to help get them out of debt.  They subsequently purchased more of Kauai, but it is set up so that much of it will never be developed.

Nepali coast

 After the tour and lunch Jason and I headed to our timeshare presentation--that is how we stayed there cheaply.  Of course we didn't buy.

 We met Ahyous at the pool and that night we went for saimin noodles.  They were tasty.

This is the main reason we stopped at McDonald's.
Ben really wanted to find haupia pie.  

Dinner

After dinner stop for ice cream at McDonald's.  

 We came home, Ahyous headed back to their room and we hung out by the pool.  It was so peaceful!

 Friday morning we spent at the beach in front of the property.   Ahyous had some problems with cock roaches and had their room sprayed while we were at the beach.  They then went for their timeshare presentation while we watched the kids.

 When Ben and Andrea got back we went to Spouting Horn park to see the blow holes.

Shipwreck beach

After Spouting Horn park we went to Shipwreck beach and watched the surfers.

I loved seeing these trees!  Its like someone has
put their hand on top of them and flattened
them a bit.

 After the beach Jason proposed that we get pizza for the kids, let them stay in the room with a phone, play games, and we went to dinner on property.  The kids LOVED that idea!

 Saturday we went to the Lighthouse which is a bird preserve.

Jason and Jacob out on a tree

We then went to Anini beach--probably my least favorite.

The next beach was Hanalei.  Fun beach.  Kids played in the sand and had a great time!

Ahyous headed back, but we stopped at Anahola beach and Kealia beach.  Both were unique and beautiful!

 That  night we ate at a food truck that served Thai food.
Food was one of the harder things to figure out for dinner.  The last day we were there we found a place that had more places to eat.








Sunday it rained all day...which was great since it made it easier not to swim.  That morning we went to church at the Lihue ward.  After Sacrament meeting they have all the visitors stand, the ward members go to the front and sing a welcome song while passing out crochet leis. 




   

Wailua Falls

After church we wanted to Wailua Falls and Opeakaa Falls.

Andrea trying to get a good shot of the falls

After Wailua falls we drove to Opeakaa falls.  It was pouring by the time.  We sat in the car, when the rain let up a little bit we ran, glanced at the falls and ran back. 

After the falls we went back to the Marriott, had lunch and then found an alcove where we had our FHE with the Come Follow Me outline. 

After that we walked around the beautiful gardens.  For dinner we got the kids cereal and the adults did Duke's again for dinner.

Dinner at Dukes

That night we packed and Monday morning we finished that up, went swimming, showered and left in the afternoon for the airport. 

As we left...Jacob in front of the gardens

We had a Costco dinner of hot dogs and hamburgers.

At the airport with ran into Matt and Joy Bethards with their family.  It was so fun to see them!

We flew home that night to Seattle.  Had a short layover and then home to Salk Lake.  Missed Hawaii, but good to be home.