The overall feel of Waikiki is so very different from anywhere on the Big Island, but I can see why people are drawn to Oahu. There is always something to do, it’s a lively atmosphere and the beaches though crowded, are lovely.

Waikiki Beach

Callum and Paul loved touring Pearl Harbor and came back to the hotel room with a load of information to share with Lydia and I.

Every boys dream…playing with life-size army gear.

The USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor

Lydia was not interested in a full day tour of Pearl harbor so her and I went to the Waikiki Zoo instead.  Her first visit to a zoo!  I generally am not a huge fan of Zoo’s. I enjoy seeing the animals, but at the same time I always leave feeling a little sad. The Waikiki Zoo is small, but a good visit for smaller children and the enclosures were an adequate size.

Out of all the animals we saw at the zoo, these two chicken-like birds were Lydia’s favorite. One of them liked to run around in circles which Lydia thought was “AWESOME”.

Diamond head was a great, but somewhat crowded hike (that seems to be the overall theme of Oahu). Very doable 40 minute hike uphill with some stairs. Once reaching the top you are rewarded with a beautiful view of Honolulu. After our hike up from the Captain Cook Monument on the Big Island, this hike seemed like a cake walk. In fact, on the way back down we decided not to take the bus back to the city and just walked the rest of the way to Waikiki. We stopped to refuel at the South Shore Grill for some delicious, cheap fish tacos. Taco Tuesday!

 Awww, looks like someone needs a hug.

Haha, this little fella was actually just laying down by us when we stopped by the info shelter at Diamond Head. I was snapping a few shots of him when he yawned. Pretty ferocious looking yawn.

Oh, and our chariot awaits. We were all sad to be leaving Hawaii, but were excited to be on to the next leg of our trip. With delays and strong headwinds, it took us 24 hours to get to Singapore. We arrived at 1:30 am local time. Because our first flight out of Honolulu was cancelled, we were now arriving a day later in Singapore so we pretty much needed to start making our way to Kuala Lumpur straight away. After a quick nap on some chairs at the Embassador Transit Lounge, we cleared customs and caught the 8:15 shuttle bus to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. We spent the night in Johor Bahru, then caught the morning train to Kuala Lumpur. Train was a lovely way to travel and the 7 hour trip went by painlessly.

Now that we are here, we are resting up and exploring the area around us. So far we have found the locals very helpful.

We are all super stoked to see the Douthwaites (my sista from another mista), but first Paul has to lick the sinus infection he caught while we were travelling.

You know you are in Hawaii when you are driving around and this is the view you have out your car window all the time. I took this shot of Kealakekua Bay from the side of the road when we stopped at the highly recommended Coffee Shack on the Big Island.

Okay, at first I had no idea which door to go through. A tip to help remember which one; women starts with a W.

You really do have to watch for these. Those suckers are heavy!

I absolutely love this sign from the Black Sand Beach. So glad the Green Sea Turtle is protected.

If you see a chameleon crossing sign, stop and look around. You may just see a chameleon, well…crossing. We saw this little fella at the Greenwell Coffee Farm in Kona.

They say the Nene are descendants of a pair of Canadian Geese that lost their way while migrating and decided to make Hawaii their home. Some may think this pair of geese were stupid for loosing their way, but I think they knew exactly what they were doing when they ditched “V” formation and made their way to the Big Island.

Didn’t see a single donkey, but saw lots of goats.

Whenever looking for a historical site or place of interest, keep your eyes peeled for this sign and you won’t miss a thing.

Glad Captain Cook did not have his way and the Hawaiian Islands were not called the Sandwich Islands after Cook’s superior, Lord Sandwich.

Okay, I only saw one of these and that was in Waimea on the Big Island.

Take heed, these signs clearly mark the areas where you are not supposed to be. Not good Ju Ju to break Kapu.

This is Paul’s favorite sign. It’s a guy thing.

A shout out to my peeps at the Salvation Army. Always doing good in the community.

This sign is like a trip to psychiatrist. You have to interpret it for yourself. I see a big-bellied man in dark pants, a large nose and lobster claw hands running with giant glasses on his face with the words “Don’t Be A” written above. What that means to the psychiatrist? I have no idea, but it’s probably not good.

Image Courtesy of www.hawaiiactive.com

The highlight of our final week on the Big Island of Hawaii, was a night snorkel with the Manta Rays. The image above is a dive with Manta’s, but I thought I would include it so you could get an idea of how large these animals can be. The ones we were in the water with were not quite as large as this guy. Maybe the wing span of a sofa, tip to tip. We did our excursion with Hawaii Islands & Ocean Tours (www.HawaiiIslandOceanTours.com), which offers the Manta experience in a small group size of 6 people. Highly recommend this local, family run business. We did take the kids on this excursion and yes there was some prep involved.

First, we took the kids down to the Sheraton Hotel to Rays on the Bay where we went through a free informative talk about the Manta’s. While listening to the talk, you overlook the Bay where the night snorkel takes place and you are able to watch it in action, as well as, see the Manta’s feeding in the waters below. After all this, the kids figured they were brave enough to do it.

Image courtesy of murreandthepacific.com

So away we went, and I have to say, it is quite something to jump off a boat into the ocean, in the dark, with nothing on but a snorkel and a swimsuit while you see these giant dark figures swimming below. After flinging yourself off the side of the boat, you grab hold of a light broad and hook your feet on a noodle so they don’t dangle down into the water. Once everyone is in place around the light board all you do is wait for these magnificent creatures to start feeding on the smorgasbord of plankton right before your eyes. Even watching the microscopic plankton all around you is pretty cool.

Image courtesy of tombarefoot.com

It is the light on the board that attracts the plankton and thus the Manta is attracted to the board. These giant filter feeders glide through the waters inches below you while doing giant barrel rolls, turns and nose dives…graceful ladies they were. Actually, I did see one male Manta in the group and he seemed equally as graceful.

Image courtesy of Hawaii Island & Ocean Tours

After 30 minutes in the water, Lydia was done so we went back to the boat while the boys stayed out for another 15 minutes or so. Once we  were all back in the boat it was a quick 10 minute ride back to the dock. Because we were so busy enjoying the moment, we didn’t really take any pictures. We did however, take some video footage of our Manta encounter and if you want to see it check it out below.

A truly exhilarating experience.

Another fabulous week has past in Hawaii. I can’t believe we only have one week left in Kona and then we are off to Honolulu. Paul and I have decided we could live quite comfortably on the Big Island. The pic above was taken with our iPod touch in the water. It is one of those accidental shots that turns out pretty cool. After much consideration we finally decided on purchasing a DiCAPac (www.dicapac.com) so we could use our iPod as an underwater camera. For those that don’t know, the DiCAPac is basically a dry bag for your iPod and it cost us 20 bucks…much cheaper than an underwater camera and much easier to pack around the world.

We hit the pool first to take some practice shots with our new underwater camera system. After a multitued of practice shots we were off to Kahalu’u, a beach known for great snorkeling. We saw oodles of fish in nice clear water, but it turns out it’s easier to take pics of willing subjects in a pool than it is of fish in the ocean. Who knew! Having said that, Callum seemed to get the best shots of the bunch. We shall keep practicing.

Over the past week, we also visited a couple other beaches. Hookena Beach is South of Kona and a great beach for boogie boarding. I loved this beach for just playing in surf.

Kalokoko-Honokohau is a National Historical Park with the picturesque mile long white sand beach. Water is a bit murky for snorkeling, but great swimming and lots of turtles. We saw the largest turtle to date at this beach. In fact, from our towels, we watched this large turtle, accompanied by a little guy, pull themselves out onto the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon sunning ourselves with two Honu (Green Sea Turtles). Fantastic way to spend an afternoon.

Other spots that we have checked out and I highly recommend if you’re planning a trip to the Big Island is the little village of Holoualoa. This historical village up in the mountain is filled with artisan shops. Great place to admire or purchase all different types of local art. Truly a unique feel to this mountain village that cropped up as a result of the sugar cane industry, but soon after, became known for its coffee.

Post Office in Holualoa

Once we were done exploring Holualoa we continued down the historical drive to the Painted Church. We spent Christmas Eve day in one of the coolest churches I have seen. Located up on a ridge with a beautiful view below is the Painted Church. Built well over 100 years ago with all the original paintings inside done by the priest as a means of communicating with his congregation. One side of the church depicts life while the other depicts death. Upon our arrival, we were met by a volunteer that was very enthusiastic to share the history of the church.

Much to the liking of Paul, everything I’ve mentioned so far has been free. Cost of living is Undoubtedly much higher here, but fortunately there are loads of free things to do with the kids. We have even managed to find local restaurants with happy hour!

We took a trip south to the City of Refuge also known as Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Park. Excellent historical park and if you ever visit, make sure you take in the talk by the Park Ranger. This is a place of forgiveness and until the bones were removed for safe keeping it housed the bones of many powerful chiefs.

In amongst all that sightseeing, we managed to celebrate Christmas. A very different Christmas than we are used to, but a good one just the same. Because we are in the first leg of our “big trip”, presents were kept to a bare minimum. Kids handled it better than I was expecting. No tears or meltdowns on Christmas…gotta like it!

Well, after our adventure at Green Sand Beach we arrived at our next vacation rental, Country Club Villas in Kona. It felt good to shower off and unpack our bags as we knew we were staying put for 3 weeks. The condo itself is lovely with a magnificent view off our Lanai. The entire back wall, including our bedroom, is sliding glass doors and windows so the picture above is our first sight every morning.

While this is our last view at the end of every day.

Lydia has been enjoying all our new little pets. Well, the geckos and lizards anyway. She freaks out at the sight of cockroaches. Had to piggyback her home one evening when one ran after us while we were out walking. Oddly enough, for a short period, it did seem to be chasing her. Permanently scarred.

This is Billy, our favorite gecko that lives in the kitchen.

For the first couple of days after our arrival in Kona, we just chillaxed, hung out at the pool and hit Costco again to load up for the next few weeks. Since we hit the Big Island we have been keeping costs down by eating at home, but after two weeks, we decided to venture out and try some Hawaiian cuisine. I know most of you will be completely shocked to hear that Lydia wouldn’t eat it. She said it tasted good, but just couldn’t get past the look of it. Too Green for her liking. We heard about Super J’s from other travelers who spoke very highly of the food. We decided on the pork and chicken lau lau, which is meat wrapped in taro leaves then steamed and traditionally served with rice and macaroni salad. Pretty tasty.Now, well fed and rested, it was time to start exploring the island again. We decided to check out a new beach which is quite a bit North of us, but well worth the 1/2 hour drive. Great for snorkeling and playing in the surf. Pretty sure we will visit this one again during our stay.

As it turns out, another absolutely fabulous spot for snorkeling is in Kealakekua Bay near the Captain Cook Monument. To get to the bay, you have to hike the 12 km round trip or boat in. Kealakekua Bay, has by far, been the most beautiful snorkeling to date for us. Long coral reefs with huge drop offs and plenty of fish, Eels and octopi.

The kids as we are about to start our venture down to the bay and some views as we hiked. Trust me, we did not look like this when we got back up. What you can’t see in the picture is the fine print on the sign. It reads:

The Ka’awalda Trail is physically demanding. Many hikers have suffered injuries and required rescue. A 3.8 mile hike. The return is uphill. Nearly 1400 feet in elevation. During the hottest part of the day. There is no shade along trail. Strenuous terrain ahead.

For our family, it took some time to get back up. We made plenty of stops and went through 3 bottles and one jug of water. On the way down, kids talked the whole journey. On the way back up, no one said a word.

Once you reach the beach, you are rewarded with great snorkeling, a monument for Captain Cook and the knowledge that you are standing at a signficantly important historical location. Our only regret is that we didn’t have an under water camera.

Now equipped with a camera, we have to somehow convince the kids (and myself) to make the trek again.

Yesterday, we took a road trip to the Northern tip of the Island. We followed the stunning Kohala Mountain Road from Waimea to Hawi through rolling green hills and an eucalyptus and ironwood lined highway. Gorgeous!

Aerial photo of Kohala Mountain Road courtesy of Douglas Peebles.

Once we reached the Northern tip we explored the two quaint towns of Hawi and Kapaau and stopped for a quick bite at the highly recommended Bamboo restaurant.

In Kapaau, is a statue of king Kamehameha that was actually lost at sea and recovered after a new statue had already been re-commissioned. As a result, one was placed in Honolulu while this, now extra one, came to Kapaau. Bless the clever Sailor that somehow fished it out of the drink by the Falkland Islands and brought it home to Hawaii.

On route home we stopped to check out a few historical sites. First, was the birth place of King Kamehameha, then Lapakahi State Park which is an old village site and last was Pu’ukohola Heiau State Park which is a massive structure where Kamehameha gained dominion over the Big Island.

Two more weeks left on the Big Island!

After we left our home stay in the mountains we headed South on the Big Island to Volcano National Park area where we would set up camp for 5 nights at the Turtle Hut Condo in the Sea Mountain Resort. These condos have a real Polynesian flare that I loved and they are only a few steps away from Black Sand Beach.

On route South we made a couple of quick stops. One stop was at the Beach With Many Doors, as I call it, but locally it is known as Hakalau Beach. This part of the Island was big in the export of sugar cane before the industry went bust and Hakalau Beach has the ruins of an old sugar cane processing plant.

The next stop we made was at Lava Tree State Park. Cool to see the lava made tree molds, but unfortunately, most of the trail system was closed due to a bad storm that hit the park and did quite a bit of damage to the area. Still, we were able to see a small section of the park and check out some of the tree molds.

After arriving at our condo, the first thing we did was run down to check out the beach. Turtles everywhere….super cool!

During our stay, we hung out at the little Art Deco town of Na’alehu.

Na’alehu has a farmers market on Wednesdays so we went to load up on some local fruits, veggies and beef. And of course, every time we went into or drove thru town we had to stop at the bakery.

We spent two full days exploring Volcano National Park. Everything is easily accessible in the park and there is lot’s to see. On Saturday, we made a special trip back to watch a Hula Dance performance.

Thurston Lava Tube

Halema’uma’u Crater

Holei Sea Arch

Lava flow

Hula Dancers

When we were not at the park, the Bakery, or sitting in the hot tub, we were out exploring the rugged beaches on the East side of the island.

Snorkeling in the tidal pools of Whittington Beach

While out on a stroll one evening we came across a special site.

Oh, and can you see? It could not, should not possibly be, but it is, a Dr. Seuss tree.

We left Turtle Hut yesterday to make our way back around to the West side of the Island. On route we stopped to check out Green Sand Beach by the most Southern tip of the USA. The hike into the beach was a 9 km round trip. Not so bad we thought, but high winds, blowing sand pelting your skin and an open landscape with no cover from the sun made us all a wee bit edgy. Lydia cried, Callum moped along behind and I cussed, a lot (bad day to wear my hair down). The views while we hiked were stunning, but the terrain is being destroyed by vehicles driving tourists to the beach. The beach itself, is not a place where you would hang out. At least on the day we visited. The waves (that’s what I call them. Paul calls them wind-driven swells) were so huge that I didn’t feel safe letting the kids play. However, the violent surf did remove the bikini of an unsuspecting bather. Unfortunately, Paul missed it. There was no shade or place to sit comfortably and on top of all that, Paul lost his favorite hat. The wind caught it and took it to its resting place on the cliffs. Paul did decide he would try to rescue his favorite hat and was climbing around about 80 feet above the beach. Again I cussed up a storm, Lydia’s stomach starting feel sick watching her dad up so high and Callum was trying to call him down. He never did get his hat back…Poor Paul.

After I tied a shirt around my unruly locks (only fellow curly-haired gals can really relate to this one) we made the hike back to the car. One thing in our favor on the return trip was the wind was at our backs. I think the locals could tell we were not having the time of our lives as we were asked a few times if we wanted a ride back for 5 bucks a head. I don’t know if it was principal, determination or dad’s cheapcation philosophy (that’s what Paul call’s it) that kept us from taking the ride, but we didn’t and are we better for it today?? Yup, I think so. Would I do the hike again under the same conditions? Nope! Still finding sand in unwanted places.

Have to say, the views were stunning.

After a fairly painless flight of 6 hours from Vancouver to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, we picked up our rental car and drove North for 20 minutes to Waikoloa Beach.

We are staying at the Waikoloa Colony Villas (VRBO # 334360).

4 nights turned out to be the perfect amount of time to unwind from the flight, get our bearings, and hit Costco for some supplies.

One of many things I did not know about the Big Island, was it is home to a large population of feral cats. Lydia is loving it! This is what we wake up to every morning.

Of course, Lydia has given them precious names. One is named Hissy Cat for obvious reasons. Lydia’s first love-hate relationship. I think these guys are putting the word out that there’s food here because they seem to be growing in numbers daily. Be a harsh reality for them when we leave tomorrow. Actually, there are feeding stations all around the island so I don’t think they will miss us too much.

Highlights of our stay so far, have been sunset strolls along the beach, Petroglyph Park and discovering the ocean and all its wonders including snorkelling with sea turtles and a variety of fish and playing in the surf. Lydia loves all the tropical flowers and is quick to point out every beautiful flower we pass, pick up downed buds and adorn herself or the condo.

Tomorrow we will take what is known as the Saddle Road and head to the East side of the island to Hilo. On route we will stop and see Waimea (ranch town) and Muana Kea (mountain). After 3 nights at the Stables At Hakalau (VRBO # 3806458 ha) in Hilo we will head South and explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Green Sand Beach while staying at the Turtle Hut II at Punalu’u (VRBO # 251908). The remainder of our stay on The Big Island will be back in Kona on the West side where we will spend 3 weeks at the Kona Ocean Villa (VRBO # 72654).

So far the weather has been wonderful with highs around 27 degrees with a nice breeze.

Here’s my last view of Nanaimo off the stern of the BC Ferry.

And here is my first view of Waikoloa Beach in Hawaii