Hawai’i Day 12 (Oahu)

The purpose for visiting Oahu was twofold: See Waikiki Beach and go to Pearl Harbor.

I had reserved 8 AM entrance tickets to Pearl Harbor weeks in advance, but didn't take into account that we would have to stop walking towards the exhibit entrance at exactly 8 AM to sing the Star Spangled Banner thus causing us to "miss" our entry. No problem. When you are 3 minutes late you get to wait in the standby lane for an hour instead. Ugh. Anyways... I am glad that we were able to see an important piece of our country's history, and learn some facts along the way. Among those were that more than 900 people are buried within the USS Arizona, and there is one remaining survivor. 

After our history lesson for the day, it was time to set out on a self-guided island tour. Sightseeing is my favorite part of traveling with us!

{Our trip had us driving through mountains.}

 

{Up and around the coast.}

 

{And checking out some great beaches along the way. Does anyone else feel the love oozing between the middle and the little in this picture?}

We found our way back to our beach for the afternoon. If I am being honest, Waikiki Beach feels like Florida. The sand is gritty and the water is cloudy. Fun fact: Waikiki Beach is almost entirely manmade. Erosion problems caused people to build seawalls to save structures that were built too close to the shore, which screwed up the natural flow of sand. And did you know that a lot of the sand on the beach has been imported by boat and barge from California? The more you know!

{I mean, it's still pretty!}

{Found one of these at our hotel!}

Favorites of the day: 

Caleb: The views along our drive. Close second: when Mason got his hand stuck in the seat.

Morgan: The scenic drive

Jacob: The blowhole (rock at one of the overlooks. As waves crashed in, water sprayed through the lava. It's actually called a blow hole, and they are a very rare occurrence.)

Mason: Drinking that really good smoothie at Kono's

Camryn: Seeing the sunken ship at Peal Harbor

Hawai’i Day 11 (Oahu)

Our last day in Maui is usually met with sadness, but this time it was bittersweet as we had plans to island hop over to Oahu for the final few days of our vacation. 

 

{Saying goodbye to the Mana Kai and my parents.}

The plane ride was almost laughable. 23 minutes in the air where flight attendants hustled down the aisle passing out cups of water as the beverage service and then immediately collected the cups in preparation for landing. My kind of flight!

We quickly learned just how different Maui and Oahu are. We stayed in Honolulu, which looked like any urban setting with a pace to match. The kids were originally thrilled to be checking into this high-rise hotel village, but after the excitement wore off--a few minutes after check-in--they were ready to head back to our "home" on Maui. 

{The view from our room. One of 3,400 hotel rooms at this resort. Yikes!}

We picked this hotel because it is along the famed Waikiki Beach--and because we could use points to stay here for a reasonable price. Other notable facts: Elvis Presley used to stay at this hotel and even filmed Blue Hawaii here. 

Would we stay here again? Nope. But to be fair, we would also not travel to Oahu again. 

{Maybe the best part of the hotel: Seeing the luau from our room. Tahitian dancers and fire twirlers will never lose my excitement!}

 

Favorites of the day:

Caleb: Getting to our room and seeing our view

Morgan: How fast the plane ride was. And also walking to the tree with Mom before leaving Maui.

Jacob: Going to a new island I have never been to

Mason: Flying over all the islands

Camryn: Going to a new island

Maui: Day 10

NYE. And our last full day on the island.

We spent the day soaking up the sun and the scenery.

But first... a final family walk down the beach to our beloved tree. I even *easily* convinced my mom and two boys to extend our walk down the beach and back to the luau spot with intentions to take a picture of the "Aloha" sign during the day. 

{Leftover tattoos served as a reminder of the fun we had the night before!}

{The tree. Love!}

Our extended walk added lots of steps--and laughs!

{My freckle-faced baby!}

We spent the rest of the day beachside where the kids played with their cousins, listened to the whales communicating in the water, and Camryn even gave boogie boarding a shot!

{Jacob. Not stuck as much as it looks.}

{Stuck as much as it looks.}

Our final Maui sunset. Showing off for us!

After sunset we packed up and set an alarm as a wake-up call to ring in the new year on the beach!

{This picture doesn't capture the countless numbers of stars that poke through the Maui sky at night. It is so beautiful!}

Our trip to Maui went out with a bang!

Favorites of the day:

Caleb: Cloudless sunset

Morgan: Walking to the Aloha sign with Mimi and the boys

Jacob: Spending the day at the beach

Mason: Hearing people count down to the new year

Camryn: Playing with Averie in the ocean on the tube

 

Maui: Day 9

 I know they seem gimmicky, but going to the luau has always been one of my favorite Hawaii activities. The show, the dancing, the costumes, the fire, the history. It captivates me. Every. Single. Time. So I was really looking forward to the evening's festivities. But first, beach!

 

 

{Hanging out at the condo while waiting on everyone to get ready for the luau!}

 

 

 

 

 

{We were able to celebrate my dad's birthday at the luau. I think we should celebrate all of his birthdays at a Hawaiian luau!}

 

{Oh we're going to a hukilau... A huki huki huki hukilau.}

Favorites of the day:

Caleb: Coconut bras and grass skirts

Morgan: Watching my kids watch the luau

Jacob: Luau

Mason: Eating the good food at the luau

Camryn: Luau