Happy New Year!

This year we are missing out on the fun and craziness that is New Year's Eve on Oahu.

Instead, we are in northern CA and took the kids up to see the snow. Heading to the snow was right up there with Christmas on our boy's list of things to look forward to this month. We begged and borrowed and got everyone in the family outfitted for winter and headed up to the mountains.

We had planned to find a nice spot not too far off the road to play in the snow, but my uncle offered to take us all out in his snowcat which was quite the adventure. Definitely not your typical day of playing in the snow.

We took turns riding in the snowcat, riding on top of the snowcat and riding on his snowmobile. The first time we stopped to play in the snow our boy plopped himself on the snow and made a snow angel. This is the first snow experience he is old enough to remember so I asked him how he knew how to do that and he said, "I don't know. I guess I saw it in a book."

Wishing you peace and joy in 2010. Happy New Year!

The Reason for the Season

A live nativity seemed like the perfect way to finish off our holiday events, and we went to one at Faith Baptist Church in Kailua the weekend before Christmas. It was complete with live animals, Christmas carols and even some hula.

Merry Christmas to each of you!

Catching Snowflakes in Hawaii

We went to Windward Mall last week to hear a musical performance and see the snowing Christmas tree.

At the beginning of every hour the tree "snows" for 15 minutes. The "snow" looks exactly like big giant flakes floating to the ground but it's really little bunches of bubbles. It was amazing how authentic it looked!

It was neat to see and all the kids (mine included) loved playing under it and trying to catch the "snowflakes," which quickly evaporated after landing. We were there long enough to enjoy two snow flurries.

If you live on Oahu and want to see the tree, it "snows" hourly from 1-8 PM daily, except Christmas Eve which will be from 1-5 PM. If you live on the Mainland somewhere that has recently been covered in snow, you can laugh at us and our fake snow or be jealous that we didn't have to bundle the kids up to play in it.

This 25-minute post is part of the Mom's 30-Minute Blog Challenge at Steady Mom

Trolley Ride

We have been busy this month with one Christmas activity after another! Our most recent Christmas adventure was a trolley ride to see the city lights. This year we went on a trolley chartered by Hawaii International Child. Our ride began and ended at their office where we had hot chocolate and cookies and got to take pictures by the Christmas tree.

Our city lights tour took us through downtown, past Iolani Palace with its beautiful glowing paper lanterns hanging on the palace and throughout the grounds, past Honolulu Hale with Shaka Santa and the other decorations there,

past the Board of Water Supply and their lights and Washington Place with its multiple trees inside -- twice. Yep, we had a very basic route and we did it twice, but that way anything we missed the first time we got to see the second time around.

The trolley was playing Christmas music and our girl (who was supposed to be on my lap the whole time, shhhh, don't tell) stood next to me and danced for most of the tour. Our boy enjoyed shouting Christmas greetings to pedestrians we saw and both kids enjoyed waving at people and seeing all the lights.

Do it yourself on Oahu:

As I mentioned, we went on a chartered trolley, but anyone can book tickets and go on the Waikiki Trolley's City lights tour. Information can be found at the Waikiki Trolley website. If you are military, tickets are available through the MWR tickets and tours offices and their prices are lower I believe. Call your MWR office and ask about the City Lights Trolley Tour.

This post is part of the Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge over at Steady Mom.

Zoolights

Last weekend we went to Zoolights, the zoo's Christmas event for those with zoo memberships. (I'm a little behind with this post. If chronology is important to you, we actually did this the day after the light parade, but I was so excited about the big waves I had to share them right away.)

After the zoo closed, they let members in a side entrance for the Zoolights event. It wasn't quite what I had envisioned or expected. I thought we'd get to walk around the zoo in the dark and see lots of Christmas lights everywhere but they roped off most of the zoo and we were pretty much confined to the central lawn area. They had some exhibits set up there including an "animal encounter" which was a tortoise, a small iguana and a couple other little reptile like animals the kids could touch. They also had food for sale and a program which included the Royal Hawaiian Band and a dance/music troupe called The Shooting Stars.

As I told friends who didn't make it to the event, if you had to miss a Christmas activity/event, this was the one to miss. But that said, we had fun because we met up with friends and had a nice picnic on the lawn and enjoyed the music. At the end of a busy weekend though, our tired boy was being more naughty than nice so we skipped seeing Santa who was there and headed home a little early.

I think the next time we go to an evening activity at the zoo we'll go early and enjoy the zoo itself, then have the entertainment and a picnic supper on the lawn as a nice way to end the day.

Eddie Aikau Big-Wave Contest

We got to watch part of "the Eddie" in person yesterday! We didn't really plan it but things fell in place and there we were.

This surf contest only happens when the open ocean swells on the north shore reach a minimum of 20 feet. This means that when the waves break in Waimea Bay, where the competition is held, they have at least a 30-40 foot face. These conditions don't happen every year. In fact, the competition has only been held 8 times in the last 25 years.

On Sunday the papers said there was going to be extra big surf Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. There was speculation the Eddie Aikau Contest would be held Monday, but our schedules were lighter on Tuesday so we decided we'd go see the waves Tuesday afternoon.

On our way to the North Shore we called the surf report and heard the surf was indeed big and that the Eddie (which had been scratched Monday) was on! We figured traffic would be terrible, but we had a full tank of gas, lunch to eat on the way and a bunch of toys and entertainment for the kids so off we went.

There were cars parked miles away from Waimea Bay. We didn't want to walk that far so we kept driving, figuring we'd just see the waves in passing. We crept along with the traffic, being passed by tons of bicycles, skateboarders and even some of the faster pedestrians. We crept closer toward the bay, around the bay and not too far beyond it we actually found a parking spot! We walked back to the bay which was rimmed with people. The atmosphere was great and there was excitement in the air.

The vantage point from the side of the road would have been the best, but not the best place to hang out with a four year old and a 19 month old, so we kept walking. We ended up on the beach, directly in front of where the waves were breaking and right behind where the surfers entered the water when their heat started. (That's just the shore break in this picture, the big waves were further out.)
The waves looked big, but when a surfer would drop down on a wave it really put them in perspective and you realized just HOW BIG the waves were. We got to see some amazing rides. It was also fun to watch the jet skis navigating the ocean. They would fly straight up in the air just going out over the smaller waves closer to shore. We saw a couple broken surf boards but thankfully no one was injured yesterday.

And what did the kids think of the competition? They weren't terribly impressed, but they had fun playing in the sand.

My little camera could never do justice to the waves and the surfing. If you want to see more, there are amazing pictures here (they take a little while to load but are worth the wait) and a pretty good youtube video here.

Honolulu City Lights Parade

Last night we went and watched the Electric Light Parade downtown. A group of us met up in Chinatown and watched the parade there. This was our girl's first parade and she was very wide-eyed, especially at the beginning. She noticed that in addition to waving , lots of people were flashing the shaka and it was cute to watch her try to figure out how to do that herself. She loved eating the candy they passed out and by the end her white shirt was dotted with sticky sugary sweets in multiple colors.

Speaking of candy, our boy's collection rivaled his Halloween haul. You can see his stash behind him on the blanket. He had even more by the time the parade was over!

My favorite part of the parade were all the bands playing Christmas music. There's just something about live music! The bands were dressed in everything from PJs to marching uniforms. I liked the aloha shirts and Santa hats this band was dressed in.

No Christmas parade would be complete without jolly old St. Nick and he and Mrs. Clause were on the last float, wishing everyone a Mele Kalikimaka.
Seemed like the parade stopped a lot more this year than it did last year, and there weren't that many actual floats, mostly just decorated vehicles, but we still had a great time and it got us in the Christmas spirit!

PS: Do blog posts have PSes? Well, this one does! A thank you to the hostess at Murphy's who let my boy use their restroom. I just wouldn't have felt right about letting him pee on the street corner.

This blog is linked to the Moms' 30-minute Blog Challenge over at Steady Mom. It actually took me 35 minutes to write this, but I had at least 5 minutes of interruptions by my boy who was supposed to be having rest time in his room, so I think this post still qualifies.

Christmas Tree Lighting at Castle

We took some time off from extra activities to get organized for Christmas. Spent a few days (yes, with my little helpers it takes awhile) getting the tree and the house decorated and now it's all done, except for the stockings. No fireplace to hang them on so I have to find a spot for them and I'm still looking.

With decorating the tree and house checked off we moved on to the second thing on our list: attend Christmas events/celebrations. First up, Castle Medical Center Christmas tree lighting.

The Marine Corp band was there again this year and they played one Christmas favorite after another for about an hour. We walked around and got all the free goodies that were being handed out: glow sticks for the kids, kettle corn, gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate and then sat and listened to the band.

After the band concert they did a countdown and lit the tree!
But the evening's festivities were not over. After the tree was lit, Santa and Mrs. Clause arrived by horse drawn carriage and then the Honolulu Boys Choir performed. We got to hear them a couple times last Christmas season, but I have to admit I spent more time chatting with friends than listening to them this year. Their music is excellent though and I enjoyed what I did hear.
We skipped pictures with Mr. and Mrs. Clause because the line was really long (and skipped the free trolley rides for the same reason), but got pictures with the lesser known Christmas character Nana Bear instead. What, you've never heard of Nana Bear? Yeah, me neither (maybe it's a Castle mascot or something) but we got cute pictures. Our girl was very intrigued with the bear and wanted to look at it but not get too close. On the way home our boy figured out there must have been a person inside the bear and so we told him who was inside since it happened to be a good family friend. We know quite a few people who work at Castle and I don't know if it's because of that or because of the way the program is designed, but the Castle tree lighting just feels like a big block party celebration to me.

All year long our boy has been asking when we were going to go to another tree lighting at Castle and I think it lived up to what he remembered from last year. Next event - Honolulu City Lights parade tomorrow night!

Happy Holidays!

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday! Ours was low-key by choice and we had a great time eating, visiting with friends, hanging out with the kids and eating some more.

And now it's officially on to Christmas! I actually started listening to a little Christmas music before Thanksgiving this year which is unusual for me but I just couldn't help it. Now it's time to get a tree, break out the decorations and get serious about celebrating this season. Stay tuned to hear about our island style holiday celebrations!

Aikahi Playground

We finally made it to the new and improved Aikahi Playground. Guess we're not that late in the game actually, I believe it just officially reopened at the end of October. Anyway, I was very impressed! It is so great to have a playground that is not the same as all the others - you know, those plastic and metal sets that cities must order from the 'city playground catalog' or something. This playground has a climbing wall, multiple slides, ropes to climb on, lots of fun balancing type things for kids to walk across - so much variety! Both of my kids had a great time.

And my favorite part? The grass that isn't real! Instead of the usual rubber turf, this playground has fake grass turf to cushion any tumbles that kids take.

Do it yourself:

• Located in Aikahi (next to Kailua), down the street from the fire station.

• Go after school hours since this playground is on school property. They lock the parking lot when the teachers leave, so park on the street if you'll be staying into the evening.

• No restrooms.

Operation Christmas Child

Today we went on an adventure to Price Busters. No, this wasn't just me dragging my kids along as I ran my errands, it was an intentional outing. A few weeks ago I got excited about Operation Christmas Child (OCC) as a way to help my children experience the true meaning of Christmas, learn about giving, help them think about the less fortunate, and all that important stuff.

I don't know about you, but I have found it challenging to find ways to engage my children in service projects that are meaningful to them. Many hands-on projects just aren't suited to toddlers and preschoolers and financial contributions are too abstract for them to really understand.

Doing the OCC project with my kids turned out even better than I expected. Granted, my girl is too little to have a clue about any of it, but my boy really got into it! I told him we were going to pack one box for a boy his age and one for a girl his sister's age. That was key. It put a face on this project in a way and made it something he could really relate to.

When we got to Price Busters he was ready to go! He was full of ideas and suggestions of what we should buy and I was the one following him through the store much of the time. I offered some guidance here and there, "We have enough toys, now we need some craft supplies" and things like that, but I figure he knows better than I do what a 4 year old boy would like and so I followed his lead on a lot of things and left many of the final decisions up to him.

Here is what we ended up with to send to a boy:

When we got home my boy continued to be interested in the project and he helped get everything wrapped and ready to put into the shoe boxes.

Unfortunately we got a little too enthusiastic in our shopping and our stuff won't fit into the boxes we had. I think we're going to have to upgrade to bigger shoe boxes and maybe leave out a couple of items.

Operation Christmas Child is definitely going to be a yearly tradition for our family. Kids helping kids, what better way to teach my children about service?!

Not only was my boy excited about buying new things for another child, but when we finished this project he said he was going to go through his room and find stuff to give away to kids who don't have as much. Before I knew it he had a big pile in the living room. I got him to keep his trash can and told him he had to keep his fan, but there are still a number of things he wants to give away. OCC requires that all items in the shoe boxes be new, so I need to find another charity to donate these gently used items to. I'd like something more specific/personal than Goodwill or Salvation Army. Any suggestions?

More Info/Do it Yourself:

What is Operation Christmas Child?

OCC is a project that distributes shoe boxes filled with gifts to children facing hardships, primarily in developing countries. It is coordinated by an organization called Samaritan's Purse. OCC lets you specify the gender and age range of the child you have packed a box for.

If you want to get involved with this project there's still time but you have to act right away! Filled shoe boxes are being collected now through the 23rd (Monday!). Sorry for the late notice, I'll try to give more of a heads-up next year.

Head to the official website for Operation Christmas Child for more information including guidelines for what to pack in your box, drop-off locations, and the chance to pay for shipping online so that you can find out what country your box gets sent to.

Yogurt Mama!

In the middle of a day of doing chores at home we decided a family outing to Yogurt Mama would be the perfect thing to do.

Truth be told, we went there for lunch. No, not dessert after lunch, just lunch. We'd had one of those weekend days where breakfast was late but not late enough for everyone (especially the kids) to make it to dinner but late enough that no one was hungry at the normal lunch time. So what to do, have a late lunch and mess up dinnertime too? Instead I suggested we go to Yogurt Mama for a late "lunch" and then have an on-time dinner at home. It was easy to get everyone on board with that plan. You should have heard the surprise in our boy's voice: "Just ice cream for lunch?!" He was probably thinking, "Who are you and what have you done with my parents?!"

So here's what we got. Our girl doesn't get her own yet but we did share with her. This picture makes me hungry!

One funny side note. They have three flat screen TVs on the wall. The last couple times we've gone two have been on mute playing a Disney cartoon and one playing a music video. Our boy is fairly TV deprived and so he locks onto those cartoons. Locks on as in we can steal his yogurt from him and it's quite some time before he notices. We've also been known to threaten that we'll make him finish eating his serving on the curb outside if he doesn't keep taking bites - otherwise we'd sit there all day waiting for him to finish!

Do it yourself:

Yogurt Mama is located in Kailua on Oneawa Road. It is self-serve and you first pick your yogurt flavor(s). They have oh, at least 10 choices and they change them out from time to time. To help with narrow your choices they have sample cups, though I noticed they've moved them from the entrance to the register so you have to look for them. After you get your yogurt you put toppings on. They have lots of the usual chocolate, sprinkles, candy, etc. but my favorites are the mochi balls and the fresh fruit. The first time we went there I completely missed the fruit and was so bummed when I discovered that.

You pay by weight and not everyone on your tab has to check out at the same time, they can store it in their cash register. For some reason that impresses me. We always help our boy get his, have it weighed, then he can happily eat while we serve ours up and just pay once at the end. Pretty cool!

Pohakupu Park in Kailua

My kids and I met up with friends at a new (to us) park and a good time was had by all. It was a beautiful day. One of those rare ones when there are absolutely no clouds touching the mountains and they just stand out in all their glory against the backdrop of the blue sky. I don't think I'll ever get over the beauty of this island and I'm glad for that!

We had a nice picnic in the shade and then the kids had fun playing on the playground equipment. They were much more impressed by the dinosaur to climb on, the swings (even a toddler swing - my girl liked that!), and the playground structures than the view of the mountains. My girl impressed/worried me with how high up on the dinosaur's back she was able to climb on her own. Most of the play equipment was in the sun, but there was shade nearby and a nice breeze blowing so it wasn't too hot, even at noon.

Before we left we took a walk around the fountain at the corner of the park. I've seen it countless times from the road, but had never seen it up close and personal. I decided it looks prettier from the road, but the kids liked walking around on its outer wall.

Do it yourself:

• This park is located at Castle Junction in Kailua, catty-corner to Castle Medical Center.

• The official name of this park is Pohakupu Park, but it's also known as Dinosaur Park, Fountain Park, That Park by Castle Junction (what I've always called it) and who knows what else.

• The park and the highway are only separated by a single chain, so be sure to keep a close eye on little ones and their wanderings.

This post is part of the Mom's 30-Minute Blog Challenge over at Steady Mom.

UPDATE: The next time we went to this park I realized that there are no restroom facilities there, so pee before you go! :)

Hiking to the Pali

We have been doing quite a bit of backyard adventuring lately, a.k.a. yard work. The kids actually enjoy the extended time outdoors as a family but it doesn't make for very exciting blogging, so I haven't had much to write about.

We did do a little hiking this past weekend though, so here's a new post finally. I can tell we've been hiking more consistently because it's taking us less time to get everyone ready and out the door than it used to. Backpack for our girl to ride in, check. Backpack with sunscreen, camera, water and snacks for everyone, check. Backpack for our boy to wear and fill with whatever he so desires, check. Shoes and socks for everyone, check. And off we go! Although this hike convinced me we need to add: mosquito repellant, check. Live and learn!

Don't know the official name of the hike we did. We started at Ko'olau Golf Course and hiked like we were heading to Likeke Falls but instead of turning to the falls we kept going up the old rock road. It turned back into a trail that we followed for quite a ways. We passed a tour group and felt lucky/happy to be hiking for free, even though we didn't have the narration about the trees we were passing and the official reminders to hydrate.

We eventually came out onto a junction of old, abandoned roads. We headed uphill there and hiked until we got to the Pali Hwy. It was very weird to be between the lanes of opposing traffic. From one place I stood the downhill traffic was aimed right at me for a second before making a right turn. When I imagined what would happen if a car didn't make the turn I quickly moved to a different spot where I wouldn't be a distraction to the drivers and I wouldn't get hit if they failed to navigate the turn!

We could have gone under the second part of the highway and connected in with another trail but we turned around. I think the other trail would lead to the Pali Lookout, which is where many people seem to start their Likeke Falls hike from. Personally I prefer hikes that go uphill first and downhill on the home stretch, but maybe that's just me.

On the way back we stayed on the abandoned road rather than hiking through the jungle. I wasn't leading the hike but it was my lucky day - uphill first, downhill last AND a loop trail, another hiking favorite! A little trail connected the end of this road with the parking lot at the golf course.

Our boy was a happy hiker the whole afternoon, even when he took a couple falls on the road which was slippery in a few places from last week's rain. He and a friend who was also on the hike turned more and more red from the red dirt as the afternoon wore on, and they sure had fun in the process. Our girl had missed both her naps but she was happy and especially enjoyed getting a chance to escape the backpack and walk down the road for a ways.

I've sure enjoyed the hiking we've been doing and want to keep it in the activity mix! There's just something about spending time being active in the great outdoors that leaves me with a very content feeling at the end of the day. And I'm hoping that by doing it a lot now while our children are young they'll just consider it a part of life and not whine about it when they get older. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but so far they're enjoying it.


Do it yourself:

We did this hike again in April and went all the way up to the Pali Lookout.  Click here to read about our second time on the trail, complete with much better trail directions and descriptions than I included in this post.

Kayaking on Kaneohe Bay

This post is about an adventure we had awhile back that I didn't get the chance to blog about. Seems like a good time to include it since my boy had a fever for a couple days this week so we have spent a lot of time at home and haven't done anything exciting.

A few weeks ago, when the trade winds were absent and it was miserably hot, some friends and I decided to make the most of the weather and we spent a morning on Kaneohe Bay. With no wind, the water was incredibly calm - perfect for kayaking.

My husband and I enjoyed kayaking in our pre-kid days and have been happy to discover that kayaking with kids is very doable. I have yet to try taking both kids with me at once but one of these days I'll give that a shot. When I take them individually though, I always make sure they wear a life jacket and I do the same. They sit in front of me and I do the paddling. My boy likes taking a little paddle along and sometimes he helps but mostly he enjoys dragging it along in the water. He also likes jumping overboard and swimming or being towed. This was actually my girl's first kayaking adventure and although I can't say it was her favorite activity ever, she cooperated really well and didn't try to climb out of the boat or anything. When I let her drag her feet in the water she really liked that, but it's hard (impossible) to paddle and hold a child on the edge of the boat so I didn't do that for long.

There are lots of reefs in the bay and on calm days you don't need a mask and snorkel to see the coral and fish - a perfect way to introduce kids to the undersea world. My boy and I like to watch the feather duster worms pull back into their base when we put a paddle near them. Here's a picture of just how clear the water can be.

I love kayaking in KBay. Even on windier days it is more protected than the open ocean and usually it's an onshore wind so there are no worries about getting blown out to sea. It's fun to paddle along the waterfront and see the houses and boats, or to paddle around Coconut Island which sits in the middle of the bay (and which was used for the opening sequence of Gilligan's Island). Every time we go out I see something new and get in a good workout at the same time.

Photos taken by my friend JS. Thank you!

Do it yourself:

We are fortunate enough to have friends who live on the bay and let us use their kayaks, but rentals are available (a google search will give you several options) and there are public access areas along the bay. For military members, the marina at the marine corp base rents kayaks and you can launch from there.

My Favorite Beach - Bellows

Our visiting friends decided to spend their last day on island at Bellows Beach and my kids and I joined them for some fun in the sun. Bellows has got to be my favorite beach on Oahu, maybe my favorite beach anywhere. So why haven't I been going there weekly, or at least monthly? I'm not sure, but I need to fix that.

I love the first glimpse of the ocean at Bellows. I'm always amazed at how beautiful the water is there.

The adult to kid ratio was good so even though my husband wasn't there I was able to get in the water with my boy and help him catch some waves on a boogie board. (Thanks friends!) The water stays shallow for quite a ways out so I could stand next to him and help him get the board pointed in the right direction, give him a shove when a wave came and with a little kicking on his part he could ride it all the way to shore. Sadly I didn't get any pictures, but he caught some good waves and had fun!  Since it was shallow I wasn't worried about him falling off or getting tumbled in a wave because I knew he could just stand up if that happened.

All the kids enjoyed playing in the sand building castles and walls and digging holes. My girl played 'til she was so tired she just laid down on the sand, but surprisingly she didn't get as much in her mouth and eyes as she often does. My boy has recently gotten into writing his ABCs and he had fun using the beach as a canvas.

And me? I got stung by a Portuguese Man O' War. I was standing in the water and felt a tingling/stinging sensation around my ankle. I looked down and could see the Man O' War with its long tentacle trailing along behind it. For all the times I've seen them I'm surprised I haven't been stung before this. I think I got a minor sting because it didn't hurt that bad and only for a few minutes; although now, two days later, I do still have welts on my ankle and they really itch. But that didn't keep me out of the water on Sunday and it won't keep me out of the water in the future, especially at my favorite beach!

Do it yourself on Oahu

• Bellows is located just south of Waimanalo off of the Kalanianaole Hwy.

• This beach is part of a military installation. The northern part of the beach is always open to military members and dependents. The southern part of the beach is open to the public on the weekends.

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet

As I mentioned in my last post, we have friends from the Mainland in town and the Aloha Stadium swap meet was on their 'to do' list this week. I've always enjoyed the swap meet so we met up with them there on Wednesday morning.

Although it's called a 'swap meet,' most of the vendors sell new items. You can buy t-shirts, Aloha wear for children and adults, baskets, bags, luggage, artwork, children's toys, jewelry and all sorts of other things there. It's the best place for visitors to pick up souvenirs at a great price and a good place for those of us who live here to Christmas shop for friends and relatives on the Mainland. And no matter how often I go, I always find things to buy for myself.

In all honesty, this outing was more for me than for my kids, but they had a really good time too. My stroller-bound girl (no way I was going to try to keep track of her wanderings there) enjoyed the snacks I took for her as she people watched. She also had fun playing the toy ukulele and trying on the sandals that our friends bought. My boy had $10 in spending money that was burning a hole in his pocket and he bought a necklace, bracelet, sword and a fan. He was MOST upset when we had to leave before he had spent his last $3.

We also bought and enjoyed some snacks along the way. We had fresh watermelon and then purchased coconuts to drink and eat from this gentleman.

Do it yourself:

No reason for me to reinvent the wheel. Head to the official website of the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet for all the info. you need about how to get there, when they're open, etc.

Oh, but they won't tell you that it can be beastly hot and you'll be in the sun a lot. We try to go early and always take water, sun screen and hats with us.

A Morning in Waikiki

This week we have friends staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki and we decided to meet up with them there and enjoy the hotel pool. We went mainly to swim, but that turned out to be only part of the fun.

The grounds of the hotel are like a miniature zoo and my kids enjoyed seeing the koi fish, flamingos, macaw parrots, turtles and even penguins!

Right next to the hotel on the Diamond Head side we found this great little playground that the kids and their friends enjoyed playing on.

After all that fun we headed to the pool, but our morning in Waikiki would have been great even if we had never gotten wet.

Do it yourself:

• There's free parking by the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, and a sidewalk leads from there to Hilton Hawaiian Village. If the free parking is full, the hourly parking is very reasonable.

• The playground is between Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Hale Koa

• We had to leave early to head to swimming lessons, but if you want lunch or a snack you can spend big bucks and eat at one of the snack bars at the Hilton Hawaiian Village or walk next door to the Hale Koa and eat at their snack bar which is much cheaper. Walking into the hotel from the beach it will be on your left. The hotel is for military but the snack bar is open to the public.

• If you don't know anyone staying at the hotel and are thinking of sneaking into the pool, they require wristbands be worn so you probably would get caught pretty quickly. Personally, I hate getting "yelled at" for inadvertently being somewhere I'm not supposed to be but if that doesn't bother you then hey, give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Makapu'u Lighthouse

This weekend we hiked/walked up to Makapu'u Lighthouse. The first part of this trail is the same one we took to get to the Makapu'u Tide Pools a few weeks ago, but instead of making the turnoff down to the tide pools, this time we went all the way to the top to see the lighthouse and enjoy the views.

We went late in the afternoon and had no trouble finding a parking spot in the parking lot. You can see the start of the trail on the far end of the lot in this picture.

The first part of the hike is usually a little warm, but once you get up to the ridge there is almost always a breeze and sometimes it's downright windy up there.
The trail/path is paved which makes it great for strollers and for the littlest hikers.

We saw a lot of strollers as well as a lot of dogs on the walk. Careful about taking dogs on really hot days though, we once hiked with friends who had to carry their big dog all the way down the trail after the pavement started to burn the pads of his paws.

As you near the top you get a good view of the lighthouse as well as some unusual (for Hawaii at least) plant life. Yep, cactus on Oahu!
I think the highlight of the hike for my kids are the snacks they get to eat at the top, but for me it's the great views. The first viewpoint is easy to get to and has a beautiful view of the windward side, but you can't see the lighthouse from there. The paved trail doesn't quite make it up to the second viewpoint, but it's not as treacherous as it looks in this picture.

From the second viewpoint you can look down at the lighthouse. It is still a functioning lighthouse and you cannot actually hike to it - something that often surprises first-time hikers on this trail. The lighthouse isn't as big and impressive as those found in other places (the Outer Banks in NC come to mind) but I think it's red roof makes it very picturesque.

The view of the windward side is great from up here. You can see the coast from Makapu'u Beach and Sea Life Park all the way along Waimanalo and out to the end of Kaneohe Marine Corp Base. There are also a number of islands off-shore to see including Manana Island, more commonly known as Rabbit Island.

The view would probably be better in the morning when the sun shines on the mountains, but we made up for that with a beautiful view on our way down of the sun setting behind Koko Head Crater.

Do it yourself:

• The parking lot and trail head are located between Sandy Beach and Makapu'u Beach.

• There are no bathrooms at the trail head or on the trail.

• There's no shade on this trail, so morning or afternoon are better than midday. And don't forget the sunscreen and lots of water no matter what time you go.

• If you're going in the winter, take binoculars if you have them. This is a good place for whale watching!