Saturday, December 9, 2017

Hawaii: Day 7

Last day- We cleaned the condo and let the teenagers eat to their hearts content before we packed up food.
We had time to go to the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium where we found a few good deals before our flight.

To sum up, we had to put the smoke detector in the fridge a few times during meal prep but I only burned one thing. My ears wouldn't pop on the flight over and my allergies kept me from smelling until they cleared up on Wednesday. Kevin gets motion sickness and could only handle swimming, snorkeling for small increments of time. We tried to go snorkeling as a family; after switching masks and snorkels to make everyone comfortable, KayDee swam back to shore, Samantha continued to dive for shells, Kevin swam fast after a turtle, Derrick stood on a rock in the middle of the water and I was trying to decide who to join. I think we lasted about 10 minutes. Reality is always entertaining. Kevin won a black pearl at the Dole plantation but we didn't want to pay for it to be set so it will be fun to figure out how to set it in when we get home.
Kevin meet a Russian guy that was so excited to meet people. He traded the condo with a friend and will be here for 5 years and has gotten Kevin's phone number and has already texted him.
I drove the whole trip since I do traffic better than Kevin. I only got honked at twice.
We loved the museums, PCC, temple, dole farm, hiking and getting to know our area in Hauula.
Kevin loved sitting on the beach watching the turtles heads pop up, looking at the surf, and catching crabs. He caught the really big one.
Samantha loved finding shells, organizing them and then finding more. She snorkeled and dove for them. She touched a fish and saw some really cool ones. She also wants a ukulele.
Derrick loved boogie boarding, making sand castles, snorkeling, and digging out crabs. He boogie boarded right into sand bags with a huge wave. We had north shore surf warnings but our beach was still pretty calm.
KayDee loved catching lizards, finally caught a couple crabs by herself, building sand castles and playing in the ocean. She loved being pulled around by Derrick on the boogie board in the waves.
I loved snorkeling, floating on the waves, trying to boogie board, walking along the beach, and sitting on the beach. Lots of smiles to take home.

Hawaii: Day 6

Sunrise
More beach time. Collecting shells, finding crabs snorkeling, sand castles, boogie boarding.
PCC to finish what we missed. Ukulele, way finding.

Hawaii: Day 5

Beach Time

Hawaii: Day 4

Manoa Falls Hike-We got up early and missed most of the crowd. We had a hard time deciding where to park since the place to pay was locked up but said it would tow our car. We ended up a few blocks down near a residential neighborhood but the extra steps gave us peace of mind.
More Beach Time!
Laie Temple- We had some family names Samantha, Derrick, and Kevin did. KayDee  and I enjoyed the temple visitor center's Christmas displays and interactive movies. There was a great movie explaining how the history of the LDS church developed with the church building, temple, Hukilau fundraiser and the Polynesian Cultural Center. What a great history!

Friday, December 8, 2017

Hawaii: Day 3 Polynesia and Dole

Dole Plantation:
Train Tour- We had fun visiting another farm and seeing their fields.
World's Largest Maze- The kids made good time!
Pineapple fields and garden

Polynesian Cultural Center:
Island Villages-We ran out of time and need to go back. Our ticket is good for 3 more days!
Dinner and Show- Super good pork, fish, and chocolate cake.
We had to get a Pineapple Smoothie!

Hawaii: Day 2 Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor
We used the wrong GPS location but we got a great feel for Oahu traffic. Lots to see: USS Arizona Battleship Memorial, Bowfin Submarine, Missouri Battleship, and Ford Island Aviation Museum. It took all day!

Hawaii: Day 1

Airplane ride
The Beach

Hawaii on a Budget

Hawaii on a budget for 5 people:
Save $100 per month for 5 years. ✔
Get airplane tickets early.  ✔
Get a condo on the beach. ✔
Borrow stuff like fins.✔
Pack light. ✔
Bring dry packaged food. ✔
Buy fresh food at the grocery store. ✔
Buy tickets to sites ahead of time if possible. ✔
Car or local transit. ✔
Enjoy the simplicity of Hawaii. ✔
Keep expectations to a minimum. ✔