Oahu
- Gladys Roberts
- Nov 29, 2019
- 11 min read
It's so crazy to think that my oldest niece graduated high school and is in college! As a surprise for all her accomplishments we took her on a family trip to her dream destination of Hawaii and it was such an incredible and memorable time together as a family!
F R I A U G 9
Our first day in we took it easy , picked up our rental car, got groceries and settled into our AirBnb. We were situated on a hillside just northeast of Waikiki and had the most incredible view of Diamond Head crater and Waikiki Beach.
After grabbing some lunch at a local sandwich shop and a good nap we decided to go explore Waikiki Beach at sunset, the sky was amazing! We took advantage to get some cute photos with our ultrasound pic and announce our little bean’s arrival, but more about that on another blog post ;)
S A T A U G 10
Saturday morning we got up bright and early to go check out the KCC Farmers Market! It was full of exotic Hawaiian fruits, fresh pressed juices, a variety of native Hawaiian plants and, of course, plenty of BBQ meats! (yummmmmm!)
Then we headed across the street to Diamond Head Crater for our first epic hike! Going inside the crater was so cool, it’s crazy to think that it was formed when a giant volcanic explosion caused the top to blow off! The hike was long and sweaty, but also had plenty of shady spots to rest and take a breather. We were so proud of my mom, whose plan was to just wait at the bottom for us to do the hike, ha! We told her there was no way she came all the way to Hawaii just to watch us all go on adventures without her! We went at her pace, took plenty of breaks and made sure we all got plenty of water and she made it to the top with us! GO MOM!
The views were breathtaking— on one side was the entire valley and city of Honolulu, the other, the incredibly crystal blue pacific ocean!
After a shower and a long nap we headed back out for a night walking down Waikiki Beach and grabbed dinner at Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurant-- Morimoto Asia. We had some great asian inspired food and ended the night with a really fun chocolate surprise! Also to our surprise was how affordable this restaurant was, for being owned by a celebrity chef, the prices were reasonable and I’d really recommend it if you like asian food.
S U N A U G 11
Sunday we had every intention of going to church, but when we got to the chapel it was all closed! We assumed they were probably having stake conference, so we headed to our plan B, the flea market, to buy some souvenirs. I was honestly surprised there weren’t more people there! The prices were so cheap compared to the stores down Waikiki Beach and there was truly something for everyone! Sadly it was soooo HOT I forgot to take any pictures while walking around. It was in a stadium parking lot so there were zero trees and we were literally melting! However, the sweat was worth all the great deals we found!
Afterwards, we went to the memorable Pearl Harbor. We watched a video about the history of the Pearl Harbor attack and took a boat tour to see the USS Arizona Memorial and some of the remnants of the other sunk pearl harbor ships that weren’t able to be salvaged, including the Utah. It was a solemn tour and crazy to learn that over 1,000 men were entombed in the USS Arizona after that fatal attack. I never really understood all the politics and history behind what happened, so it was great to learn more in depth about it and gave me so much appreciation for our veterans and all the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our great country!
Afterwards we hit up Waikiki Beach for some seaside dining and a walk on the boardwalk, this was quickly becoming our evening tradition! When in doubt, Waikiki Beach! Just a little tip though (park at the Waikiki Shell Amphitheater parking on the beach is TERRIBLE, but the amphitheater is just across the street and free!)
M O N A U G 12
Monday morning we got up bright and early to go visit the Iolani Palace. Right in the heart of downtown Honolulu, this is where Hawaiian royalty once lived and ruled over the island. We did an audio tour that taught us all about the history of the Hawaiian royal lineage, their contributions to the island, and of course, the palace and historical artifacts found within. I can’t say that I’ve ever been in a palace before this visit, so it was incredible to see things like the queen’s dresses, the king’s study, and their crowns which would normally only be seen by the public at coronation ceremonies!
After some brunch at Koko Head Cafe (a fusion of american, korean, and hawaiian brunch items), we hit up the Lyon Arboretum. This place was probably one of my favorite that we went to in Hawaii! It’s on the University of Honolulu campus and for a small donation you can walk all around the grounds, which is a maze of trails with all sorts of incredible plant and wildlife! I saw some of the most exotic looking flowers I’d ever seen and the view from the look out point was breathtaking!
Then right down the road from the arboretum was Manoa Falls which was super convenient! This was probably my favorite hike of the trip, the trail is so green and lush! As soon as you walk in you feel like you’re inside of a scene from Jurassic Park, the foliage was stunning!!! Sadly, the falls weren’t flowing to their full potential because it wasn’t the rainy season, but it was still a beautiful sight to see.
T U E A U G 13
Tuesday we wrapped it up with an all-day beach marathon! We started the morning snorkeling at Waikiki Beach, which was great for my niece who had never gone snorkeling before. I was actually quite surprised by all the fish we saw near the retaining wall where we were snorkeling considering all the bathers!
After spending the rest of the afternoon tanning on the beach and some sushi for lunch, we headed to Leonard’s Bakery for their Hawaii famous malasadas, basically a deep fried donut covered in sugar and filled with either chocolate, coconut, guava, or custard! It was most definitely worth the 30 minute wait in line and a sweet ending to our time in Waikiki cause the next day we’d be hitting up North Shore!
W E D A U G 14
We checked out of our beautiful airbnb bright and early to spend the next couple days on the North Shore. While my mom and sister did a session at the Hawaii LDS temple, Travis, Bella and I got breakfast at this neat little diner called Hukilau Cafe. Bella and I had the most delicious stack of coconut pancakes with passion orange juice and Travis enjoyed a spam egg sandwich. This was such a quaint and affordable place to grab a bite to eat, I really recommend it if your in North Shore near the temple.
After picking up my mom & sister from the temple, we hit up the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) to spend the rest of our day!
This is a MUST-GO place if you’re going to be in Oahu and a great way to learn about Hawaiian and Polynesian culture in general. For all my Disney fans, I like to compare it to Epcot— a theme park where each section represents a Polynesian island. In each “island” you learn about the history, customs and incredible traditions that originated there.
In Fiji we got to see some of the native dances performed to live music.
In “Aotearoa”, currently known as New Zealand, we got to check out some of the structures traditional to the Maori people. They were so beautifully painted and very ornate.
In Tahiti, Travis got to take his shot at spear-throwing! They would use coconuts on sticks as target practice and this was an easy way to get coconuts down from the trees instead of climbing.
In Samoa I attempted to make fire using friction, apparently in the past 30 days only one guy had been successful at it! Although I could feel the wood getting warm, I don’t think I was anywhere near making it happen! lol
And we, of course, couldn’t resist taking a picture at our lovely Easter Island, home of the Rapanui people and territory of Chile, the land that brought Travis & I together. Although neither of us had the chance to serve in “Isla de Pascua”, our goal is to go there together one day when we return to Chile.
We also enjoyed the beautiful Hukilau performance on the river that runs through the whole park. An incredible performance of song and dance by incredibly talented students at BYU whose tuition is subsidized thanks to all the visitors at the PCC. We also went on a river tour in a traditional outrigger that took us throughout the whole park. A great way to quickly see all the islands at the PCC if you’re short on time or just need a break to sit down and want to enjoy the scenery for a bit.
Bella and I also took a lei making class where we made a “Haku” or crown lei. I was so surprised at how beautiful they turned out! And our teacher was the nicest girl ever. After some talking, we realized that we both attended BYU in Provo together and recognized each other from campus. After getting married to her husband in UT, who now owns one of the food trucks at the PCC and hooked us up with some free drinks, they moved back to her hometown of Laie to raise their first baby girl. It was so sweet to reunite with her in Hawaii of all places!
After an all you can eat buffet included with out ticket at the PCC, we headed to the HA Theater to watch the most incredible live performance! A story about a family who fled their island and the journeys they encountered as they moved from island-to-island throughout Polynesia. It was a sentimental, hilarious, and spectacular show all rolled into one and the best way to end a loooong day of walking in the sun.
Here we are with two of the main performers from the show, both incredible dancers and actors!
T H U R S A U G 15
Thursday morning we woke up in our new Airbnb, literally paradise! The views from this apartment were incredible and the kind of thing you only see in postcards! There really isn’t an unpleasant view anywhere in Hawaii, everywhere you’d turn was either water, jungle, or a combination of both like you see here.
That morning we had an excursion planned to go kayaking, booked through our favorite way to get to know the places we travel and the local people, AirBnb. We met our guides at a park and after getting fitted in our life jackets hit the water! It was a beautiful day, sunny, but a little overcast so we weren’t getting beaten’ down by the sun. Our endpoint was to kayak to what the locals call Chinaman’s Hat, this little island that has a funny hat shape, makes sense when you see it.
Once there we got to snorkel and saw so many cool sea creatures, including an eel! The wildlife was beautiful and it was amazing to see how many little critters fill Hawaii’s oceans in every little corner you swim in. On our way back to shore we stopped by an area of the bay where the sea turtles like to hang out. It was hard to get a good picture, but they would pop their heads up out of the water to get air and you’d just hear them gasp, it was hilarious! Our guide was such an awesome guy, he’s been an extra in a ton of movies filmed on the island and is an expert way-finder, with the knowledge to navigate at sea without any modern instrumentation just like his ancestors once did. His longest time at sea was about 30 days and they travel in traditional outriggers with sails as their only method of steering! That’s why I love doing excursions through AirBnb, you get to meet some of the most interesting locals who know all the cool and remarkable places to check out off the grid from where all the tourists go. Can you believe we had this beautiful bay all to ourselves that morning?!
After this we went home to shower and change for the day. Our second stop was the Byodo-In Temple at Valley of the Temples, a beautiful cemetery which is not at all what I expected of the place from the name, but makes sense. Hawaii has such a diverse asian community, and this cemetery was split up by religious themes which inspired its name.
This bell may be rung by visitors to ward away evil spirits from the temple grounds.
The Byodo-In Temple is a miniature replica of a 900 year old Buddhist temple at Uji in Kyoto and was built by the Japanese in Hawaii to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to the island. The grounds were truly beautiful and so peaceful, there was a lot of wildlife and we truly felt like we were suddenly transported to Japan.
After feeding the birds and turtles around the pond we continued our drive to the westside of the island to visit the Dole Plantation. We took a cute little train tour that talked about the history of the Dole company, had the most delicious pineapple dole whip and got talked into buying some pearls from the souvenir shop lol. I always like to bring something small home from our travels so that pearl will be my little gift to me from Hawaii.
Per request of Bella we also made a pit stop to Matsumoto's Shave Ice cause her friends had told her such good things about it! There's no denying that Hawaiian shaved ice is the best anywhere, that ice cream center and condensed milk drizzle is to DIE FOR!
Needless to say, we had a GOOD night’s sleep after all our stops today!
F R I A U G 16
It was our last day in paradise and today we all split up to do our own thing. Bella & Sherlyn went zip-lining and my mom took a Hollywood movie tour at Kualoa Ranch where a lot of movies like Jurassic Park and King-Kong were filmed. The pictures that the tour guide made my mom take KILL ME lol!!! This ranch is an awesome place to visit in the North Shore, they have everything from ATV tours and zip-lining to bus tours that teach you about the agricultural industry in Hawaii, there’s truly something for everybody!
While everyone else went all out at the ranch, Travis and I took it easy and had a relaxing spa day back in town. We got a Lomi-Lomi massage, a traditional Hawaiian massage that uses a combination of massage techniques, nut oils, and breathing to restore energy and soothe the body. It felt amazing on this tired preggo body and afterwards we got to enjoy a warm cup of herbal tea in their relaxation room. If there’s one thing I’ll do if I’m ever rich, it’ll be to have a personal masseuse haha!
After some lunch we went to pick up the fam from the ranch and it was back to the airbnb to pack up, check out and head to the airport, but not before picking up some yummy Hawaiian treats for the road!
This trip was so memorable because we got to share and spend time as a family, as well as, celebrate Bella for all her academic accomplishments. Now that we’ve experienced Oahu my next bucket list item is to go to one of the more laid back islands like Maui or Kauai and just be a total beach bum! Overall I admire the Hawaiian culture so much fir their love and respect for nature and protecting the world around them. Life on an island can be tough and they truly have the islands best interest at heart so it can continue to be paradise and home for the future generations to come. Until our next trip, ALOHA!
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