Hawaii is honestly like no place I have ever been, and I have been to many different places around the US and Western Europe, all the way out to Russia.
Hawaii offers warm weather, ocean views and spectacular mountains. It is an outdoor lovers playground.
This was my third time to Oahu, I thought about stepping out and trying out another island, but found myself going back to Oahu. We were there a total of 6 days, and while that seems like a decent amount of time, I needed more.
Instead of using my dad's military lodging perks, we opted to live like the locals and rented out an AirBnB on the North Shore, Haleiwa. The AirBnB was lovely, nestled at the end of a cul de sac with an outdoor shower and private patio. It was also walking distance to the beach which was a must have for me. Even better, it cost $800 for the whole week and it slept 4!
Day one:
We landed around 2PM and picked up our rental and drove the hour up to the north end of the island. The north shore while it has its touristy areas, is relatively remote. We stayed about 6 mi from historic Haleiwa so there was one gas station, and a Foodland grocery store near by. To save money we went to Foodland and stocked up on essentials.
-Chocolate Milk (it was cheaper than regular milk)
-dozen eggs
-bread
-lunch meat
-chips
-bottled water
-peanut butter
-frozen pizza
-pasta
-string cheese
-coffee
All of that cost around $100 and it lasted the whole week for 4 people. We only ate out once a day so it was perfect!
We ended the day watched the sunset at Velzyland, which was walking distance from our rental.
Day two:
We dropped in at a local Crossfit Koolau which was 6 mi from our rental. They were great and drop in was only $20 which is normal for crossfit gyms.
We then went snorkleling at Sharks Cove. Get there early as parking does become tight! It was absolutely beautiful. The entry to the water is pretty rocky so take it slow and be careful if you do not have water shoes. My sister had her GoPro and the underwater shots were incredible. You can see all types of fish, the last time we were on the North Shore we even saw sea turtles swimming. (REMEMBER do not touch the turtles, they are protected!)
After about 2 hours of swimming, we walked across the street to fuel up on plate lunches from the food trucks. We hit The Spot truck. It was amazing, but plate lunches for 4 was close to $60! We then laid out on the beach down by out rental which was more private and relaxing.
Day three:
This day we attempted to go to Pearl Harbor's Arizona memorial. I had read that you had to get there early to get tickets and they open at 7am. We arrived at 7:30am and our tickets to go out to the memorial were not until 2:30 PM. We didn't want to hang out all day so we walked the grounds and the little museums they have open and had to move on to our next activities.
We went to the Aloha Stadium Flea market, which is right across from Pearl Harbor. It is open Wed and Sat only from 8-3. It cost $1 per car to park. It's a huge outdoor market that encircles the stadium with vendors selling food and gift items. There was a lot of stuff to look at and it is a great place to get gifts for a great price!
It took us about 2 hours walking slowly and stopping a lot to get around the whole stadium.
We then drove to our main activity for the day, waterfall hike!
Waimano falls! Do not be fooled, it will start off easy and paved but it will get muddy, twisty turny and a little dicey! It is less than a mile and a half to the fall but the path is not very well marked once you get past the first marker that tells you, you can either go to the summit or the falls. After that you follow the trail but you will come to a fork, GO LEFT! You can go right, but it is longer and less easy to follow. I was wearing Chaco sandals bc I am not a local, as they hike in flip flops! Yes, Old Navy type flip flops!
When you get to the falls it is worth the work! You can get in under the main waterfall and take some great pictures. The second pool has ropes hanging that you can swing off of into the water. I would watch where other people are jumping in so you know where the deep spot is.
Needless to say, after hiking and swimming we had worked up an appetite. We headed and stopped for plate lunch (dinner) on the way home.
Day Four:
This was an easy day, we were all beat up from the hike and needed a decompress day. We went paddle boarding in the historic part of town at my favorite surf rental shop, Tropical Rush. It is right on the river that feeds into the ocean. The rates are great, they were running a special, 2 hours for $20/person. You have the option to go out into the bay but it is rocky water since it is the ocean but on a good day you can see rays and baby hammerheads. We like to go up river some, you get to see some HUGE sea turtles. They will swim right next to your board and under. It is wonderful to watch them swim alongside you. Along with board rentals you get a ticket for a free shaved ice next door. The shaved ice is smooth and tasty and you do not have to wait in ridiculously long lines.
After boarding we went into the historic town which has restaurants and shops. If you want to wait in line you can get the famous Matsumoto Shave Ice. It is just nice to walk in and out of the boutiques and galleries and decompress.
The day ended with drinks at Turtle Bay Resort, Lei Leis.
Day Five:
Time to get back into the gym, we drove down to Honolulu and dropped in at Taken Not Given. Drop in plus tee was $30 for the AM session, if you choose to go later it is more expensive because they are busier and they only have 4 platforms. If you are a weightlifter it has everything you need as far as equipment and the people are great and welcoming! After that we stopped in Pearl City for Starbucks and made our way back up north. We thought about going to Waimea falls but it costs $16/person to go up to the waterfall and I am cheap so we passed. Instead we were attacked by the wild chickens in the parking lot trying to eat the granola from my Acai bowl! Oh yea, chickens are like the squirrel of Hawaii.
With that failure, we drove down to the south to try some snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. I thought that Sharks Cove was breathtaking, it had nothing on this bay. If you do not get there early parking will fill up and you will have to park farther and walk or uber to the park. We got lucky and went around 3 and got into the lot. You do need cash to park but it was less than $5. Do not be alarmed by all the wild cats and mongoose that are running around the place. It costs $7.50/ person to get in and you have to watch a quick 5min video on reef protection and an overview of the parks safety procedures. You then have the option of walking down the hill or paying a small fee for the tram. Be warned that the food stand stops serving food at 4pm. You can bring food and drink to the beach if you want. The bay has over 400 types of fish and you have the opportunity to see turtles and small sharks, we did not see anything other than fish. I did see a puffer fish which was super cool!
When it is sunny out you can see any and everything under the water, once it becomes cloudy it does become a little harder.
Once we finished being mermaids, we made our way into town for some dinner. We opted for you guessed it, plate lunch, I LOVE the mac salad. This place, BBQ Town Drive Inn in Aina Haina Shopping Center has the BEST mac salad!
We drove back up north and settled in for the night.
Day Six:
I AM ENGAGED!
yes you read that correctly, my boyfriend of 7+ years actually did it! The night before he had decorated the patio and asked me to marry him, it was unforgettable.
But more on that later!
Today was our last day, our flight was at 10pm so we packed up the car and headed out to the Dole Plantation. We opted for only the garden tour and took some great pictures and saw some different fruit trees and coffee plants. If you think you like Pineapple now, you will LOVE pineapple from the source! It was so sweet, the Dole whip was life. They also have an awesome gift shop for pineapple lovers!
We then stopped at the Coffee farm that is down the road for some coffee and were on our way. We had lunch at Ono Steaks and Shrimp Shack in Waimanalo. There plate lunch is bomb, the meats are the best. We then hit Chad Lous Coffee and some boutique shops in Kailua. Before we had to head back to Honolulu we walked along Lanikai beach. It was super calm waters but more crowded than any of the beaches on the north shore. We headed back to the city and walked around the shops, being in Honolulu after being on the north shore for a week was like being in another country. It was so busy and modern but special in its own way.
However, our trip ends here, it is never easy to say goodbye to paradise but I had an amazing time and am taking some amazing memories back to the mainland with me. MAHALO HAWAII.