Hawaii-May 2024

Hawaii is a place that I had considered travelling to in the past. For a place so far away, you can get there fairly cheaply. The only factor pushing me away was the long travel time. When my cousin announced she was getting married there, the decision was made to go. 

The journey there was a long one, just like I expected and what had put me off from going in the past. We flew into Toronto and then to Vancouver, where we had a 7 hour layover. Instead of spending all that time at the airport we took the skytrain to downtown to walk around by the water and to grab a bite to eat. It was a lovely day with the sun out and there was a great view of the snowy tops of the mountains that I believe was better than any view we had during the actual trip to Vancouver a couple years ago. Taking the train back a bit early so we didn't risk missing the final flight we checked out one of the lounges that my credit card gave me access to. It wasn't the nicest lounge. The food selection wasn't great and I wasn't the biggest fan of the seating, but it beat waiting out at the gate for hours. My mom ending up losing the headphones she had just bought as they got thrown out by mistake when they were cleaning up in the lounge. She nearly gave me a heart attack at the gate when she exclaimed "oh my god". I thought she lost something like her passport, but luckily it was just the headphones. Unfortunately she never even got to try them out.

Once landed in Oahu after the long travel journey we grabbed a taxi (mom didn't want to wait for a Uber) and headed to our hotel by the Waikiki beach. Taxi ended up being quite expensive so we would use Uber back to the airport for sure. It was late, so once checked in we went straight to bed.

Day 1 (May 3rd)

Waking up early due to the time change we were pleasantly surprised to see that our partial ocean view was actually pretty good. Added bonus we could also see Diamond Head from our balcony as well. Well, if you can call it a balcony. It was so small and narrow, you couldn't even put a chair out there. Not that we planned to spend much time at the hotel anyway. 

After taking in the view we decided to hit up the nearby café while meeting up with my grandparents. We weren't too impressed with the customer service but the croissant was yummy. We walked to the beach to enjoy our breakfast while taking in the ocean views.

We were then picked up by my aunt in her rental vehicle as we made our way towards Kualoa Ranch, the location where my cousin would be married the next day. 

The drive through the city was surprisingly busy. I hadn't expected Hawaii to have so much traffic. There were even four lane highways. Once out of the city, the drive was very pretty. I loved seeing the mountains to the left and the ocean to the right.

At Kualoa, my cousin and her fiance with their mother's went to check out the venue while the rest of us took the time to explore the front area of the ranch. It was a truly beautiful place with the mountains in front of us and the ocean coastline still within out sights. 

Once everyone was back we had lunch at the ranch which was surprisingly very good, before starting our drive around the island.

Once again, the drive was very scenic. I loved seeing the mountains and the crystal blue waters. We had two vehicles going and to communicate had brought out some walkie talkies, which proved to be very amusing. One stop we really wanted to make was to a beach known for having sea turtles: Laniakea Beach. Before driving on to the beach we stopped at a bakery but none of us really saw much that we wanted.

The beach however was one hundred percent worth it. I had my doubts that we would actually see any sea turtles but there were so many! Which meant of course, that there were a lot of people there. Parking had been difficult but worth the struggle. The turtles were massive, and we could see a couple on the sand and even more swimming in the shallow water. It appeared that they came close to shore to eat the seaweed. While walking the length of the beach I nearly lost my hat to the wind. We got a little wet but we're able to retrieve it while having a good laugh.

On the way back to Waikiki, we stopped at the Dole Plantation for bathroom breaks and to check out the gift shop. We were cutting it close to our Diamond Head hike so opted to not get the dole whip as the line was quite long.

Diamond Head proved to be a fun hike. Not too long but went at a steady incline all the way to the top. It started out paved before turning more rugged. The view from the top was beautiful and overlooked the city below. On the way down you could go through a bunker looking place and down some spiral steps to reach the tunnel heading back towards the beginning. We almost missed it and by the time I caught some of the groups attention only three of us hiked back up to take what I call the "fun way down". Didn't want to miss the whole experience. We may never be back after all. 

Once back at the hotel we went out for a bite to eat before turning in for the night to rest up for another busy day.

Day 2 (May 4th)

Today is the big day. The reason we all came to the island paradise of Hawaii; my cousin's wedding. Those of us in Waikiki met up to grab breakfast and went for a short walk along Waikiki beach. When we had everything together we made our way towards the resort where my cousin was staying close to Kualoa Ranch.

From there, your typical pre wedding things occured. My cousin got her hair and makeup done while the groom also got prepared in a separate room. We still had some time before the wedding so we ordered some pizza to eat prior to going.

My cousin and her mom left first and after a little bit the rest of us followed. The venue truly was incredible. We were on hill in a valley between two large mountians in the Kualoa ranch. This location was picked as they had filmed Jurassic Park in this valley. In the distance we could see the ocean as well. A truly magical place to get married. The day was overcast but I think that is always best for photos anyway and we were lucky that the rain did not occur until the very end of the photo taking well after the ceremony. 

Prior to depating ways again we headed back to the resort for the bride and groom to change and then headed out to a restaurant to eat. We found a asian food place that was not too busy to sit down and have a bite to eat. We all departed towards our respected lodgings for the night to rest up for returning to Kualoa Ranch once more for a UTV tour through the valley.

Day 3 (May 5th)

Day three would lead us once again back to Kualoa Ranch, but before heading out we went to the beach early to try and see the sunrise. To our chagrin, we were on the wrong side of the island to see it. It was still lovely to walk along the beach with hardly any people while seeing the day get brighter and brighter. 

At the ranch, we met up with the other members of our party before approaching the area for the UTV tour we would embark on. We got our helmets on and my aunt passed out bandanas and buffs out so we would not get dirt in our mouths. 

The tour was amazing. We got to see some amazing parts of the valley that we had passed quickly on the way up to the wedding the day before. Our guide had some dino props, and got some neat pictures of us looking like we were being chased by a T-rex. 

We passed some movie sites of Jurassic Park, Jumanji, George of the Jungle, King Kong, and many others that were filmed in the valley. We passed some cows along the way which answered the question we had yesterday when we spotted them the day before but were unsure if they were cows or horses. 

In the end we did not get as dirty as we thought, but still had some dirt stains that we had to wash off.

 We then had a quick snack at the ranch before heading out to find a beach to wash off the rest of the grim before the reception dinner later on. I can't remember the exact beach we went to as it felt there was a different one every few minutes you drove, but it was not far up the road from the ranch. It was quite small but had huge waves. Some of us got swept off our feet and had trouble getting back up from the pull of the tide before another wave crashed down. It was funny to watch. It did cool us off but when we returned to my cousins lodging we learned while the dirt was cleaned off, all of us that went in the water had so much sand in our bathing suits from the strong currents. I did not even realize there was sand until I went to get changed. 

The restaurant we originally planned to go to did not offer reservations and was packed when we arrived just before opening time. There were not even any parking spaces available. We ended up chosing another place down the road: Ruby Tuesday. They had some nice food options there and were able to get in quickly despite them saying the wait was initially 20 minutes. 

Afterwards we went to the Target in the same mall, as my aunt wanted to look at the suitcases. I went to find the books to see if the sales were as good as booktok lead me to believe. They did have a good sale on for members, so I quickly signed up and got myself two new books.

We said our goodybyes in the parking lot by the cars. Everyone would be going their separate ways, whether off to another island, doing our own thing in Oahu, or going off to California. My mom and I would continue our vacation exploring more of Oahu.

Day 4 (May 6th):

Today marked the first day of my mom and I's adventures on our own. First on the intinerary was to embark on our snorkeling tour to see the sea turtles at Turtle Canyon. It was a bit of a walk to get there but it was fun to see more of the city along the way.

Once at the dock it was a bout 30 minutes by boat out to the snorkel location. Once again, similar to the beach where we first saw turtles, I was surprised by how many turtles we saw. I thought maybe we would only see one or two if we were lucky, but there must have been at least five or more in the area. Most likely more. They stayed near the bottom mostly, but the odd time they did swim closer to the surface. We were made aware to watch out for them when they surfaced and to give them 6 feet of distance. It was amazing to see them on land and even more amazing to see them in the water swimming. Unfourtunetly due to the waves, my mom got a bit sea sick and had to head back to the boat a little early. 

Since the walk had been longer than we thought and it was getting hotter out, we took a uber back to the hotel. The initial plan was to walk to the rental car place, but this worked out better as it gave us time to relax and my mom time to recover from the waves. 

After the short rest we headed out to pick up the car we would have for the next three days. We ended up with a silver Toyota Camry that was very nice. 

First up on our items to do was a hike a Manoa Falls. We had a few hikes on the list but chose this one as it was not too long and it said Jurassic Park had been filmed there. Driving through the Manoa area was lovely. We were in a valley area and had mountains to either side. It looked like a wealthy area. Prior to arriving to the trail head we stopped by the local McDonalds for a quick bite to eat. I only got food as I had water in the car but when the cashier got my mom's drink she handed me a milkshake that she "accidently made a extra of". Very good customer service! Some of the places we visited in Waikiki had not impressed us so far, but this McDonald's lady was super nice and friendly.

As we got closer to the trail it started to rain. Of course we had poncho's all our other days but forgot them today. In the parking lot it rained even harder. We debated going on without them but decided to go to the shop by the trailhead to purchase some ponchos. 

Even from the beginning, this trail was stunning and 100% worth the trek in the rain. We were in the middle of a rainforest so the giant trees looked stunning and were so green!

The falls at the end of the trail were beautiful. The good thing with the rain, meant that we got a full force stream. Nothing worse than seeing a waterfall during a dry spell. While admiring the falls the rain picked up even more and we could notice the waterfall stream get larger by the minute. 

On the way back the trail was so full of water. It was like a muddy trail the whole way back. It reminded me of that scene from Jurassic Park when the guy trying to get the DNA slipped in the muddy stream. Our waterproof hiking boots did not keep us dry this time around. Even though we were still soaked by the end, the little dryness we did have proved the ponchos were worth the purchase.

I posted our hike in our Hawaii group chat. Others were surprised by the amount of rain we were experencing. Just less than an hour away in Waikiki it was sunny the whole time.

We started our drive back to Waikiki and returned to the hotel to get changed and dry up before our Luau later that night. It turned out my phone got a bit waterlogged so I had to try to keep it on the outside patio to dry the charging port out. We met up with my grandparents who would be going to the Luau with us. It was the Diamond Head Luau and was only 10-15 minute walk up from our hotel. We arrvied as soon as we were alowed in. They had a few cultural stations such as trying pineapple juice, where they made us a hat out of the coconut grass, and a place we got a fake tattoo symbol. 

Once inside at our table it was still a little bit before we could get our food. We went to another station and made our own lai bracelet. Mine did not last the night but was cool for the time it was on my wrist. The buffet was really good, and the luau was also quite good. All the dancers were so talented and there was one guy who was so funny. They ended with a fire dancers that was so cool to see live. All in all, seeing a luau in Hawaii was worth it!

Day 5 (May 7th): 

This morning we started off with surf lessons. This would be my third time attempting surfing. I have tried in Nova Scotia and when I was in Costa Rica. When booking, there was the option for private lessons but we were fine with going in a group. Which ended up being the correct choice as there were no other people in our time slot... so we got a private lesson for the price of the normal lesson.

The area we went along the Waikiki Beach was surprisingly rocky and shallow. We did go a ways out, but it was still a bit worrying. We ended up being fine. We both managed to stand up on the board. I feel like every time I get a little better. It was a cool atmosphere to surf as well, with Diamond Head as a backdrop. My mom ended up stoping a bit early. With the waves it was making her a bit nauseous again, but at least she got to stand up as well. 

Afterwards, we returned to the hotel room for a bit to recover and then we were off to hike the Pink Pillbox trail. This was another shorter trail, but this time with more elevation. The climate was also very different than the rainforest of yesterday. There were a lot less trees around, and things looked more sandy and rocky. Our timing was not the best, as it was just before lunchtime, so it was quite hot when we embarked on this hike. We just took our time walking up and made lots of stops whenever we found a shadowy spot which were very sparse along this trail. The higher up we went, the more impressive the views became. Not even halfway up and it appeared like we already made a good decision in choosing this trail. 

At the top, we took in the stunning views. One angle we overlooked the town below with mountains in the far distance, another showed the ocean, and the other showed the edge of the hill we hiked along with the coastline. Stunning views from all 360 degrees. We sat and had a snack that we had bought from the ABC store prior from leaving this morning. Once back at the bottom of the hill we stopped at a smoothie truck that was parked strategically at the trailhead. They were quite large so we split one. I can't remember the combo but it did have pineapple in it. It was delicious. 

Next place we wanted to visit was the Byodo-In Temple on the other side of the island. On the way there we passed through the highway in the center of the island and got to go through a tunnel that went straight through the mountain. This drive was stunning while driving through the mountains surrounding us. While following Google maps to the temple we towards a graveyard that we had passed numerous times the first few days every time we returned to Kualoa Ranch. I had not realized how close we were to the temple. 

The temple itself was beautiful. A pond in front of it, with green trees all around, and the mountain in the backdrop to finish off the serene sight. The added bonus was that there were so many cats around the grounds. We got to ring the giant bell located in the yard and got to go inside the temple. This only made me wish I was in actual Japan seeing the authentic sights. Just outside the temple we stopped by the person selling bracelets made of volcanic rock and crystals. My mom got me one as a gift.

We then made our way back to Waikiki for supper and to rest up for our day tomorrow. We did go to the beach before turing in to see if the sunset was better than surise. It was better. Only downside is that more people are around for it. 

Day 6 (May 8th)

Today marked our last full day in Oahu. We planned to drive around the island and make some stops along the way. The first day when we went around with the rest of the family we did not see any of the south east part of the island so we decided to start our jouney there.

Our first stop around the island was at a lookout with  great view of Koko Crater. If we had a little more time on the island we probably would have done this hike. Seeing it from the look out was still cool. I heard it was a difficult hike with all the stairs you have to climb, but it would have been a fun challenge. 

A few minutes up the road we came to another lookout that had a nice view of the coastline. It's amazing how much variety the terrain is on such a small island. This section had hardly any trees and was more rocky. Reminded me a little of the Cabot Trail back in Nova Scotia.

Next lookout was a more popular one and one that tour buses appeared to stop at as well; Halona Beach lookoff. It was similar to the earlier lookoff, just with slightly different angles of the coast. 

We then stopped at our first beach of the day; Waimanalo Beach. It was a nice beach with yellow sand and turquoise waters. The mountains in the background was a added bonus.

One beach to another we went to Lanikai Beach. This was proably our favourite beach. The water was the clearest I have ever seen. "Crystal Clear" is a great description of here. There was a lot of coral around the shallow areas which is what I suspect why there was a sign warning of jellyfish and sharks. This beach did not have a parking lot but there were lots of street parking. You just have to remember where you park and which beach entrance you use. There was also a town nearby that we stopped to check out a few shops. I went into a book store and my mom found a place for some coffee. There were a few other places we considered checking out but we were too early for opening time.

We found ourselves back at Kualoa Ranch for the last time this time. We did stop by the beach park nearby this time that was new. Not quite as nice as the others but still nice to see. Also a stop for tour buses. 

At the Ranch was grabbed a few souvenirs we had eyed the last time we were there and countinued on our road trip. Continuing on we made our way to Waimea Falls. We had planned to do a short hike but it cost like $15 to go into the park area. We thought that was ridiculous so decided against it. If it was a more impressive waterfall we may have paid the price, but I think people more so go here to swim. I wish I had looked that up earlier. We had passed by on some other hikes along the way expecting that we would do this one. The front area was nice to see. Very green with lots of different plants and trees. They had some movie posters from films that had shot some scenes in the park. So I suppose it was worth the short detour for at least that.

On the way back towards Waikiki we stopped at a cookie place called Cookie Corner. We bought a few different kinds. They were very good. A nice way to end our day with some cookies. 

We joined up with my grandparents for a supper at the burger place down the street that always seemed crazy busy. 

Day 7 (May 9th)

This was not a full day, but since our flight was not until later that night we did get to do a few more things and enjoy our last dwindling hours of Oahu. We got up early again to grab a coffee, or for me, a chocolate protein drink. We caught sight of a rainbow across the water which was pretty to see. 

To start the day off we walked down the main street in Waikiki and checked out a few of the shops and doing some last minute souvenir shopping for ourselves and family. My mom got caught up from one of those sales people who tries to give you a "free sample". She got a tester cream around one eye but would have to come back to buy it to do the other eye. I told her I don't understand why she acknowledges these sales people. When I travel alone I sometimes don't even say "no thanks", I sometimes just ignore, keep my head up looking straight ahead, and keep walking. It may seem rude, but especially when I am on my own I feel like it is a safety technique. It was funny though to see her be led into the shop. He had her sitting down and everything while the cream was applied. 

After dropping off our spoils, we decided to check out the aquarium. We got tickets for it after attending the Luau, and thought "why not", since we had the time today before our flight. It was a small aquarium but they had some neat exhibits. The jellyfish are always one of my favourites. The way they do the lighting always makes them look so ethereral. My other favourite was the tank with the sharks. They were small sharks but it was fascinating to see them move underwater.

Afterwards we started back towards our hotel by walking along the beach. We noted a cafe along the way and stopped for some brunch of pancakes and smoothies. We continued to take our time, enjoying our last views of the beautiful turquoise ocean.The waves today looked larger than we had seen yet. 

We then went to the pool at our hotel for the first time and went for a swim to cool off. We had our snacks from the nearby ABC store and found some chairs to relax in and read our books. My grandparents joined us later on. They still had another day left after us.

We took an Uber to the airport like we should of when we arrived, and got there with plenty of time to spare. The Oahu airport does not have much there. We were also too early, so we could not even go through security. Well, we probably could have, but we wanted to check our bags on the way back since my Westjet card allowed myself and one other one free checked bag. I guess it was either wait on the landside or wait on the airside. Once we were finally through we grabbed ourselves some Burger King and let my grandparents know that there were a few food options at the airport for when they arrived the next day. We then said our final goodbyes to the island paradise.

Overall, this was a fantastic trip. Hawaii is a place that has been on my radar, but I have always put off for other places. It was wonderful to experience it for my cousins wedding. I may be biased, but I am convinced she has had the most beautiful wedding. The location did not even feel real, and even in the pictures, the backdrop of the mountains look fake. I made so many wonderful memories with our road trip around the island with my family and our many times at the Kualoa Ranch. I only wish my brother and dad could have made it. Them missing was the only thing keeping this trip from being perfect, for myself anyway. Maybe when/if my cousin and her new husband return for a anniversary we can all tag along to recreate some memories and my dad and brother can make it that time around, haha.