On Day 5 of our Hawaii trip, we spent the whole day in the North Shore area and for once didn’t have to do very much driving. After sleeping in a little, we headed over to Haleiwa to Waialua Bakery to get some brunch!
Dan at Waialua Bakery in Haleiwa
Dan got the banana bread pudding.
...and he loved it!
Their oatmeal raisin cookies were delicious!
Dan also got the acai bowl.
I ordered a delicious turkey pesto sandwich (in addition to the cookie).
After the scrumptious brunch, we stopped at Waimea Bay to spend the late morning lounging around the beach there.
Arriving at Waimea Bay.
Me by the water.
Dan meditating on the beach.
There were a lot less people than some of the other beaches we'd gone to. Very peaceful and serene; perfect for a relaxing morning!
After the beach, we were hungry for a cold dessert and what better place to go to than Matsumoto’s Shave Ice in Haleiwa? The place is famous for supposedly being the first shaved ice place in Hawaii.
Matsumoto's Shave Ice in Haleiwa.
Celebrities that have stopped by include Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider.
Daniel Dae Kim (of LOST fame) is the poster boy!
Dan with his ginormous shaved ice.
It was a little overwhelming, even for a dessert lover like me.
Nevertheless, Dan is ready to dig in!
I got strawberry and watermelon flavored shaved ice.
I personally thought that Waiola Shave Ice in Honolulu (which we went to on Day 1 and Day 4) was better than Matsumoto’s Shave Ice (the ice was finer at Waiola and the syrup was a little too sugary for my taste at Matsumoto’s), but it was still very good and refreshing.
We then went back to the hotel and freshened up to get ready to spend the latter half of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is a living museum which serves as a showcase of Polynesian peoples, featuring cultural displays from Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Tahiti, Samoa, the Marquesas, Easter Island, and Hawaii through simulated villages. It was uber-touristy, but we figured we should go check it out since it was our first time in Hawaii. 🙂
Arriving at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie.
At the entrance, uncertain of what to expect....
One of the first things we saw on the guided tour in the Polynesian Cultural Center was the “Rainbows of Paradise” show. The lagoon inside the center hosts a “parade” of canoes that showcases the signature dances of each of Polynesian culture.
Canoe representing Hawaii
Tonga
Tahiti
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
Samoa (Didn't get a photo of the last one, which was Fiji.)
My favorite show that I saw while walking around the different “villages” was the coconut husking show. The guy who was demonstrating the husking was hilarious!
Coconut husking show.
Man climbing a tree to get a coconut.
Another show we watched featured drumming and had volunteers come up.
A Maori show
Maori performance
After enjoying a few shows, it was time for dinner! We went to our very first luau, right there at the Polynesian Cultural Center. (Not the most authentic experience, we know….)
The "Royal court" kicking off the luau dinner.
Kalua pig... yum yum in my tum tum.
Look at all that Hawaiian food!
Dan's full plate!
My plate... I ate it all, and went back for dessert!
Lovely hula dancers during the dinner.
After thoroughly stuffing ourselves at the luau, we wandered around the center, browsing gift shops and taking silly photos:
My, what a striking resemblance?
How is my impersonation?
Dan and I with our leis.
The evening spectacular, “HA: Breath of Life” is a $3 million show that uses new technology, animation, music, dance and great storytelling to bring to life the diverse cultures of Polynesia to visitors. Apparently the local community of indigenous peoples on the North Shore contributed a great deal to the development of this show, which showcases the values of many Polynesian societies. To make it as authentic as possible, each universal theme is portrayed by the respective culture, illustrated with dance and music that harken back to the 1960’s before much of the island culture was diluted by tourism.
HA: Breath of Life evening show
These men danced over fires with grass skirts... Crazy!
A traditional Hawaiian-style wedding.
Rings of fire.
Here’s a video clip I took during the night show, in which performers dazzled the audience with amazing feats of fire.
The end of the show... Bravo!
The “HA: Breath of Life” show was really impressive and was a great way to end the evening and our time in Oahu. We returned happy and full to our hotel, so we could get some restful sleep before heading to the airport the next morning to fly over to the neighboring island of Kaua’i.
On Day Four of our Hawaii trip, we started the morning off with breakfast from Ted’s Bakery, a popular bakery in Haleiwa.
Ted's Bakery in Haleiwa. They are famous for their chocolate haupia cream pie!
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!
Starting our hike at Manoa Falls.
The whole trail was a rainforest with lush, towering trees.
This was my first time in a rainforest!
Me making my way up the trail with my umbrella - that's how wet and misty it was!
Dan under an archway of branches. Almost there!
Manoa Falls in all its glory.
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 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.
Driving through Honolulu.
We went to Goma Tei Ramen Restaurant in Ala Moana Mall.
I had shoyu char siu ramen. YUM!!!
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 and Board Shop.
Some of the apparel we recently designed for the surf school.
More of our designs on display.
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.
Dan at Waiola Shave Ice (again).
He got shaved ice with azuki beans and mochi pieces.
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.
Dan at the Pali Lookout.
The left side of our view.
Central line of sight from the lookout.
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.
Dan walking along the beach.
A man fishing at Lanikai Beach.
We were pretty pooped after the surf lessons!
Dan attempting to snorkel at Lanikai Beach.
...while I was passed out.
Dan taking photos of me while I was napping.
I eventually woke up to dip my feet in the water.
Lanikai Beach was so beautiful! It made me giddy... haha*
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.
Storefront of Ono Hawaiian Food
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.
Arriving at Bubbies in Honolulu.
Look at all those flavors!
We tried (clockwise, from top) the green tea, chocolate peanut butter, guava, passionfruit, lychee, and sakura flavors.
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. 😀
We just returned on Sunday morning from our vacation in Hawaii! We actually hadn’t taken our honeymoon when we got married almost two years ago, and we’d always wanted to go to Hawaii since we had both never been. We took a little over a week off to finally go on a real “honeymoon” vacation — we thought it would be appropriate to go now, right before we hit the 2-year mark since our wedding and graduate from our newlywed status. We went to two islands, Oahu and Kaua’i, and we’d been diligently researching and planning all the things we could do for a couple months, collecting recommendations on places to go and things to eat from our friends. Thanks to their help and all the planning, we had a truly amazing and memorable trip!
Because we took so many photos and did so many things, it’s impossible to cover everything in one blog post, so we’re going to try to do this by each day… and Dan will most likely have some video footage to share here and there, too. 🙂 So here’s Day One!
We left San Francisco Airport in the wee hours or Friday morning on June 11th, and arrived in Hawaii in the late morning — there’s a three hour difference between California and Hawaii, which worked in our favor the way there (but of course, we lost three hours on the way back).
Flying into Honolulu Airport.
After landing and picking up our rental car, the first thing on our minds was lunch! We were pretty hungry from not eating anything on the plane, and we were ready to start getting our grub on with all the good food that we heard was in Oahu. We headed over to Andy’s Sandwiches & Smoothies, which my coworker-friend Tarrin had recommended.
Andy's Sandwiches & Smoothies in Honolulu.
It was a small eatery with a hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, and they are known for serving up fresh sandwiches and fantastic smoothies! They are especially known for their avocado sandwiches, but as I’m not a fan of avocado, I got the turkey sandwich without avocado.
My turkey sandwich!
Dan had an avocado sandwich, since he LOVES avocado.
Super hungry and ready to eat!
Both the sandwiches and the strawberry smoothie we had were delish — big thanks to Tarrin for her recommendation. 🙂 But as if that were not enough, we decided to try some of the shaved ice in the area, too. Everyone who we’d talked to who really knew Hawaii well or had lived there in the past had recommended Waiola Shave Ice in Honolulu. Matsumoto Shave Ice in Haleiwa is of course the famous one that all the tourists go to, but they all told us Waiola was where it was at! So of course, I couldn’t wait to give it a try….
We got our shaved ice! (No worries, one of those is for Dan...)
I got the Obama Rainbow -- what the President himself ordered when he brought his kids to Waiola Shave Ice -- lemon-lime, cherry, passionfruit!
When I hear about shaved ice here, I’m usually very skeptical because I expect the rock-hard snow cones that are typically served here in the U.S., as opposed to the finely shaved ice that I grew up on (our family had a Japanese shaved ice machine that we’d bust out every summer). But the shaved ice in Waiola was the most finely shaved ice I’d ever seen! It was seriously the best shaved ice I’d ever had — I was blown away by how good it was! The flavors were great, too!
The hotel we were staying in while we were in Oahu was all the way up in the North Shore, so for the first day, we decided to drive along the Eastern side of the island and take in the views, randomly stopping here and there. It was a gorgeous day, which made for some breathtaking views and several stops along the way….
This was near Hanauma Bay...
Gorgeous blue waters and a beach in the distance... the photos don't do it justice.
The Halona Blow Hole
Waves crashing against the boulders.
Our silhouettes in the sun.
Random artsy photo of necklace and dress.
Driving with the windows down, enjoying the warm Hawaii breeze.
Such lush, green mountains!
I believe this was Punalu'u Beach...
After a couple hours of driving (it took us a while since we were driving up the Eastern side of the island instead of cutting through the middle, and because we kept making stops), we finally made it to the Turtle Bay Resort, where we would stay for the next five nights.
The road into the hotel, flanked by palm trees.
Finally arriving at the Turtle Bay Resort! This is where they filmed the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
After checking in and settling into our hotel room, we were hungry for dinner so we decided to eat dinner in the local area of Kahuku… at none other than Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck!
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck in Oahu.
We saw a lot of shrimp trucks in the North Shore, but apparently Giovanni's is the best!
Waiting for our order to be called. If you know me, you know there are few things in the world I love more than shrimp. I was super excited.
The hubby is excited, too.
Shrimp Scampi from Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. SO GOOD!!!
Dan decided to get something different and went for the lemon butter shrimp. The shrimp scampi was definitely better. Still good, though!
This was actually the only shrimp truck we went to at the North Shore during our whole trip. We wanted to try some of the other ones that are supposed to be good (like Macky’s, and Romy’s…), but we were down in the Honolulu area most of the time, so we never got the chance. I definitely could have gone for more shrimp during our stay! Thank you Estella, Megumi, Bryan… everyone who told us about Giovanni’s! It was so good, I am drooling now just thinking about it.
After dinner, Dan spotted a roadside fresh fruit stand on the way back to the hotel, and he was seduced by the big fat Iced Cold Coconut sign. Dan loves coconut! (Me? Not so much.)
Dan getting his coconut from the fruit stand in Kahuku, on Kamehameha Highway.
Dan with some young coconut! He can now die happy.
We returned to the hotel for the evening, taking dips in the pool and just relaxed. The Turtle Bay Resort was right on a beach, so we had a gorgeous view not only from the pool area but from our hotel room as well!
Relaxing by the pool at Turtle Bay Resort.
The sun setting in the distance.
Only Day One, and we already ate so much good food and saw so many beautiful sights! We were definitely excited for the days to come. Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Hawaii!
Sometimes, it’s the little things that help alleviate the stress of the daily grind. Life has been pretty draining and taxing on the nerves lately with the moving, being overloaded with client work, and just being my usual worrywart self. I have to keep reminding myself to think positive in times like these and appreciate the fact that I actually have so much and am really lucky to have wonderful people in our lives. Sometimes those reminders come in the simplest of forms…
The past couple weeks have been completely occupied with moving (which we will update about later), but we took a break last Sunday to meet up over dimsum in San Francisco with my friend Stephanie and her boyfriend Danny, who were visiting the Bay Area from DC for the weekend. I hadn’t seen Steph since last summer, so it was nice to catch up with my lovely friend after not seeing her for nine months! I wish they had been staying in the area longer, but I was grateful for the time that we could meet up, even if it was only for a couple hours.
I’ve made some great friends here in California in the past two and a half years, but inevitably I really do miss my friends from back East and am sad that I only get to see them once or twice a year. So it’s always really exciting when they are ever in the Bay Area to visit, even for a short time. It’s difficult to keep in touch with friends and family who are far away when you’re buried under projects at work and the menial tasks that end up taking over virtually all of your free time, but I’m determined to be better about it this year. I’m excited about the upcoming weeks because I just found out more friends will be coming into town, as well as for last minute opportunities that cropped up to fly out to see other dear friends that I haven’t seen in a while.
We also just booked our flight to Hawaii in June! Our friends are getting married in Honolulu, and since Dan and I both have never been to Hawaii and have not yet gone on an official honeymoon, we figured we’d take the opportunity to extend our stay there for a little over a week and just enjoy it and relax. We’ll be going to Oahu first and then flying over to Kauai for the second half of our stay. So excited! 😀 If anyone has any tips or recommendations on places to go, things to see, where to eat (you know us foodies), we’d love to hear them!
