Air & Sea - Hawaii days 10 & 11

Today the family woke up early and headed down the road to board a boat.  They were headed on a snorkeling adventure to Molokini Crater, about ten miles south of Maui.  Because I'm stil! non-weight bearing on crutches/wheelchair/scooter, I could not go, so I just hung out in the condo. 

They were gone for about six hours and came back tired and sun burned. They saw many different fish and had a good time.


The rest of the evening was pretty low key. We went to Kihei for dessert at a place called Maui Pie. It was so good. I had the haupia chocolate pie.

The next day the boys headed for the air.  Their choice adventure was a helicopter ride.  They did a west Maui / Molokai flight and had a blast. They got to.sit in the front by the pilot, which was like a dream for Stan.  They came back with lots of photos and facts about what the pilot taught them.

While the boys took to the air, Nikki and I went shopping. when we got to the mall, most shops were closed, so we opted for a manicure and pedicure.  it was the first pedi I'd had since surgery and it felt so good. 

That night we went shopping in Kaanapali.  It was fun walking around playing tourist. 

Maui - Hawaii Day 8 &9

We left Oahu and Headed to Maui on Wednesday. Honolulu Airport was an absolute zoo and with my scooter, it was not.fun.  But we made it.

We got to our condo on Maui.  It is absolutely gorgeous with the best view.  The day we got in, there was a king tide and with the condo on the water, I actually felt sea sick, so.I had to sit inside.  Ethan went right into the water and Nikki and Stan were watching the turtles swim.  It was a low key day, just hanging out.

Where I sat

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Pano of our balcony view

Thursday was the fourth of July. We had plans to go to Lahaina for the fireworks show that evening.  For something to do, we took a drive upcountry to see my parents old house.

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My parents house in Kula

That afternoon we went to Lahaina to walk around.  Fireworks were scheduled for 8 pm and we had dinner reservations for later.  But once we started walking around, it got so crowded and with my scooter, I found it hard to navigate, not to mention that half of the shops had a step to get into, so I couldnt go in anyway.  It was hot and humid, so we ditched our fireworks p!an and headed to Kaanapali, a beach community just north.  We had a nice dinner at a restaurant on the beach and went home.  Ethan was anxious to get back in the water before.dark.

Oahu -Last two days - Hawaii days 6 & 7

Our last two days on Oahu were pretty low key. 

On Monday, the plan was to go hiking.  We headed to Manoa to hike the falls trail since Ethan really wanted to see a water fall.  Since I'm physically unable to hike right now, I waited in the car while everyone else went hiking.  Manoa is very lush and.jungle-like so I just rolled down the windows and read a book.  It was quite pleasant.

On the hike, they all said how muddy and slippery the trail was but how beautiful it was. here are a couple of photos:

Stan's selfie

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My view from the car

That evening, we headed to Ala Moana to shop a bit.

Tuesday was our last full day on Oahu. We decided to make it a beach day.  We headed back to Kailua Beach.  This was really hard for me.emotionally because I reached a point where I was frustrated not being able to.get in the water and not able to get up from the blanket.  I'll admit a.few tears were shed in my frustration. 

After the beach we went home to get laundry done and to clean up.  That evening we went to Waikiki to watch the sunset.  It was a nice ending to our first half of our trip.I

Ethan and Nikki on the wall at.Waikiki

Sea Life Park - Hawaii day 5

I told everyone when I was planning this trip to pick an activity they really wanted to do.  Nikki said she would like to swim with the dolphins.  So, today was her day.

Sea Life Park has been around since before I lived here.  They have a dolphin experience here and also a highly rated luau, so we made Sunday Sea Life Park Day.

We got to Sea Life Park when it opened. I was a bit disappointed as I was comparing it to how it used to be.  There used to be a big aquarium that you walked down into.  Its still there but its a shark tank and not a ton of different species of fish.  There used to be ongoing shows going on throughout the day.  Now there is one show a day per stage and nothing going on for about an hour or so after it opened.

One of the first places that opened was the aviary.  I like birds and there were cockatiel and love birds that we fed. I enjoyed that. After we fed the birds, it was time for Nikki to get ready for the dolphins. While Stan took her to the meeting area, Ethan and I walked around.  I told him about how once when I was in high school I was walking around the park and the dolphin in the holding area threw a ball to me. I threw it back and we played catch for five minutes or so.  Now everything was so closed off that that wouldnt happen.

Nikki spent about 45 minutes in her dolphin experience.  Her highlight was kissing the dolphin and petting her.

There were no trade winds that day, so it was hot and humid out.  We stayed for the dolphin show and were ready to head home to cool off and rest since we were returning that evening for the luau.

The luau ended up being one of the highlights of our trip.  It was so much fun and I highly recommend the one at Sea Life Park if you go.

O'ahu - Hawaii day 4

This morning we headed out on a trip around the island. We are staying on the southeast side of the island, so we took off towards the north.

Our first stop was Kailua Beach.  We got to the beach and being Saturday, it was pretty crowded.  Online, it said that beach wheelchairs were available, so that's one of the reasons we chose that beach.  We got there and. couldnt see any chairs, so we sent Ethan out to find some. He asked the lifeguard he didnt know anything about wheelchairs.  We did see a mat that lead to the beach, so I hopped on my scooter and Ethan pushed me up the hill.  Problem was, as soon as the sand started, the mat ended.  I was ready to call it off and go home as I was onve again frustrated with something else I couldn't do.  Stan and Ethan convinced me to use crutches on the sand. I think I might have been a bit desperate because I did just that. It took me awhile and I probably looked strange, but I managed to navigate across the beach on my crutches.   I'm glad I did because the beach was so beautiful and the day was so nice.  The sand was white and powder like.  I made myself comfortable and enjoyed watching everyone.

Kailua Beach

The mat that takes you to the beach.  Crazy me on the scooter carrying my crutches

After the beach, we went to a place called Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden.   I love to visit botanical gardens as I find them so peaceful.   We followed the trail down into the valley a bit until the pavement ended.  The family kept going and I waited for them, which I didnt mind since it was so nice out. 

The trail at the botanical garden

Following the gardens,we moved on to have lunch.  We had packed a picnic so stopped at Kualoa Beach Park. This is a very nice grassy park on the north west side of Oahu. You can see Chinaman's hat from there and its right on the water.  I could have stayed there all day.

Chinaman's Hat

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The mountain view

We continued our journey around the island.  It began to get very congested with a lot of people and traffic. We had intended on stopping at one of the beaches but each time we tried to park, there were no spots, even with our handicap placard.  So,we kept going. 

We stopped in a little shopping center in the town of Haleiwa.   Ethan loved this sleepy little surfing town.  We looked through some shops then continued our journey.

Our next stop was Dole Pineapple Plantation.  This is Nother Hawaiian place that has turned majorly commercial.  Lots of booths and shops trying to sell something.  we did get some Do!e Whip though.

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No, Ethan, pineapples don't grow on trees

We then headed home after a long day.  It was a lot of fun and I think everyone had a good time.