Oahu, Part 2

On Thursday we had our most exciting excursion planned: a shark cage dive!  We were all looking forward to it and even had a babysitter lined up (our piano teacher's husband's cousin who attends BYU-H) to take care of Sydney.  Unfortunately, right after the babysitter arrived, we found out that the trip was cancelled due to a storm offshore.  We were really disappointed but decided to take advantage of the babysitter being there and went on a hike.  Ben and I took everyone to a trail we found when we were in Hawaii two years ago: the Ehukai Pillbox Hike, which isn't too long but gives you a great view of the North Shore from the two pillboxes up on the side of the mountain.  The hike was very muddy from all the rain but it was nice to be outside and get a little exercise.

After the hike we went back to our almost-daily meal spot, eating at the food trucks at the Kahuku Sugar Mill.  This time we included local beverages with our local food: fresh coconut water and flavored fresh cane juice.  Then it was back to the resort for beach time and a poolside dinner.

On Friday we finally had the true North Shore experience: a surfing lesson at Kaiaka Bay Beach followed by a couple of hours in Haleiwa.  The kids were all excited to try surfing but varied in their level of interest once they got in the water.  Jack tried it for a little while, but came back to shore and hung out on the beach for the bulk of the lesson time.  Luke came in soon after.  The girls stayed out the whole time, with both of them getting up a few times and Cat really getting the hang of it!  Ben got up a few times too!

When we had our land introduction to surfing, the first thing the teacher told us was how to fall - that was enough to confirm for me that I shouldn't try to surf.  I was already nervous about it with my knee still in recovery mode, but thinking about how easy it would be to twist the wrong way when falling down made me sure that I should not surf.  I did paddle out and an instructor helped me catch a wave and just ride it in on my belly, which was fun.  After doing that a couple of times, I went in and sat with Sydney (and the other boys who didn't want to surf for very long) while Andy did some surfing.

Eliza and Jack

Cat

Ben

Cat hanging ten

When our lesson was over and we were getting ready to leave, we spotted a sea turtle right off the beach.  As we watched it, two more came!  They don't show up well in the pictures, but they were there.

Jack holding up three fingers because there were THREE right there!
You can kind of see their shapes in the water.

See the turtle head on the left?

From there we drove to Haleiwa, probably the main town on the North Shore.  It was fun to do a little shopping and get shave ice at the iconic Matsumoto's, which really is delicious and also still really cheap (you just have to be willing to wait in line).  Ben and the girls stopped for fresh fruit on the way back to the resort.

I joked with the boys that we were going to have pupu (appetizers)
for lunch and they did not like the idea.  I guess we were lucky that
this place wasn't open yet.

We went back to the reort pool for a little while in the afternoon, then that night the kids ate in the room (pb&j for the win!) and watched a movie while the adults went out for dinner.  Two more great days in Hawaii!

Oahu, Part 1

Kudos to Andy and Amy for getting 6 kids ready and out the door and on a plane for a 7am flight Monday morning!  All went well and we met them at the airport, where our flight landed a few minutes before theirs.

We picked up our rental cars, got hamburgers for lunch, stocked up on groceries, then headed to our resort on the North Shore.  I was immediately amazed at the gorgeous lobby, with its huge windows (and open walls) with ocean views on both sides.  Our accommodations were equally impressive.  Due to a booking error, we were staying in the Ocean Bungalows, the most luxurious part of the hotel, for 20% of the normal rate there.  The rooms were large and beautiful, with huge sliding glass doors that opened up to a comfortable furnished lanai, then a grassy lawn, and the ocean beyond.  We were set apart from the rest of the resort, far enough away that we were encouraged to get around by calling the concierge for a golf cart to go back and forth to the beach, pools, etc.  We got settled in our rooms, had dinner at the resort, then let the kids play in the pool for a little while before calling it a night.

Tuesday morning we hit the beach for a couple of hours, then went to the pool where we could take advantage of the kids' pool with two waterslides, which was closed the night before.

A long field of igneous rock form a natural jetty on the edge of the
resort beach.  Ben, Andy, Cat, and Sawyer did some exploring there.

We drove about 10 minutes to the Kahuku Sugar Mill, which has a huge collection of food trucks.  We ate tons of Hawaiian garlic shrimp and topped it off with shave ice before heading to the Dole Plantation.  There we took the train around the farm to see the acres and acres of pineapple as well as several other crops.  We also walked through the maze and found some fun souvenirs and sweet treats in the gift shop.  Then it was back to the Sugar Mill for dinner!

After having shrimp at dinner the night before,
Andy and Ben decided they should eat shrimp every day of the trip.

Fun to spot a red pineapple at the Dole Plantation!

Ready for our train ride!

It's hard to tell but part of the train ride circled a garden with plants
growing in the shape of pineapples.

Fun that the Kahuku Sugar Mill incorporated some of the original sugar
mill ironwork in the grounds near the parking lot and picnic tables.

Jack loved seeing all of the wild chickens in Hawaii!
Here, they're roosting on this string of cafe lights near the shave ice & burger places.

Wednesday morning was overcast and rainy, which worked out since Andy and Ben had a scuba dive scheduled that morning and the rest of us enjoyed having a lazy morning.

Shark's Cove in Haleiwa

They didn't see any sharks, but they did see this
cool turtle, an octopus, an eel, and lots of fish!

Eventually the rain stopped enough that the rest of us got out and did some swimming.  Then in the afternoon Amy stayed with Sydney while she took a nap and the rest of the group went to Kualoa Ranch for a movie site bus tour.  This gorgeous mountainous area is known as Hollywood's Hawaii Backlot because so many things have been filmed there - dozens of TV shows and movies set in places as diverse as Vietnam, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Uganda.

Free time in the morning means Eliza gets to hang out with Sydney while
she takes a bath.. then she gives her lots of bubbles... then when Sydney says
she's hungry Eliza hands her a cookie.

The boys didn't last long in the Bungalow's exclusive pool since it was cold
so we ended up walking over to the resort's heated family pool instead.

Kualoa was so pretty!

Our first stop on the bus tour was an old WWII bunker where
the ranch had placed a bunch of memorabilia from various shows
and movies that had been filmed there.

Check out that view of the North Shore.

This part of the ranch is called Jurassic Valley because Jurassic Park
was filmed here.  As we turned the corner and approached this view,
the bus driver played the Jurassic Park theme and it was magical!

The second stop of the tour was a boneyard from Kong: Skull Island.
It was so fun to walk around and take pictures with the styrofoam props!

Amy ordered room service that evening so that we could quickly get ready for family pictures, which we did at a beach that was maybe a 10-minute farther walk from the resort beach.  Nobody else was there and the light and sunset were amazing!  (Family pictures post coming later.)  Once pictures were over we took some time to explore a big tidepool on our walk back.

We couldn't believe that the employee who brought dinner also brought
a white tablecloth, cloth napkins and real silverware, then set the table for us.

Amy was the only one brave enough to pick up a sea slug in the tide pool.

Amy didn't die so Eliza mustered some bravery and tried it too.