Oahu,Hawaii

Oahu, Hawaii

We got away from Denver for a couple days and headed Oahu, Hawaii. We were excited to check out the Island. Such a great trip, exploring, eating fresh food, and soaking up some sunshine. Hope you enjoy a glimpse of the Island and our time in Oahu.

I think my favorite day was driving the Island. We started in Honolulu and drove Northeast. Our first was the Dole Plantation. The kids loved the World’s Longest Pineapple Maze, eating fresh pineapple ice cream and shopping at the local vendors! A definite must in you visit the area.

Waimea Bay

Our next stop was Waimea Bay to do some cliff jumping! (There is plenty of parking in the lot at the beach or nearby with a short walk! ) Great fun watching young to old get the nerve to jump 30feet off into the water. As soon as they did it once, they were ready to go over and over again! Go to our Instagram @happy_playces to watch a video of Ryan, Evian, and Miles jump!

Leaving Waimea Bay, we drove North and found our favorite roadside “cafe” and I can say that because we came back another day! Sunrise Cafe located on the side of the road, serving up the best Acai bowls, bulletproof coffee, local fresh fruits and snacks!! Amazing food!!

We drove North to the tip of the Island and stopped at Turtle Cove. Such a beautiful resort, pool, and beach! I highly recommend walking around the beach, something majestic about this place!

Leaving Turtle Cove we drove along the Island heading to the East side. Driving along the coast was so beautiful, very lush in the mountains on one side and gorgeous coast on the other.This is the Hawaii you imagine that you see on TV, mountainous landscape thick and green, accompanied by every color of blue in the ocean on the opposite side. Stopping along the way to take in the beauty of Hawaii. We loved how drive-able it was to take in the entire Island in one day.

Our next stop was The China Walls! The China Walls is an amazing part of the island’s eruptive past! The walls are made up of layer after layer of hardened lava flow, rising from the ocean floor 20,000 feet below. A well known surfing and cliff jumping spot! We sat and watched the surfers and promised Miles we would come back and jump when the waves were calm. Even if you are not interested in jumping or watching the jumpers and surfers it is a beautiful spot to look at the scenery of Hawaii coastline, watch the massive waves crash and most definitely catch a gorgeous sunset!

After driving the entire Island, we decided to split the next two days by exploring the Northeast side one day and the southwest the next. So, the next day started with a drive back on H1 and H2 towards the town of Wahiawa. Passing through the town of Wahiawa to the elementary school, parked, and found the trail head for “Pill Box Hike.”

The trail is moderate with great steps and actual ropes along the way to help you on your way up (I can definitely see these being helpful if the ground is super wet). We made it to the top and stood on the Pill Box for a FANTASTIC view! We then went inside the pill box and checked out some of the local “art” before making our way down!

After a hot hike we decided to stop by Waimea Bay (again) for some more jumping! Once again super fun to watch everyone jump (don’t know if I would have been brave enough even without my ACL recovery)! Jumps and beach time completed we had worked up an appetite and headed into Haleiwa for Lunch! We loved this little coastal village. Couple shops and restaurants line the street and a great park area full of food trucks. We were so happy to find VJ’s Butcher block and treated ourselves to local grassfed lunch. After lunch we went into their butcher shop and loaded up on some groceries of, fresh tuna, steaks, and bacon to take with us.

Great day exploring the Island and drove back to Waikiki Beach to enjoy the beach, surfers, and watch the sunset! The kids headed out to enjoy the waves,as we sat and listened to local bands play as the sunset on the Hawaii coast!

The next day we could tell the tide and surf were low, so we headed to China Walls. For the adventure seekers, and that is exactly what Ryan and Miles are!! We sat for awhile and watched the locals jump and surf. It is an incredible spot to jump, but must be done the right way, or you can seriously get hurt. The waves come in fast and strong and you must climb up a cliff to get out!After watching and preparing Ryan made the jump then climbed out and talked to Miles about his jump!! Enjoy the next series of pictures of Ryan and Miles jumping The China Walls!!!!

In this picture, Ryan is talking to Miles about where they will jump and how to climb out!

I am so glad they were able to do it, they really enjoyed it, but both agree it was high on the risk taking scale!

Alan Davis Beach

Our next stop, was Andy Davis Beach, written up as a “locals beach” and was defintely off the beaten path, but well worth it. We parked at the Makapu’u Lighthouse and instead of heading up the hill to the light house, we took the dirt path to the right. Followed the path about 10 minutes to Andy Davis Beach. A beautiful cove beach with turquoise water and high rocks for cliff jumping.

Surfing

Our next adventure was Surfing. We rented surf boards from a spot near our hotel and put the boards in right on Wakiki Beach. They had a good time, but had to swim out pretty far to catch the waves. Always fun to say you surfed at Wakiki Beach!!!

Hotel

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village! The hotel had a lagoon that was perfect for playing in the water and renting paddle boards, fun over-sized floating bikes, kayaks, etc…There are three pools on site, beautiful beach, beach side cafes, restaurants and plenty of activities for all!

Food

We were so excited to find a Whole Foods near Ward Village to buy the majority of our food. It was so nice to have fresh local fish, vegetables, and fruit for lunches and dinners. Everyday we would pick up lunch which consisted of fresh poke and pineapple for our picnic lunches. (They offer complimentary ice to keep your picnic cold!)