Hawaii: Beach Day

Sometimes there are days when you want to do nothing much of anything. The perfect place to do that in Hawaii is Beach 69. And so it was when we got there. There were a few delays, but once out there on the sand, playing in the surf and being joined by a proverbial turtle. Life was good. Once done at the beach, we headed back into town, stopping at a lava tube, an historic site and the pier to watch the fish. Not much to write about, but a good day.

To get to beach 69, you have to find Puako Road, turn onto that and two first rights and you are there. Lovely.

(But there is a story here that I am not committing to blog post as my mother will not be amused. And yes, I know she will read this, but there are some stories that shouldn't be blogged and this is one of those.)

Kamuela on Dwellable

Hooliganting: Hawaii: Cowboys and Waterfalls

Hooliganting: Hawaii: Cowboys and Waterfalls: First off, yes, I mean cowboys. Real live cowboys complete with chaps, bull riding skills, lassos and horses that trek over the gorgeous cou...

Hawaii: Cowboys and Waterfalls

First off, yes, I mean cowboys. Real live cowboys complete with chaps, bull riding skills, lassos and horses that trek over the gorgeous countryside. The scenery was delightful in the sunshine. And yes, I am still in Hawaii. One of the things that I like to do while on holiday is to find the unexpected. Our family also has a tradition of finding trail rides or horse type experiences. At the Dahana Ranch, I found our Hawaiian horse adventure.

To get there from Kona meant driving up Island then across Waimea to get to the ranch. Thank goodness for Ipad directions or I would have been sunk as it isn't well signed as essentially it is a working ranch. Oh, I should mention that we stopped in Waimea and it had a phenomenal little village, beautifully kept with some amazing shops that were closed because it was Sunday. Starbucks was open and that was all I needed to keep me going. I was highly entertained by the decorative paniolo (cowboy) and the paniolo boot. It was like being around Calgary but on a much smaller and dare I say, prettier scale?

We drove up to the front and found the office. No one was there. It was a bit disconcerting, but there were cats and dogs to pet and love, so the girls did that while I ferreted out the paperwork and filled it out. Still no one came. It was almost 11 before we heard the clipping clopping of the horses and saw people coming back from a ride. Ahhhh....he was working alone today as it was Sunday.

We were introduced to our horses, and had a clear lesson on how to ride the horses. Fortunately, he was able to lead both girls so I was free to ride to my hearts content. You see, this was NOT a trail ride. This was a ride over the hills of the ranch, around the cattle and other horses. It was a lesson in how to ride a horse that was a working horse. Absolutely no following a trail nor following another horse. You had to be in charge of your mount. I  had Sammy and Sammy suited me well. We got to canter and/or trot. Amazing. I loved this experience and would recommend it to anyone that wants something different from Hawaii.

Dahana Ranch Office

Bouncy the horse

Since we were out that way and the clouds were down, it was off waterfall hunting. We found Waipou Valley, Unauma Falls, Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls. The downfall was at Akaka Falls. There was this incredible bakery that had Mr. Ed inside. Who is Mr. Ed? He is the maker of jams, marmalades, spreads (the Kona Coffee Spread...a party on the taste buds...sigh) and he will ship them to you. He has everything homemade in his little shop and well...there were over 100 varieties. He just likes to play with Fruit. From the waterfalls, the Saddle Road beckons and we had some magnificent views over the landscape including snow on the peak. For the record, I have no idea why the road is considered bad. It was paved and easy to navigate. It does get as narrow as an English country road, but it is in good nick.

Unauma Falls

Akaka Falls in the pouring rain

Rainbow Falls in the heavy cloud of Hilo

Snow on the Summit seen from Saddle Road

I should also mention that this was the road trip where shop fronts managed to really make me laugh. I will leave you with the signs...I am still laughing.

Hilo on Dwellable

Hooliganting: Hawaii: Kona...Timeshares and Beach

Hooliganting: Hawaii: Kona...Timeshares and Beach: It's been a lazy day today. We really didn't do much of anything come to think of it. Some of that is my fault and some of that would be the...

Hawaii: Kona...Timeshares and Beach

It's been a lazy day today. We really didn't do much of anything come to think of it. Some of that is my fault and some of that would be the resort. Do you want the good news or the bad first?

Our resort has this thing called the welcome breakfast. They bribe you with free food and breakfast, while they talk about how to get around the Island and the rules of the road. They also have tour operators come and talk to you about the great deals they have to offer you as a client of the resort. However, to get the really fantastic deals, you have to get the Aloha card. To get that, you have to do the timeshare presentation. I don't care what they tell you. Do not believe them. You do get great stuff from sitting through a presentation, and some of them even make enough sense to buy. This one was 4 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will never get that vacation time back. The only saving grace was that the girls were allowed to watch movies and I had been smart enough to pack a picnic lunch that they were able to eat while they were there. Sigh.

Once released from the presentation, with the Aloha card in hand, we went straight to the beach. We found Ka'ahulua Beach today. It had salt and pepper sand, facilities, and not too many people in the afternoon sun. The best part was that in the water just by our feet were tang fish and turtles! They were swimming and munching right along the shore. We spent hours on the beach watching them until the sun finally started to set. Awesome day in the end that was followed up by a sunset stop and Walmart before hitting the pool at the resort. Yep, didn't do much today and that is just fine with me. TURTLE!

Kahaluu Beach Villas on Dwellable

Hooliganting: Hawaii - Inter Island Hop

Hooliganting: Hawaii - Inter Island Hop: 8:30 am. Suitcases were packed and dragged to the curb of the Waikiki Beach Walk Hotel. The Speedi Shuttle was early and so it was a quick g...

Hawaii - Inter Island Hop

8:30 am. Suitcases were packed and dragged to the curb of the Waikiki Beach Walk Hotel. The Speedi Shuttle was early and so it was a quick getaway from the hotel. Of course, I had time to slip into my favorite coffee shop for my morning London Fog. Yummy. I will miss that shop. On the whole though, I was ready to leave Oahu.

So, the usual chaos emerged at the airport. You have to instinctively know how the kiosks work and for which type of flight. I finally had to ask only to be told I was supposed to be at the third entrance for an inter island hop. Ok, so we hurry upped and waited for the flight. The coolest part was having a priority line for parents with children. I liked that option to avoid the long shuffle through security. We boarded our Hawaiian Air Flight and had the delightful surprise that they do not have the oversold flight policy. They assign seats and those are your seats. Also very cool.

On arrival in Kona, we were greeted by dancing Hula lasses with musicians and a blast of humid heat. There is rock and grass for scenery. And the whole thing feels tropical...arid...HOT! We waited for our luggage, waited for the Hertz bus, waited for the rental car, and finally got out of the airport. We noted the important landmarks like Costco. Walmart and the grocery stores. And then, the car wound through a quaint village of seafarers restaurants, shops, markets and sacred sites. Waves crashed up over black rocks and people waved as they drove 10 miles an hour down the street. This just felt right and I was immediately excited by what I saw.

On arrival, the room wasn't ready so we did the orientation and then went to Huggo's on the Rocks for drinks and lupper. There were birds everywhere and we were able to sink our toes into the sand. Whales didn't appear and dolphins were elusive but the crabs danced over the rocks. The food was amazing and it was a great place to waste some time. We also cruised the market for fresh produce, the grocery store for food, Costco for more foods and then finally came back to check in.

The room at the Wyndam Kona Hawaiian is huge. We have a full sitting room, kitchen, two bedrooms with two bathrooms and a deck with kitchen table. Here is is quiet and tranquil. I think I may have found my place in Hawaii. So excited....just wish my friends were here to share!

Beach Walk on Dwellable

Hooliganting: Hawaii: Dole Plantation, Turtle Beach and Lanikai ...

Hooliganting: Hawaii: Dole Plantation, Turtle Beach and Lanikai ...: Ahhhh...mornings. Today was a rental car day. Thanks to the lovely ladies at the concierge desk, the rental car was a mere $40 and the pick ...

Hawaii: Dole Plantation, Turtle Beach and Lanikai Beach

Ahhhh...mornings. Today was a rental car day. Thanks to the lovely ladies at the concierge desk, the rental car was a mere $40 and the pick up was within walking distance. The next challenge was to navigate the Hawaiin maps. You would think that being a small island, it wouldn't be that bad. However, the roads and the numbering of said roads is a bit interesting. Map says 80. Road says 99. But from the large Dole sign in the foreground, you know you are heading the right way.

The first stop of the day was the Dole Plantation. The girls were very pysched to go through the maze, except...it was closed due to weather. For the record, it was overcast and cloudy. We were puzzled but decided to make the best of it and took the pineapple express train for the narrated tour and wandered through the gardens before being swallowed whole by the gift shop. Definately a shop for all things pineapple. It would have been interesting to learn a bit more about their coffee, macademia nuts and banana productions as well. But that is the museum goer in me. All in all, it was a short stop.

Pineapple

Dole plantation

Next up was a drive into Haiweka to find the shrimp truck. We didn't find that but did find the ultimate Ukelele player in his shop. He was able to pound out the tunes and referred us to view his Utube videos. Quite a character and definately worth finding if you are in the area.

Uke shop

The drive continued around to Lanakea Beach aka Turtle Beach. This for me was the highlight of the day. I got wet trying to catch that one snap of the turtles swimming along the shore. Instead, I got a lot of ocean shots and several surfer shots. I don't give up that easily though, so eventually I got one. Then, I wandered down the beach only to discover two volunteers tracking the progress of Ya bu turtle climbing up on the shore. Red rope was slung to keep the tourists away, but it was great to see them up close and personal if you like. As they are wild, you are dependant on the volunteers knowing which animal that you are looking at as they have tracking systems in place for all the wild turtles that they know of. Apparently, Kelly Ripa had been there last week? I wonder what the connection was for the volunteer ;). While my eldest was fascinated, my youngest was definately NOT! So, after watching her dickey dance around the rocks, I reluctantly followed the family back to the rental car.

What comes next? Coastal road with views of wind farms, shrimp farms, cows, horses, and loads of slow moving tourists. So much for minimum speeds, I would have been thrilled if they had managed that. However, we finally made it to Lanakai Beach with its soft sand, beautiful vistas, low flying planes and believe it or not...lost brides. Ok, there was only one, but she was quite a sight to see as she trapsed up and down the beach with no groom in sight.

Rule of thumb. Don't get lost on your wedding day. And if you do? At least get lost with your groom. And so goodnight from Oahu, tomorrow we are on to Kona...and more coffee!!!

Lanikai on Dwellable

Hooliganting: Hawaii: Polynesian Cultural Center

Hooliganting: Hawaii: Polynesian Cultural Center: Sleep...my whole self wants sleep. However, if I don't journal the experience before bed, it will escape and elude me as first impressions o...

Hawaii: Polynesian Cultural Center

Sleep...my whole self wants sleep. However, if I don't journal the experience before bed, it will escape and elude me as first impressions often do. This is a day that must be blogged while fresh.

It was a later start today, which was awesome. The coffee shop at the base of the hotel is starting to know exactly how I like my morning beverages and have given us the frequent flyer card to boot. Maybe this is becoming a habit. They can even make me a delicious London Fog. But because of my habit, I still managed to nearly miss the bus. I made it by the skin of my teeth. The buses wait for no one, especially if they are on time. In fact, as we pulled out of Aloha Landing on time, I was rather puzzled as every other thing has been late. All became clear when we realized our tour guide was in fact from New Zealand. He knew what a clock was.

The bus ride to the Polynesian Cultural Center takes about an hour. During this hour trip, the tour guide (Germaine) didn't stop talking. We saw scenes from movies like 50 first dates, and scenes from Lost. Ocean views, tunnels and the Chinese Hat. He was humerous and informative. Anyway, we had the advantage of being the first tour bus into the parking lot. So, we departed the bus.

Now, he had strongly recommended upgrading to the guided tour. We did that as it included lunch. The buffet lunch was amazing, I have to say. Then, we were led to demonstration after demonstration. Now, for the family visiting you need to know that all the shows are fabulous and with the guide, you see as much as possible. The downside is that there is no time (by which I mean zero time) to explore things on your own. Unless of course, you are me. I cocked a wary eye at the guide and gauged my time to slip off to the tattooing stations, explored a couple of buildings, took my eldest to climb a coconut tree and so on. But those were NOT scheduled into the program and it was only by my determination to get my girls a more hands on experience that it worked.

Music demonstration...banging da bamboo

Tahiti

Escaping for a tattoo

Men do the cooking...he's making coconut bread (so delicious!)

Canoe Parade

By the end of the day, we had seen the Canoe Parade, and shows at Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Hawaii stations. We had wandered all over the map. I should also note that there were no refreshment breaks or bathroom breaks on the tours for kids. I had smuggled some stuff out of the buffet and purchased a bottle of water for $3.13. Then, we went for a canoe ride and to the luau show. Very cool and yummy. After that, we went to wander the market place and then to the main show. Breath of Life is absolutely incredible to watch and is a kalediscope of music, color, water and fire, song and dance. It is a magnificent production that would give Disney a run for their money.

One other reason that I liked this so much was that every cent that you spend is put towards the students that are working at the site. They come from all over Polynesia to come to the site to work. They get free room and board, $2500 off their tuition. In return, they put in 19 hours a week into the site. You get authentic culture through a win win program. I was impressed and the graduates that are still employed there are truly happy with their experience.

The bus ride home was long and quiet. The worst part was having to carry a sleeping child off the bus. When did she get so freaking lanky and heavy? That is a problem to be considered tomorrow. I could rave some more about today, but hopefully the pictures will demonstrate. The lighting today was odd with the mixture of sun and cloud so I tried. Have a great night...as I mentioned before...I am sooooo tired.

Laie on Dwellable