Kamehameha Day

We got to be here on King Kamehameha Day! He was the 1st King that unified all of the Hawaiian Islands. We found out at the parade that each island is represented by a Princess, and each has a color. The parade went right by our condo, so we were able to walk out and watch it!

Green is Moloka'i

Red is Hawai'i

Purple is Kaua'i

Pink is Maui

Yellow is O'ahu

And Kaycee just loved these 2 Princesses!

Waipio Valley

We did it! Gary, Lauren and I hiked Waipio Valley. Josh and Mimi were kind enough to watch our younger kids, because this hike was too hard for them. It's a 1,000 foot drop down into the valley in less than a mile. It was STEEP! It was also amazing! We saw Hi'ilawe Falls, which is 1400 feet high, the highest in Hawaii. The beach and coast were so pretty! We ran into some wild horses that were roaming around too.

Hi'ilawe Falls

The view from the top. We made it all the way down to the beach, and all the way back up!

Kua Bay

I think we may have found our favorite beach! All the locals have been suggesting this beach to us. We tried it out today. Wow, WOW, WOW! What an amazing beach! Fine white sand, that feels like powder, great waves, not too big but big enough, and the CLEAREST water! It looked like a swimming pool! We spent FOUR hours in the water, running out just to get more sunscreen on! It's called Kua Bay Beach. I give it 2 thumbs up, 4 stars, an A+!

These pictures are all taken in the ocean, not a pool!

Honaunau

We took a break from the beaches today and took a drive to Pu'uhonau o Honaunau! Otherwise known as Place of Refuge.

First of all the drive there was AMAZING! The further South you drive, the more green and lush it gets. Solid plants and flowers, cloudy and drizzly the whole way. We passed quaint little towns and several coffee farms. We stopped at the Kona Macadamia Nut and Candy Factory. It was a cute little place. The kids shelled some macadamia nuts, and we got to see the tons and tons of nuts there that they harvest. We had to buy some, and man are they good! :) We also just had to try the chocolate covered nuts, which are also YUMMY!

Place of Refuge was an ancient place were lawbreakers could go to redeem themselves. If you want to read all about it, click here.

For us it was a really cool place to walk around, see how the Hawaiians lived LONG ago, and see some really beautiful sights.

Our kids loved the tikis

Kaycee took this pictures and was so proud of the reflection she caught in the water.

An ancient Hawaiin game called Konane. It's a little like checkers.

Out on the lava that runs right into the sea.

Tiki's again!

The structures here that are the same as they would have been hundreds of years ago.

Pointing out the fish and crabs in the ponds.

It's amazing to walk on this cooled lava rock. It looks liquid, but it's rock solid.

Hapuna Beach

Hapuna Beach is half a mile long, and 200 feet wide. Fine golden sand slopes gradually into the ocean. We had a GREAT morning boogie boarding here!

Pololu Valley

We hiked Pololu Valley. It was so pretty! You descend 400 feet in less than 1/2 a mile! The switchbacks either have you facing the amazing sight of the coast, or the gorgeous valley. It wasn't too bad getting down. When we got to the bottom, we were surprised to find a playground, Hawaiian style! There were rope swings, tetter totters and a tire swing tied to enormous trees that were right on the shore. The beach is breathtaking, although not safe for swimming. The hike back up wasn't' too bad, but it does get your heart rate up!

Blogger apparently is having trouble uploading pictures today, so click here to see the pictures.

Snorkeling

We went to an amazing snorkeling place today! Kahalu'u Beach. Wow! Just hop in the super nice water (not too hot, not too cold, but just right) and take off. It's shallow and protected from the big waves. The water is crystal clear, so the second you put your face in the water you see all kinds of fish! And they are big and so colorful! There was even a turtle swimming there too. The kids loved it!