So Jenny (german girl from my hostel room) and I got up early to catch the bus to the North shore. Grabbed some breakfast at the ABC store and then we were on our way. Our first stop was Kualoa ranch where a ton of movies have been filmed. We bought our tickets to do the movie ranch tour. 2 american girls and us were all that was on the tour so it was good. We got to see a bunker that gets used in the tv show Lost and was used in Pearl Harbour. We stopped at a ton of [View Full Entry]

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HAWAII (OAHU) Nach all diesem Rummel in den letzten Wochen Australien, freute ich gewiss auf ein paar erholsame Tage Hawaii. Erholsam fing an mit dem ‚Längsten Tag’. Jedenfalls wars der längste Tag den ich bisher in meinem Dasein erleben durfte. Ich flog um Sechs Uhr abends in Sydney los und landete um am exakt demselben Tag am Morgen um Sieben Uhr Fünfzehn in Honolulu. Und das nach einem Neun Stunden Flug. Glücklicherweise flog ich gegen die Nacht und nicht umgekehrt..., ja sonst wäre ich garantiert auf den Felgen gelaufen. So gings vorerst eigentlich noch ganz gut. [View Full Entry]

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Our intentions today were to rent personal water craft from the Watercraft Connection in Haleiwa, however once our 13 year old discovered that he would not be able to take control, even with an adult riding, the excitement of doing this dimished to non-existent among our boys, which was fine with us, considering that we had really no interest in doing it. So, off to Waimea Bay in search of a parking spot. Upon arrival at Waimea at 11:15am, it was impossible to park without walking a 1/2 mile with lunch, chairs, umbrella, snorkeling gear in tow, so we headed to [View Full Entry]

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Our original 10 intinerary had the week-ends free of any activities but loafing and exploring, and week-days full of activities such as kayaking, golfing, jet skiing, surfing and such. Our day today found us on the beach at Shark's Cove at the North Shore and Malaekahana State Recreation area, both just a hop-skip-jump from our central Punaluu residence. Naturally I've included the mandatory pic or two of the kids enjoying the trip (waves to grandparents), and today they really enjoyed the tide pools at Shark's Cove after a good 2 hours of snorkeling the fish-fill cove. The population of th [View Full Entry]

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We woke up around 7 am. We were determined to have a good breakfast today. It rained again in the morning for 30 minutes. We saw a beautiful rainbow from the bathroom window. Hana is green (land) and blue (ocean). We checked out of the hotel and headed for a breakfast place. Ranch house opens only at 11 am. Locals told us to go to “Tutu’s”. It was small place with limited menu options. We had eggs, toast a French toast. We left Hana around 10 am. Now we continue on past Hana and south. Usually, most of the tourists turn [View Full Entry]

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On this day, there was excitement as well as some apprehension. Snorkeling! We left home around 8:30 am after breakfast. We need to find a parking spot that will be valid for 7 hours in Lahaina. Mornings are OK to park in Lahaina area. We got a lot that is free. By 9 am we were sitting in front of Pier #18 waiting for the catamaran. There would be at least 45 people. This hi-speed boat had bench seats on either side of the captain’s station. One can sit on the outside tube also. Captain Greg and Andrea gave a [View Full Entry]

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We woke up to the sound of three alarms (2 cell phones). Kids were cooperative. By the time we left home, it was already 2:45 am. Roads were pretty much empty. We wore 2 layers of clothing, and took our jackets, gloves and caps. We reached Airport area in 40 minutes. After travelling south east, we started climbing the mighty Haleakala. Roads were narrow, but well marked and constructed. We could not see the landscape outside because of the lack of light. After 6500 feet, you could feel the cold air seeping in. We reached the summit and the viewing area [View Full Entry]

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We could not sleep well. Car alarm went off intermittently between 1 and 3 am. We finally work up around 7 am. Kids had homemade omelets. Their scuba lessons start at 9:30 in the neighboring pool. Initial lesson in the pool is free. If the participants are comfortable, instructor would take them to Ocean dive right behind the resort. Instructor asked us to hang around for an hour. It is possible that the ears do not adjust as they dive down. He didn’t want to take anybody whose ears did not get adjusted. P2 had this problem. So we decided to [View Full Entry]

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This is the day, we leave the paradise. We finished packing as much as possible. Kids wanted to use the boogie board. So P1, P2 and I decided to drive to Kaanapali beach for one last swim. We took the boogie board. Initially, the waves were little. In another 30 minutes, the waves were tossing us around like a toy. I sat on the shore for a while watching P1 and P2. I wanted a last minute dip. I joined them. In no time, I was also tossed. I lost my prescription glasses. P1 and P2 searched for it for a [View Full Entry]

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I made it to Hawaii!!!! I did not sleep at all last night, I tried...but I WAS TOO EXCIED TO SLEEP. I managed to get my room as clean as I could, packed up as much as I could and saw my brother and Lisa one last time. We had dinner at their place and it was delicious!!!! So off to the airport at 4:30am I went. Said bye to mom and dad before going into US customs. I wasnt as emotional this time as I was leaving for Ireland haha. The line up for customs was pretty ridiculous but it [View Full Entry]

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