Hello, beautiful readers! I apologize for being a bit MIA for the past few weeks. The ending of the school year is always a blur, and then I was off to Hawaii for two weeks. I am slowly getting caught up with everything. I've tried to keep you entertained by sharing other authors' wonderful posts via Twitter. I still have another week or so of "catch up" before I can get back into my routine. Until then, I thought I'd share with you a bit of my Hawaii vacation. :-)
Those of you who have been following me for a while know that I've been on a mission to have my son see all fifty incredible states of America before he graduates. We have visited most of the states through summer road trips with my parents, but you can't drive to Hawaii, so we flew there and took a cruise tour instead. We spent three days before the cruise and another day after the cruise in Honolulu/Waikiki, Oahu. Here are some of my highlights.
Our first full day in Oahu was spent scuba diving. My son was recently certified, and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the underwater world with him with Dive Oahu (amazing dive master!). The next two days were spent touring the island, including Pearl Harbor, a macadamia nut shop, and Kualoa Ranch (where many movies scenes were filmed, like Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Godzilla, and Moana [well, it was inspired by parts of this ranch]).
Waikiki Beach
My view on the dive boat
That's my son on a ship wreck 100' deep.
Do you see the huge turtle? (at about 1 o'clock)
USS Arizona Memorial
Guns on the Submarine
By the Halona Blowhole Lookout
Godzilla footprint
Our next stop was Maui, where we took the Road to Hana Deluxe tour. Our tour guide was amazing. He took us to a park with lava rocks where the waves smashed against the shore. We visited a black sand beach with a lava tube and got to swim in a waterfall. Then, he took us to a beach where tons of turtles sunbathe.
So many turtles! 😍
The next day was spent snorkeling off of Maui's coast.
My son is part fish! 😂
Then, we went to Hilo where we toured a Japanese garden, a zoo, another macadamia nut farm (so yummy!), Rainbow Falls, and Akaka Falls!
I love how the reflection forms a full circle.
I just love this tree! It's called a Monkey Pod Tree!
So delicious!
Put me surrounded by nature, and I'm happy!
Rainbow Falls Lookout
Akaka Falls
Then, we were off to Kailua-Kona, where we took a military grade speed boat out to a reef to snorkel! We had SO much fun!
I followed this eel around for a bit! :-)
Then, we were off to Kauai. We started with a tour of the island, which took us to a beach/park where the community created a dam so the kids could swim safely. It was also the spot of an Elvis film. We visited Opaekaa Falls and another blowhole. We went to the Waimea Canyon Lookout, which they call the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. And we ended with a fabulous luau!
This is where Elvis filmed one of his movies.
Opaekaa Falls
We were blessed with several rainbows on this trip.
Amazing performance!
Our last tour of the cruise was spent on a jungle hike to two incredible waterfalls, one of which we were able to swim right up to it and spend some time just absorbing its energy!
The rock behind me has been in many movies, such as Raider of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and Hook!
On our way back to Oahu, we passed by the Na Pali Coast and were rewarded with the most stunning double rainbow!
Do you see the second rainbow above the bright one? Look to the right.
Both rainbows! 😍
When we arrived in Honolulu, we took another tour around the island that ended at the Dole Plantation, where I indulged in some pineapple ice cream. Our last day there, we had a late flight, so we walked over 13,000 steps exploring the island on foot and went to the movies to see the new Transformers movie (which we loved!).
This is the house from 50 First Dates.
It was an absolutely incredible trip, and now my son has seen our entire country and all its beauty! Now, it's time to start exploring the rest of the world! I'm gonna need another job. 😂
I appreciate you all being patient with me as I slowly catch up with my to do list. I promise to post again soon. I did get to read a few books. You can see my reviews here. Unfortunately, I did not get any writing done. I have a short story and a novel I'm working on, and I'm hoping to get back to writing by mid-July. I also hope to start writing poetry again next week. Fingers crossed!
Have you ever been to Hawaii? What was your favorite part? If not, what do you think you would enjoy most? I'd love to hear from you. :-)
Wow, Yvette! What a trip of a lifetime. I've never been to Hawaii, but enjoyed seeing all of your photos! Welcome home!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jan! It was an incredible trip! I definitely recommend it. Thanks for visiting! :-)
DeleteWonderful photos, Yvette. Thanks for sharing. I aways wanted to visit Hawaii, still on my bucket list. And doing it on a cruise ship seems to be the best idea. / JohnP
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recommend the cruise. Food on the island is very expensive because they have to import almost everything. Parking is also very expensive, and they don't have a lot of places to park. So, eating and sleeping on the ship and taking tours is the way to go! Thanks for visiting today, John! I hope you get to visit Hawaii. It truly is breathtaking! :-)
DeleteBeautiful photos, Yvette! I loved your underwater ones :) That looks like a perfect trip and to see all the islands at once, a great way to do it. I've been to all of the islands, but its been 40 years since I've been to Oahu, or our honeymoon. Have to get back there again, maybe a day trip trip. We have just been going to Kauai, that coast shot with the rainbow is amazing. We did the coast tour this time too with our son, its so beautiful. So glad you had fun! Hugs xo
ReplyDeleteI had an amazing trip and feel blessed to have had such incredible weather while we were there. Thanks for visiting and sharing your memories with me. :-)
DeleteGreat photos, Yvette. I love Hawaii and love diving, though I haven't don't much there. I'm so glad you got underwater and had all those beautiful days. Great smiles too. Welcome home, and thanks for sharing your travels.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diana! My son and I aren't big into sightseeing where we have to sit in a bus all day. We prefer being active and being surrounded by nature, so being underwater is right up our alley. Thanks for visiting, Diana! :-)
DeleteThat's incredible that you were able to explore every state! So many beautiful and fascinating photos here, Yvette. I've never been to Hawaii, but I appreciate the vicarious trip via these photos and your comments. May your adventures continue!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Mark! It's a beautiful place to visit and explore. If you ever get the chance, I would recommend it. :-)
DeleteHi Yvette, your photos are fabulous and make me want to return to Hawaii. It's been several years since we've been, but we want to go back. We had a blast on Oahu, but would love to visit the other islands. How wonderful that you've taken your son to all states in America. And just the time spent with him was special, I'm sure. Thank you for sharing your travels and smiles. By the way, I'm still not receiving your blog notifications even though I subscribed. So frustrating! ❤️
ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating, Lauren! I wish I could help. I'm hoping to find time to make some changes on my site and see if that makes a difference. I'll let you know when I do so we can test it out. If you ever get back to Hawaii, you definitely want to check out the other islands. They are all beautiful! :-)
DeleteSounds good, Yvette, and we will definitely do that. Have a great day! xo
Delete(Jules) I spent a week in 2004 in Maui... before the road to Hana was paved all the way around! We also visite blowholes, and a pineapple winery!
ReplyDeleteWe had a little guide book. We visited the top of the mountain... very cold. and I froze in a cold waterfall. I didn't see the manmade waterfall called the Seven Sisters though.
I think I am part fish too. Though I don't have can't 'dive' I did snorkel!!
So glad you had a wonderful trip! Cheers!!
I would have loved to visit a pineapple winery! It sounds sweet. ;-) Thanks for sharing your Maui adventures with me, Jules! :-)
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