Hawaii Day 5 & 6 - Hiking, Waikiki, and Kualoa Ranch

We started the weekend with a nice hike to Manoa Falls.  It was a little muddy, but we were lucky it rained earlier in the week so there was an actual waterfall. 

After our hike we went shopping at the local market where we bought a ton of stuff for the girls and a few things for ourselves.  Next we headed to Waikiki Beach to have a little fun in the sun.  

On our way back to the car from the beach we happened to walk through the Spam Jam, yep you read that right.  You could get anything you wanted made out of spam...spam fried rice, grilled spam on a stick, and spam lettuce wraps.  

Sunday morning we headed to Kualoa Ranch for a tour on horseback.  This 4000 acre gorgeous ranch is where many shows and movies have been filmed such as Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, and Lost.

Jurassic Park

They film most of Lost on this hill

 

We spent the last night watching the sun set over Diamond Head from the beach by our cottage. This was such a relaxing and enjoyable trip. 

Hawaii Day 3 & 4 - Sharks, Temple and PCC

Day 3 began with the highlight of our trip, swimming with the sharks. OK, so we were in a cage and they were swimming all around us, but it was still the coolest thing EVER!  Seeing sharks in their natural habitat is so much better than seeing them in an aquarium.  We took a 15 minute boat ride out to the middle of the ocean, put on our snorkel gear and then climbed into a cage that fit 8 of us comfortably (if there is such a thing as comfort when sharks are swimming around you).  We were in the cage for about 30 minutes and we just watched them swim around and took a billion pictures.  We saw sand bar sharks (5-7 ft long) and Galapagos sharks (7-9 ft long), they were so close to us we could pet them...of course we didn't even try.  

We spent the rest of the day traveling the North and East shores checking out all the different beaches.  We went to Shark's Cove, ate at Ted's bakery, and even saw some blow holes.  

Sharks Cove

 

Day 4 was the only day we did not go to the beach.  We spent the morning at the temple in Laie, it was gorgeous and so peaceful.  From the front steps you could see the ocean and all the landscaping to go with it was wonderful. 

Laie LDS Temple

View from front of temple

 

The rest of the day was spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  There was so much to see and do, I think we only covered about 1/2 of it.  We ended the evening with their Luau and then the show "Ha, Breath of Life".  All I can say is that it is a must see for everyone, I really wish we could have taken pictures during the show.  We were on the 4th row and loved the ending with all the men without shirts doing fire dancing!! (I loved the men without shirts and Travis loved the fire!)

"Princess" and "Warrior"

Wish I could do that!

Luau Entertainment

The pig we had for dinner!

 

Parade with canoes representing the different islands

4th row at "Ha, Breath of Life"

Hawaii Day 2 - Pearl Harbor & Hanauma Bay

Day 2:  We started the day going to see Pearl Harbor.  What an amazing place, not just what happened there, but the feeling we had there and the ability to see that part of history.  It makes me even more proud of all those I know (and don't know) that serve and protect our country. 

Ship getting ready to be tugged out to sea

Such a cool view

The U.S.S. Bowfin

I think Travis was in Heaven!

The big guns

The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Next on the schedule for the day was Hanauma Bay, a marine conservation park and such a gorgeous place!  The view looking down on the bay was breathtaking, the snorkeling was amazing, and the water was beautiful!  We saw so many different fish, turtles, and other sea life.