Roadtrip! It was time to leave the shores of Waikiki and explore the island of Oahu. A turtle tour that circled the coast was the perfect way to learn the lay of the land.
First. Has anyone seen "Forgetting Sarah Marshall?" You know Paul Rudd's character, Chuck? That was the personality of our tour guide, Josh. A laid back, no worries, surfer kind of guy. It made us chuckle throughout the entire day.
Aloha!
To start off our tour, cousin Damian drove us through the Beverly Hills of Hawaii, Kahala. This particular area is famous for wealthy living. Residents like Bill Gates and Jackie Chan own homes in this hood. Not far from it, we stopped at Halona Blowhole, a lookout that sprays water 30 feet in the air when the surf is right. This is all thanks to molten lava tubes from volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. The water wasn't quite rough enough to view the blowhole but we did get to see the beautiful view of Eternity Beach, a cove of blue-green water just waiting to invite you in.
Next stop: a stunning view of the ocean, Makapu'u Beach and Rabbit Island. We also had a view of the Makapu'u lighthouse, home of the largest lens of any lighthouse in the U.S.
It was about time for our mid-morning snack and cousin Josh spoke the way to our hearts with a stop that ensured the islands best "ono" fried chicken. We were a little hesitant when we pulled up to a small, modest market in the middle of the lush Hawaiian rainforest but once we got a whiff of their sweet-smelling chicken, there was no going back.
You guys. This was the BEST fried chicken. SO GOOD! So worth it! Little Waikane Store that only fit 5 standing adults in the middle of the rainforest, you win!!!
We then made another pit-stop at Tropical Farms-Hawaii's Macadamia Nut Farm where we sampled our little hearts out on a dozen flavors of macadamia nuts. We bought a bag of cinnamon glazed nuts that did not make it home. They were that good.
 |
| Shell Lei's |
 |
| Look how green! So pretty! |
Chinaman's Hat and a view of Kualoa Beach Park was up next. Chinaman's Hat is a small island that looks like a rice picker hat. It was only natural that I get a picture of it in true Asian-pose fashion since I get asked if I'm Asian from time to time. We also couldn't help taking a selfie in front of the stunning mountains of Kualoa Ranch.
Between Lai and Turtle Bay is the beautiful area of Kahuku. We couldn't get over the rainforest surrounding the white sand beach. All we could do was take in it's beauty.
Josh couldn't pass up visiting a local Farmer's Market, so we stopped at the fruit stand and snacked on some local sweets. We gobbled up a fried banana and tried pineapple dusted with Li Hing powder, creating a sweet, sour and salty taste. We weren't huge fans but hey, we gave it a try!
 |
| Trying the fried banana |
 |
 |
| Trying the pineapple with Li Hing |
 |
| Not so sure about it... |
It was after Sunset beach that we got the news that we wouldn't be able to snorkel with the Hawaiian green sea turtles because of a tiger shark sighting the day before. We were pretty bummed that we were going to miss out on the experience but we also didn't want to become lunch to kings of the sea.
Lucky for us, we got to stand feet away from some giant sea turtles on a reef. So cool!
 |
| The struggle was real for this turtle trying to get back into the ocean |
We had to eat at some point and it's safe to say lunch did not disappoint thanks to Tsue's Farm. Jeremy had no problem finishing his plate of coconut shrimp or shall I say, prawns. I had some deeeeeelicious pulled pork, eating every bite on my plate! We enjoyed conversation with our New Zealand friends along with a peaceful view of people kayaking and paddle boarding down the Haleiwa River.
That night we enjoyed an evening on the beach watching The Hilton Hawaiian Village historic Friday night firework show. Twas a great ending to the day! Aloha!
No comments:
Post a Comment