Our Hawaii Adventure

 Hi. It's been a solid month since I have blogged, and I apologize for that. Life's been a little crazy. We got back from Hawaii a couple weeks ago, and have just been flying through summer ever since. 

Our vacation to Hawaii was amazing. Like absolutely amazing. We all had a really good time, every single day. The weather was beautiful, all of our trips were amazing, the ocean was great, the snorkeling was mesmerizing, and overall we just really had a good time. 

I journaled our trip in great detail while we were there, so I wouldn't forget anything. So, I am going to blog a more abbreviated version of our trip. 

Day 1- We flew out of Minneapolis at 11:00 am. We parked our car at a park and fly, got shuttled to the airport. scurried through security, and then patiently waited for our flight. We then flew to LAX, and then finally into Hawaii. We landed at 8:30pm local time (but it was 1:30 am South Dakota time), so we were tired. We got our car (from TURO) which was waiting in the parking lot. We got a red, Jeep Gladiator. It was pretty cool. Then, we drove to our condo. We got there in about a half hour, unpacked a few things, and fell into our beds, exhausted. It was strange to arrive to Hawaii in the dark. 

Day 2- We woke up at 5:00 am (because it was 10:00 am back home), and we were all starving. All of our food the day before was airport food or airplane food, and we had no food in our condo. We tried to find a place to eat, but it was too early for anywhere to be open. So, we drove to Kona and found a place to eat breakfast, which never tasted so good. Then, we went to Walmart and Costco, to stock up on groceries for the next 11 days. We also hit up our first ABC store (of many) and the kids got their first souvenirs. They got some bookmarks, t-shirts, and some guitar picks.It was kind of fun to shop in these stores in Hawaii. We made our way back to the condo and unpacked and made the Condo a little more homey.  We ate some lunch, and then swam in the pool at our Condo. The pool was really nice. It was pretty big, with a waterfall, and a hot tub. The kids loved it. 

After swimming in the pool. we drove the 5 minute drive to A-bay and hung out on the beach and let the kids swim in the ocean. They had a great time, and it was a beautiful beach. We headed back to the condo for some burgers, and then let the kids watch a little TV while John and I went and checked out the Queen's Marketplace and King's Shoppes across town. After ample browsing time, we headed back and put two sleepy kids to bed and called it a day. 

Day 3- Another early start to a wonderful day in Hawaii. We started it off with some Kona coffee and breakfast at the condo and then packed up and headed out for our snorkel trip. We hit the road to go to Kona at 7:00 am. We forgot to pack beach towels for our snorkel trip, so we picked up a couple towels at the ABC store. Then, we met at Kona Style for our snorkel trip to Cook's Bay. We had a really good trip. There were about 20 people in our group (it was not crowded at all) and we got on the catamaran at around 8:30am. Then, we enjoyed an hour and 15 minute boat ride to Cook's Bay. There, we got to snorkel for a solid hour, and we saw the most beautiful coral and fish. Emma was a champ. One of the staff suggested she jump off the catamaran to get into the ocean, and she did it without any hesitation. She is so brave. And then she was off to snorkel. She just went for it, and immediately knew what she was doing. Elliott had more of a learning curve, but he also did a really good job. We all snorkeled the entire time, and then headed back to the boat for lunch and the nice ride back. 

Once we were back in Kona, we changed into dry clothes (in the hot Jeep, which was tricky) and then we headed to Kona Brewing Company. John and I enjoyed a couple really good beers while the kids ran around taking picture and finding games to play. We really enjoyed the Kona Brewing Company, I would like to go back there again someday. Then, we stumbled across a free coffee farm tour at Mountain Thunder Coffee. The kids protested this a little, but then they really enjoyed it once were there. It was really interesting, and we got to sample some authentic Kona coffee, so good! Then, we headed back to our Condo for supper and more swimming. What an awesome day!

Day 4- Another day, another adventure. We decided to hike the Petroglyphs trails that were right by our Condo after breakfast. They were pretty cool, but the lava rock trails were really rough and hard to walk on. It was also a really hot morning, so we made the hike short and sweet. But, the kids got it was cool, and we got some good pictures. Then, since it was warm, we headed to the beach. We went to Beach 69 and did a little snorkeling, and a lot of swimming. It was a beautiful beach with plenty of shade and a nice calm ocean. The kids had a blast there. We also had a nice picnic lunch at the beach, which was really nice, except when we got attacked by all the birds looking for free lunch. After lunch, we decided to try Hapuna Beach, which is the largest beach on the Big Island. It was awesome. It had fine, white sand, a ton of shoreline, and awesome big waves which worked great for boogie boards (which we brought along). This was by far the kids' favorite beach of the trip. The kids did have a couple waves knock them down, so they learned pretty quickly to pay close attention when they were in ocean. 

At 1:30 pm we had to stop and change and get to the Kahula Ranch. Emma and I had a horse ride scheduled there at 2:30pm. We ended up being the only 2 riders for the tour, so we got our own personal tour of this huge Hawaiian Ranch. It was pretty cool. Emma loved her horse ride, even though her horse was a little stubborn. My horse was great, but he was a little jumpy throughout our ride and kept me on my toes. The boys found a town nearby to visit and then got some ice cream while we were riding. By 4:30pm we made it back to the stables, and met the boys and then headed to the BBQ up the road. The Kahula Ranch puts on a BBQ every Wednesday evening. It was amazing. We were up in the hills, so the views were amazing, the food was great, and we had live entertainment. They also had beanbags and roping, a branding station for souvenirs, smores, a telescope to see the moon, and a gift shop. The kids were in heaven. It was a really fun evening. We left the ranch around 8:00pm, and didn't get back to the Condo until after 9:00pm. 

Day 5- Today we went to other side of the Island, to the town of Hilo. It took a good hour and 15 minutes to get there. Our first stop was Akaka Falls, which was a one mile nature hike to some beautiful Waterfalls, and then back again. I really liked this stop. It was so pretty. It rained on us a little while we were here, but it was so beautiful. Next, we went to the Botanical Gardens, this was one of my favorite stops of the whole trip. The flowers and plants here were stunning. We also saw multiple waterfalls, and some really beautiful shots of the ocean. We spent a solid 2 hours here looking at everything, and it was so pretty. Even the kids enjoyed it, and they each took about 100 pictures in the gardens. Then, we had to go because we were all starving and it was time for lunch. We headed into Hilo and ate at Pineapple's. This was probably my best meal of the whole trip. I had a Pina Colada, which was amazing, and then a really good fish of the day plate which was just incredible. John also had a really good BBQ plate there. It was a great stop. 

After lunch, we walked through some Farmer's Markets, which were really cool to see. It was so fun to see all the local produce and flowers. Then, we headed into town to see the Japanese Gardens, and a cool little island called Coconut Island that you walked to over a long pedestrian bridge. It was a fun little Island with a couple beaches and some nice picnic areas. Our last stop was Rainbow Falls, which was another beautiful waterfall, but we weren't lucky enough to see any rainbows during our visit. We also stopped and got the kids ice cream at Makani's Magic Pineapple Shack. It was amazing ice cream. My favorite flavor was Ube, which is made from a Hawaiian purple yam, it was so good. After all these adventures, the kids were pretty checked out, so it was time to go back to the condo. We made a small supper (still full from lunch), did some laundry, and watched the first part of the Spiderman Marvel Movie to unwind a little. One of the best days on the Island. 

Day 6- Today was a little more chill. We had a banana pancake breakfast (yum) and then rented some snorkel gear and headed to Mauna Kea Beach. This beach was also very beautiful, and we enjoyed some snorkeling and swimming. Then we saw our first sea turtle of the trip. It was so cool. The kids loved it. Then, the kids begged to go back to Hapuna Beach to ride waves with the boogie boards again, so that's what we did. They loved that. We headed back to the condo for some tacos for lunch, and then Emma took a nap and Elliott and I played cards on the Lanai (deck). It is vacation after all, we had to remind ourselves to relax once in a while. John and I went on a walk around our neighborhood as well, just to check things out.

Then, it was time to leave for our Manta Ray snorkel. We were so excited for this adventure. We booked this snorkel with Kona Style again, so it was nice to know where we were going and what to expect. Once again we loaded onto the Catamaran and had a nice sunset ride out to Manta Village. This took about 45 minutes this time. Then we were given some wetsuits, and at around 8:15 pm (in the pitch dark) we got into the ocean. That was a little crazy. They put some boards in the water which have lights in them, and that attracts the plankton, which brings in the Mantas. So, we hung onto the sides of these boards, and then put pool noodles under our ankles so we can float at the surface, and then with our snorkel gear on, we watch and wait for Manta Rays. We ended up seeing 3 different Manta Rays, and it was amazing. They are so big, and graceful, and they swim right under us. It was a really amazing experience. And a little chilly. After 30 minutes it was time to go back to the boat. The kids were freezing, but they stuck it out. Luckily, back on the boat they had hot chocolate and tea for the ride back. The ride back was really chilly as well, but well worth it. We got back to the dock around 10:00pm, then drove back to the Condo and ate a very late supper. What an amazing day. 

Day 7- Today was another great adventure. We stumbled across a beach near the marina that is known for sea turtles. We went there, and saw at least 6 sea turtles. There was also a park ranger that gave a turtle talk there, which the kids liked. This was a fun stop. For lunch, we headed into Kona to Black Rock Pizza. It was delicious, and we had a nice ocean backdrop while we ate. Then we shopped per Elliott's request. We went to another ABC store because the kids had money burning a hole in their pockets. We picked up some more souvenirs. I got a sun shirt (necessary) and a waterproof Hawaii Bag, and the kids got some keychains, luggage tags, and candy. 

We decided to drive to South Pointe, which is the southern most point in the United States. The drive was long, and really windy, but beautiful. It took a solid hour and 45 minutes to get there. The scenery at South Pointe was amazing. We enjoyed walking around, taking pictures, and just being in awe. It was a great stop. Then, we headed back. We stopped at a beach called Two-Step on the way back. It's a great snorkeling beach, but we just stopped to see it and take a break from our long drive. Then we made our way back to the condo and had some pulled pork and watched the rest of our Spiderman movie. Then, it was off to bed. 

This post is getting pretty long, so I will talk about the rest of our days in the next post. I will leave you with an obscene amount of picture from Hawaii.