We arrived in Oahu Friday afternoon. I was surprised how different Maui and Oahu were. Maui looked and felt liked the Hawaii I envisioned. Oahu is just as beautiful and has a lot to do but, the airport was just like every other big city airport and the traffic can be horrendous.
We got a fast food lunch near the airport. We visited the Temple grounds and then drove all the way around to where we were staying in Haleiwa on the North Shore.
We stayed in a yellow beach house in Haleiwa, on the North Shore. It's fun there because it isn't the touristy area and it isn't at all busy like the rest of the island, there isn't traffic and it's extra beautiful.
Dave wasted no time and hoped right in the ocean. We spent the evening out on the beach, Dave and I walked down the beach looking for turtles. We didn't see any turtles but saw hundreds of fast scurrying crabs that were a little creepy.
We woke up early Saturday to go swim with the sharks. I was pretty nervous but, once I saw it I realized how safe and fun it was. The 2 guides drove us out for what felt like a long boat ride. On the boat ride we saw a group of dolphins and 2 breaching whales. When we arrived at the cage and there were already a handful of sharks swimming around our boat and the cage. The guides say they don't feed them and that they are just conditioned that boats mean food is coming. There were 12 people, so 6 people spent about 30 minutes in the cage and then our group of 6 spent 30 minutes. The sharks came close and were so neat to watch. We even saw a barracuda. It was a tiny bit chilly, super cool and a very fun experience.
After the sharks we rented canoes from a place in Haleiwa and went canoeing in the river right there. It was fun. I'd been told we'd see lots of sea turtles here. Apparently, they're more active in the morning and since it was afternoon we only saw one.
Dave and I went to Churns Beach. In February the waves are very big and dangerous on some beaches, like this one, so we didn't even get in at this beach.
Then we went to Waimea Bay. This was my favorite spot. The waves were really fun to jump in and warm enough that even I liked it.
Then Dave and I drove down to Pupukea Beach and coral area for some really awesome snorkeling. It was rocky but the fish were so fun! Then we drove down to Kakahuna for some coconut shrimp at Kakahuna Grill that we'd been told about. It really was that good.
Then we stopped at Pipeline Beach and face timed with the kids from the beach.
We headed back to the beach house and went with Ryan and Katie for Shaved Ice at the famous Matsumoto's.
They left for a movie while Dave and I walked to a Mexican restaurant called Cholos. It rained hard on and off. We walked home and luckily it didn't rain.
The next morning all 6 of us went on a steep, but not too long short hike called Crouching Lion. It was super fun and beautiful!
The others went back to the beach house to watch the Super Bowl while Dave and I went on more adventuring. We first stopped at the Nu'uana Pali Lookout. It was amazing how windy it was! The parking lot was calm but out on the lookout was as windy as could be!
Then Dave and I went to a hike to Maunawili Falls. The hike is 2.5 miles roundtrip through rain forest, back and forth over a river and up some steep areas and even steeper stairs. It shouldn't take all that long but, the day we went it was ankle deep mud everywhere with no way to escape it! We had a great time but, I could hardly believe just how muddy it could be! We were slipping everywhere and loved every chance to cross the river so we could wash some mud off. The Falls are secluded and beautiful. There were just a couple other people there. Dave jumped, of course and we had a great time.
The weather in Haleiwa on the North Shore was really windy that day. So instead of heading back we drove the other way instead. We drove along the beautiful Pila Highway and went to Ko Olina to enjoy the beaches and hot weather there. Ko Olina is more touristy, the Disney Hotel is there. The weather is more dry and hot and the waves are more mild but it isn't nearly as pretty.
We went to Paradise Cove and I finally got to see LOTS of turtles!
On our way back to Haleiwa we went to the Dole Plantation for a delicious treat.
That night we saw the last few minutes of the Super Bowl, cooked dinner in and played a few games that kept us laughing.
The next Day, Dave and I and Josh and Mandy drove all the way to Haunama Bay. The snorkling is supposed to be amazing. It takes an eternity to get there with the horrendous traffic. After an hour of driving we got there and it was closed because of Jelly Fish and it had been closed the past several days too. We were sad but, luckily for Dave and I we had done some great snorkeling at other places too.
We drove back to Ko Olina again and snorkeled with the turtles at Paradise Cove. I loved it there! There were 5 very friendly turtles and lots of neat fish. We walked over to one of the Lagoon Beaches and relaxed for a bit, then got lunch at a yummy pizza place. We bought the kids a few souvenirs and headed back to Haleiwa.
Dave and I walked down our beach house beach and saw 2 more turtles basking in the sun.
That night we all went into the small Haleiwa town for more Matsumoto's. We ate while we listened to some live music and looked in a couple shops. We ate dinner in Haleiwa at a restaurant called Breaker's. We stayed up late playing games and chatting.
Tuesday was our last day. That On morning Josh and Mandy left for their flight before the sun was up. Dave and I drove to a couple of beaches we loved on the North and Windward side (east side) of the island. We face timed with the kids all but one day of the trip. We face timed them from this beach for our last time.
My favorite beach near us was Waimea Bay so we went there again. We had it nearly to ourselves.
That afternoon we went to the Pearl Harbor Monument tour. It is beautiful, educational and sobering.
After Pearl Harbor, Ryan and Katie went to another movie. Dave and I took the car and thought it would be fun to see Waikiki Beach. We underestimated the traffic of Honolulu and it took us nearly an hour to get there, so we saw the very crowded beach out the window and headed back to meet the Rowlands. We waited a few minutes for their movie to end in the massage chairs at the neighboring Sears.
Our wonderful trip was at an end. We had a fantastic getaway and were even tan in February! We boarded the plane for a red-eye flight home. Somehow our flight was extra fast and we were home only 5 1/2 hours later. We got to kiss our sweet kiddos before Andrew and Ashley left for school and jump back into reality.
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