On Day Four of our Hawaii trip, we started the morning off with breakfast from Ted’s Bakery, a popular bakery in Haleiwa.

They are famous for their chocolate haupia pie!
Ted's Bakery in Haleiwa. They are famous for their chocolate haupia cream pie!

breakfast at Ted's Bakery
We actually didn't try their famous pie, but we grabbed some yummy donuts to go.

We then drove down to Honolulu (yes, again) to go hiking at Manoa Falls. Since we couldn’t hike Diamond Head the previous day, we were evermore determined to make sure we went on this hike!

Arriving at the trail for Manoa Falls
Starting our hike at Manoa Falls.

very tall trees
The whole trail was a rainforest with lush, towering trees.

My first time in a rainforest...
This was my first time in a rainforest!

me making my way up the trail.
Me making my way up the trail with my umbrella - that's how wet and misty it was!

Dan under the arch.
Dan under an archway of branches. Almost there!

Manoa Falls in all its glory.
Manoa Falls in all its glory.

me by the waterfall.
I made it! It actually was not too bad of a hike at all. Easy even for me! haha*

Dan and I at Manoa Falls.
Dan and I at Manoa Falls.

Dan under the falls.
Dan illegally went past the barrier to go right by the falls... tsk tsk. Such a rebel.

After the hike, we were definitely hungry for some lunch, so we drove into the more commercial area of Honolulu to get some food.

Making our way into Honolulu.
Driving through Honolulu.

Goma Tei Ramen Restaurant for lunch!
We went to Goma Tei Ramen Restaurant in Ala Moana Mall.

my shoyu ramen.
I had shoyu char siu ramen. YUM!!!

Hungry after the hike!
The hubby got spicy miso ramen. Also very good! The ramen definitely hit the spot.

After lunch, we headed over to Waikiki to Ty Gurney Surf School.  Located in the heart of Waikiki, right by the beach, the surf school is one of the clients at our web design company. We recently launched their site at the end of the last year, and they were so generous as to offer Dan and I complimentary surf lessons when I told them that I was going to be in town on vacation. The owner, Ty Gurney, has given lessons to the likes of Cameron Diaz, Adam Sandler, and Ray Liotta. Pretty awesome!

Arriving at Ty Gurney Surf School
Arriving at Ty Gurney Surf School and Board Shop.

Some of the apparel we designed for the surf school.
Some of the apparel we recently designed for the surf school.

More of our designs! :)
More of our designs on display.

With Hollie, the manager of the surf school.
With Hollie, the manager of the surf school. Thanks for the surf lessons!

We unfortunately didn’t get to get any photos of ourselves surfing, but it was an exhilarating experience! Dan and I had both never surfed before, but it was really fun! (I was able to stand up on my board and actually surf!)  I got exhausted pretty quickly, though, and called it quits after about forty minutes. Dan was a trooper and stayed out on the waves in Waikiki Beach for a good hour and a half. The surf lessons were definitely one of the highlights of our time in Oahu.  🙂

After the surf lessons, we headed over to Waiola Shave Ice again for a refreshing afternoon snack. We’d already gone once on Day One, but it was so good that we just couldn’t stay away.

Dessert at Waiola Shave Ice.
Dan at Waiola Shave Ice (again).

Dan got shaved ice with azuki and mochi.
He got shaved ice with azuki beans and mochi pieces.

Strawberry and lychee flavors.
This time, I ordered strawberry and lychee flavored shave ice. Soooo good!

We then drove up to check out the Pali Lookout, where you can take in a breathtaking view of the sweeping landscapes, that seem to stretch up the whole Windward side of the island. You can get a view of the lush vegetation and tropical rainforests of Windward Oahu.

overlooking Oahu
Dan at the Pali Lookout.

The left side of our view.
The left side of our view.

So much greenery...
Central line of sight from the lookout.

The right side of our view.
The right side of our view.

For the late afternoon, we drove to Lanikai Beach in Kailua to just spread out our beach towels and relax by the beach.

Making our way to Lanikai Beach.
Making our way to Lanikai Beach.

Dan walking along the beach.
Dan walking along the beach.

Man fishing at Lanikai Beach
A man fishing at Lanikai Beach.

Hubby and I on the beach.
We were pretty pooped after the surf lessons!

Dan attempting to snorkel.
Dan attempting to snorkel at Lanikai Beach.

Passed out!
...while I was passed out.

avec cell phone.
Dan taking photos of me while I was napping.

Dipping my feet in the water.
I eventually woke up to dip my feet in the water.

Having a little too much fun.
Lanikai Beach was so beautiful! It made me giddy... haha*

Stepping into the waters.
An afternoon in paradise.

After a couple hours at the beach, Dan and I drove back to Honolulu to get some dinner. We took our friend Bryan’s recommendation and ate at Ono Hawaiian Food. (Not to be confused with the  California chain Ono Hawaiian BBQ… this is the real deal, canoe-style Hawaiian food!) It was a hole-in-the-wall type of place, but had a line and there was a significant wait before we could get a table.

Thanks Bryan for the recommendation!
Storefront of Ono Hawaiian Food

lau lau and kalua pig
We got the the laulau plate with kalua pig. Everything was good! The only dish I was not a particularly huge fan of was the poi. haha*

Big thanks to Bryan for the recommendation! I’m so glad we consulted people who were from Hawaii before going — we were able to eat some really good food while we were there! 🙂

If you know me, you know there’s always room in my tummy for dessert, so we drove over to Bubbies, an ice cream place known for their mochi ice cream.

We headed over to Bubbies for dessert!
Arriving at Bubbies in Honolulu.

Look at all those flavors!
Look at all those flavors!

We tried (clockwise) green tea, chocolate peanut butter, guava, passionfruit, lychee, and sakura flavors.
We tried (clockwise, from top) the green tea, chocolate peanut butter, guava, passionfruit, lychee, and sakura flavors.

Dan trying the guava mochi ice cream.
Dan's favorite was the guava mochi ice cream. Thanks Tarrin for the recommendation!

All of the flavors we tried were awesome — my favorites were the lychee and green tea! After we finished our dessert, we drove back up to the Turtle Bay. Our last full day in Honolulu was pretty tiring but definitely memorable and a lot of fun. 😀