We surprised the kids with a trip to HAWAII in September.
We had to get up super early (3:45am) to leave the house by 4:15 to make our 6:00 flight out. We made it, but the line at TSA was a beast first thing in the morning!
Once we got in to Honolulu, after 8 hours traveling (a 5.5 hour flight from Seattle), we got our mini van and headed right to the Dole Pineapple Plantation.
But on the way, most took a quick nap, having been up since 1:00am Hawaii time.
We stopped on the way to get something to eat and we had chicken both in the restaurant and out!
We went through the pineapple maze and found all 8 of the island education stations throughout.
(Hawaii, Kawaii, Maui, Moloka'i, Oahu, Lana'i, Ni'ihau, and Kaho'olawe).
After the maze we stopped by the store and got some fresh Pineapple Dole Whip.
Then we took the train around the plantation. This picture is of some of the pineapple fields. They grow close to the ground, one pineapple per plant. That's a lot of plants!
In the garden there are flowers, and lillies, and native plants, and geckos!
Owen liked the flowers
There were more than 5 geckos right here on this plant!
Can you see 2 of them in this picture?
After the Pineapple Plantation, we continued our way north to our Air BnB house that night in Halaiwa.
The house itself needed some TLC and maintenance, but the ocean access and view were unbeatable!
Owen and Emily explore the surf
Kellen and Owen dig and build
Owen built a turtle
Emily burying in the sand
Kai gets in the water
Making a mermaid
Kids playing in the water
Bunny at the patio
Tuesday, September 23
First thing this morning we met up with Jana Serrao, a photographer Aubrey found through a Facebook Mom's group. We are so pleased with how they turned out.
Following family pictures, we drove to the Lai'e temple, explored the grounds and had some lunch before heading to the Polynesian Cultural Center
We arrived in time to see the canoe tour show at 12:15 where each of the islands are introduced
This life size boat near Fiji was the inspiration for the wayfinder boat in Disney's Moana.
We started on the island of Fiji, where we played music and rhythms with cut bamboo.
After Fiji we stopped by a tattoo station and we each got an arm tattoo that means something different:
Dad: Warrior
Mom: Queen
Emily: Chief
Owen: Princess
Kellen: Warrior
Kai: Navigator
This is how bananas grow: WILD!
We played a stick game which DAD WON
and we got to watch the tree climbers
We stopped in a hut and made fish out of strips of plants
We got to each try our hand at spear throwing
Our guide was a young man from the Philippines named Joseph.
Emily was smitten and he was so patient with her wilieness.
We had dinner that evening at the PCC in their traditional Ali'i Lua'u.
The virgin pina coladas in pineapples were everyone's favorite (except Emily) and the pre-dinner rolls were purple!
After dinner and before the Ha: Breath of Life show that evening we stopped by the island of Fiji and got some memories with the grave markers.
On our way to the Ha: Breath of Life show we passed the statue of an original Hawaiian.
Our global location as recorded on Owen's phone.
Wednesday, September 24
Walking the beach first thing in the morning before everyone else was awake.
First thing we headed to the Pearl Harbor Memorial and USS Arizona. Because of the current restoration project we had to sign up on the stand by line and wait until our number was up (1360). We were told it would be several hours, so we left and went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet.
While at the swap meet, we got some souvenirs (name surf boards, Hawaii dress, lava lavas) and some lunch and then headed back to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Our number came up soon after we got back, so there wasn't too much waiting around.
It was a pretty warm day, and we walked around outside reading bits and pieces of history, watching the memorial documentary, and completing the Junior Ranger Program book for the badge.
That evening we stayed in downtown Honolulu at the Embassy Suites, to be close to the airport for an early departure to the Big Island the following morning. But that didn't stop us from going out to the beach that night!
Dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, Honoluulu
The boys dug out a dolphin in the sand
Thursday, September 25
This day was also an early rise day to make our flight out to the Big Island. But heading island to island is a little less intense than main land to island and/or back, so TSA/security was not as intense and it all went a little faster and smoother.
This was the main method of traveling through the airport for Emily: riding on her roller suitcase
At the Hawaii airport ALOHA rock sign
First stop on the Big Island was Volcano National Park.
Walking through the steam vents
Earning the Junior Ranger Badge at the temporary Visitor's Center
After visiting the Visitor's Center we went out to the Thurston Lava Tube and associated trail.
At the lookout before the lava tube.
The steam in the background is the open lava vents,
which opened up the week after we were there
and spewed lava 1500 feet into the air!
Road to the Lava Tube (and throughout the park)
Trail to and mouth of the Thurston Lava Tube
Flowers along the trail
Following the Lava Tube and viewing the steam vents, we drove 2 hours to the west side of the island to Kona for our Manta Ray Night Swim with Hang Loose Boat Tours.
This ended up being many of our family's favorite activities of the trip. It was a short boat ride to the side of the island where the manta rays gathered, and then we got to spend about 45 minutes to an hour in the actual water with the wild animals. It was the neatest thing. Even little Emily, at 6 years old, lasted most of the time, before getting too cold and needing to go back on the boat. She wasn't scared at all- she just got really cold. Even the adults got cold, but the once in a lifetime event was worth it.
They came right up to your face. They really do no have any sense of personal space. Visitors are forbidden from touching them, but that doesn't prevent them from bumping into you... and they are not soft, squishy, or smooth at all! We saw about 7 all at one time. It was a really incredible night, and we got a lot of it on GoPro video and pictures. So neat.
Our Manta Ray adventure went from about 6:30pm-8:45pm, and we hadn't had dinner yet. So we stopped at some fast food on the way out of Kona and drove an hour and a half back to Hilo on the east side of the island to our little hideaway house, where we quickly got settled, got some laundry started and went to bed. Good thing everyone had a bed! So grateful for rentable houses instead of typical hotels!!
Everyone was pretty tired on the drive there. Kellen's in the back seat all by himself- at least HE got to get some hortizontal!
Friday, September 26
First thing this day we headed an hour to the south end of the Big Island to see and experience the black sand beach. It was beautiful, and the water was pretty chilly.
There was a caged, protected area on the beach for a turtle nest.
Kellen and Kai spent an hour throwing rocks at coconuts, trying to get them to fall.
It didn't work; noone got hurt.
Emily was the only one who ventured into the water- it was pretty cold.
There were several turtles in the water poking their heads up every now and then.
Owen and Dad on the beach.
We watched a pair of fishermen launch their boat down the unprotected ramp into the not-so-smooth ocean. It was fascinating to watch as one of the stood in the water with the little boat until the other parked the truck and then they boat hopped from the water into the boat and headed out.
Kellen (no hat) and Kai (hats) built a small volcano in the sand
Owen drew a monkey in the sand
On the way out we saw 5 sea turtles on the beach wishing it were more sunny that day.
After the black sand beach we visited Volcano National Park again- to try and see some of the other things we didn't get to see the previous day.
A hike out to the Kiluea crater
At the crater overlook there were several Nene- local geese, and protected on the island.
At the volcano overlook
It was misty/rainy and overcast this day, so hiking wasn't terribly uncomfortable, but it did make seeing the steam from the volcano and other sights difficult and impossible to see.
In a lava field the kids discovered how light large rocks can be when penetrated with many air pockets.
Look how strong Owen is! (haha)
Walking back to car in the rain.
The restroom sign at the airport has the people wearing Hawaiian clothes.
Except the man doesn't have any pants (eek!)
Later in the afternoon, we headed back to Hilo airport to catch our flight back to Oahu, where we would stay for the rest of our trip.
We stayed in a condo RIGHT on the beach next to Fort DeRussy Park.
We had some visitors on our Lanai.
Saturday, September 27
This morning we had breakfast at the condo, packed up some lunch and then headed out for our Dolphin Quest Adventure at Kahala Hotel Resort.
Kellen
Kai
After our time with the dolphins we grabbed the beach stuff (borrowed from the condo) from the car and walked out to the beach next to the resort.
We spent the next 4-5 hours at the beach playing, swimming, building, snorkeling, relaxing, eating... just beachy-ness.
The only downside: everyone (except Mom) got terribly sunburned.
There was a dock the kids liked to go out to- gather, jump off, play.. whatever.
Kellen made a turtle in the sand.
We brought a bodyboard from the condo with us and the boys figured out how to work with it.
Kellen on the bodyboard
Emily enjoyed the bodyboard, too!
Kai on the bodyboard.
Owen on the bodyboard
Owen and Kellen started a project in the sand...
Kai joined in and they spent their time working hard on it...
it ended up being a full sea merman. They were very proud about it. It WAS pretty neat.
Mom spent a lot of the day under the umbrella, guarding the stuff and watching everyone have a great time.
Sunday, September 28
Early morning snoozing (boys)
View from the condo in the early morning
Dad and Owen in the afternoon on the condo lanai
Bunny enjoyed her time at the beach and in the condo
Even though everyone had tough sunburns, they put on their rashguard shirts (or, in Kellen's case, bought a rash guard shirt) and went ahead with their surf lessons that morning.
Everyone made it up on their boards standing, and their instructor told them he could not believe they had never been surfing before because of how good they were!
Following surf lessons we tried to go rent some snorkel gear, but the shop told us that conditions were too windy and we just wouldn't see much. So, snorkeling was out. Sad.
Instead, we found a mountain hike up the hill: Judd Trail.
It was a 1 mile round-trip circle with a fun pool at the end.
Sitting at the top of the natural slide, getting ready to go down
When we were done at the pools, we drove back to the condo, cleaned up, got some dinner and walked along the beach to say our farewells to the lovely, sandy beaches.
On our walk from the restaurant to the beach we came across the KaiAloha shop- where Kai got a Kai souvenir.
Evening walk on the beach... by ourselves
Nighttime beach prints and moonshine
Monday, September 29
An early rise again, but not nearly as early as leaving Spokane, found us at the Honolulu airport to catch a flight back home. Our first flight to Seattle was delayed by about 30 minutes because it turned out they didn't have enough fuel for the weight of the plane and had to correct that before takeoff. That said, we did have a cool-looking plane to ride back to the mainland.
The delay would not have been a big deal, except that our layover in Seattle was only 50 minutes AND it turned out that we had to change terminals to get to our new plane. Eeek!
It worked out. We didn't miss our flight (*whew!*) and we safely made it home on time. It was dark by the time we got in. We're once again glad we don't check in any luggage and only do carry on.
On our ride home from the airport, we had barely gotten on the freeway when Mom asked Emily if she had Bunny and it was immediately discovered that... she did not. OH NO!!! Emily burst into immediate tears and sobbing.
We pulled over to double-check everywhere in the car... she was not there. Back to the airport we raced. Mom and Emily ran back into the terminal, checked with security, were sent to the check-in desks, and after waiting a bit were finally able to talk to an airline clerk. When Mom mentioned the bunny and described the flight and arrival gate, and attendant indicated she knew EXACTLY where Bunny was and when she first saw her on the airplane, thought, "This is really important to somebody." She walked back to the gate desk, retrieved Bunny, and returned her to Emily, who, along with Mom, could not express enough how relieved she was.
Emily and Bunny in Honolulu and reunited at Spokane.
