HAWAII ROUND-UP PART 2

Rounding up some more things to do in Hawaii, specifically the island of Oahu. This is part two, you can find part one here. Obviously there are tons of things to do on Oahu. We were there 10 days, but that still didn’t seem like enough time. I also did a lot more things while we were there, but forgot to take pictures! I was enjoying myself too much! So let’s dive in!

We drove to the North Shore on our first full day there. It felt like the drive to the North Shore took forever, but that’s probably because I had a toddler with me. We made sure to stop at Giovanni’s shrimp for lunch. If you love garlic and shrimp, this is a must! It was so good and the portions were very generous. Just be prepared to get messy. I couldn’t wait to try it. It was delicious! My mouth is watering for some as I type this. Not long after eating lunch we made our way to Hale’iwa bowls for some açaí bowls and smoothies. This was the best açaí I’ve ever had. The color was vibrant, unlike the ones I get at home. I took a picture (below), but doesn’t do it justice! You can’t see the açaí, but it was amazing. I ate it so fast! Their menu looks great, don’t think you can go wrong with anything on there.

The house we stayed at was right by Koko Head, a huge crater with a hiking trail. I actually was not sure about hiking it, but Karen (my best friend) is the best and encouraged us all to do it. So glad I did because the views are breath-taking! The workout was great too! Koko Head is basically a stairmaster hike. It has railroad ties on the mountain, so you are climbing over 1000 stairs all the way up. And they aren’t a standard stair size either, they are pretty big, you for sure put your whole body into it. I highly recommend this hike. Full body workout with the best views. Make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen, even if you go early in the morning. Brink lots of water because it’s very humid there and you will sweat a ton! Below are pictures of the crater, the hike up and the views!

I wish we were able to spend more time at Kualoa Ranch. So many activities to do there such as zip lining and ATV tours. We did the raptor tour, similar to an ATV, but holds up to 6 people and it’s like driving a car. We booked it late and were only able to do it for an hour, but I recommend doing the two-hour tour. The ranch is gorgeous! Lots of films and tv shows were filmed there such as JURASSIC PARK and LOST. For our raptor tour, they recommend wearing closed toe shoes and pants, which I would recommend as well. We were covered in dirt afterwards. You should have seen the looks we got when we went to Whole Foods afterwards!

We visited Pearl Harbor one day. That was an amazing experience. I love history (I have a BA in US and European History) and visiting Pearl Harbor was one of my favorites. Unfortunately, the Arizona Monument was closed because the structure is cracking, but we still had the chance to ride the boat out there and see it. A simple yet elegant design for the monument, but the meaning behind it is absolutely beautiful. I can’t really describe the feeling, but so glad I went and would love to visit again.

Also didn’t get to explore downtown Waikiki too much, but I loved the International Market Place. It’s a great place to do some shopping and eat yummy food. Honestly, I loved walking around this place because it was beautiful! It’s an open air mall with lots of stores and shops. It’s located in the heart of downtown Waikiki. I loved the atmosphere of this place. We went two times. One time to shop and the other time to eat. We ate at Flour And Barley, a pizza restaurant that looks out to the streets of Waikiki. The pizza was awesome! They had combinations I wouldn’t have thought of, but I loved them. We also loved people watching while we waited for our food. Caden loved watching all the cars and buses go by!