Surfin' USA

They say "Life's A Beach" and I'm starting to learn what that means.  It seems like we've been on a mission to find every beach on Oahu, and yesterday wasn't any different.  Since we had a rental car again, we wanted to go to Lanikai Beach, which is about 20 miles from Waikiki.  Bluefish had other ideas though.  He has definitely caught the surfing bug and asks me every morning if we can rent a board.  I figured an hour wouldn't hurt, and then we would head to Lanikai.  We walked down to Waikiki Beach, Jaden picked out his board, and he was off.  I picked a spot on the sand so I could watch him but the thing about this beach is, even though it has a shallow bottom, the waves don't break close.  He has to paddle about 50 feet out to catch waves.  This obviously makes it hard for me to watch him, communicate with him, and most importantly, take pictures of him.  One hour of surfing somehow turned into three!  Chris sent me a waterproof iphone case that I had ordered so I decided to test it out.  I swam out to where Jaden was surfing and was able to take close-up photos of him!

I wonder, at what point, he'll be completely mortified that I'm swimming out there to take pictures of him  :)  Until that day happens, you can bet that waterproof case will get a workout!

After I forced him to come in, we dried off and finally headed to Lanikai Beach.  This beach is on the windward side of the island so it's not quite as relaxing but it is beautiful.  President Obama and his family rent a vacation house in this area!  He wasn't there today though.  But we were!  And we had a great time!  Beside the turquoise water and baby powder sand, this beach is extremely popular because of its view of Mokulua Islands.  The larger island, on the left, is Moku Nui and the smaller island is Moku Iki. Apparantly, tiger sharks also love to hang out in the reefs between the two islands. Yikes!

Not quite tall enough!

I think he's had enough pictures for one day

  

Not sure what is on the agenda for us this weekend, but I'm sure it will include a beach  :) 

Aloha!

Heaven on Earth

We finally went to one of my favorite places, Oahu's North Shore!  Every time I come to Hawaii, I go to the North Shore.  We came here once in college for a basketball tournament and got to watch the Billabong Pipeline Surf Competition.  In the winter, the North Shore is famous for its gigantic waves, professional surfers, and endless surf competitions.  In the summer, however, the waves settle down dramatically, which makes it an amazing place to visit.

There are many famous beaches on the North Shore so we decided to start with Sunset Beach.  Since it was a weekday (Wednesday), it wasn't too crowded.

We didn't do a lot here. Mostly we relaxed and watched Jaden have fun. We did manage to take our traditional North Shore photo shoot, until a lost dog, Pua, interrupted it and wanted to join in the fun!

We spent about three hours here and then packed up.  As we were driving through the North Shore town of Haleʻiwa, we came upon Waimea Beach.  This beach, obviously, is beautiful (what beach in Hawaii isn't?) but the real reason we, Jaden, stopped was because of "Jump Rock". 

I politely declined his invitation for me to jump with him.  Being the good mother that I am, I ignored the warning signs and told him of course he could go jump.  I even suggested he do a backflip.  So, he climbs up this mountain, rock, and I'm waiting to take his video/picture, but the sun is right in front of me!  Anyone with an iPhone knows you always want the sun behind you!  He jumped three times but then got mad because on his last jump he messed up his "cannonball" and I wouldn't let him do it again.  I don't like to tempt fate repeatedly.  

After the daredevil dried off, we headed further into town to Turtle Beach (aka Laniakea beach).  This natural sanctuary attracts many of the endangered Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle or “Honu”.  They are federally protected by the Endangered Species Act and it is against the law to get within six feet of them.  We saw many turtles swimming in the shore as well as taking a nap on the sand.  

The day was winding down, so we decided to stop for dinner and watch the sunset.  Even though I have been here many times, I don't think I have ever seen a sunset on the North Shore.  We stopped at Haleiwa Beach to watch the sun go down.  Jaden's energy level is directly related to how full his "food box" (stomach) is so he opted to run during the sunset.  Who's kid is this?  My hope is that, as he looks back on his childhood, he realizes and appreciates how lucky he was.  Enjoy the photos!  

I love the SUP in the distance

Surfing > Football

We have spent the last two days back here in Waikiki.  We have had a rental car for brief periods of time, and when we do, we try to go places that aren't easily accessible on the bus.  Yesterday morning, while my dad and Jaden swam at the pool, my mom and I set out to hike Koko Head Crater.  Koko Head Crater is a cinder cone volcano that is the last known active volcanic site on Oahu.  The peak of the crater is known as Pu'u Mai, but to get here, one must walk up 1,048 stairs.  The trail up to the peak was originally used in World War II to transport military supplies up the mountain using a cable car. 

The ariel view doesn't look too bad, huh?  Well, when I got to the base of the trail, this was my view...

I will have you know that I did climb all 1,048 stairs!  I made it to the top!  It took me about 45 minutes to get there, but I made it.  There were all types of people climbing this stupid thing....in shape, out of shape (me), old men and women, young men and women, even children climbing with their parents.  Don't worry, I made sure no child passed me.  There were even a few wacko's that ran up it.  I thought about tripping them, just on principle alone, but I didn't.  I figured it would be bad karma for me on my climb down.  This was my view down.  FYI, it took me just as long to walk down as it did to walk up.  Right before the descent, I realized I have a fear of heights.  Wouldn't you?

Anyway, I did get some amazing pictures at the top.  "They" say on a clear day from this view, you can see the island of Maui.  It wasn't clear enough for that but I was able to see all the way to Diamond Head as well as Hanauma Bay (a famous snorkeling spot).

So after my brush with death, it was time to relax at the beach.  Jaden and I hopped on the bus (we have a June bus pass = way cool) to Waikiki Beach.  Waikiki Beach is one of Hawaii’s most storied destinations. It has been a Hawaiian retreat since the 1800s when it emerged as one of the first surfing hot spots. Waikiki is famous for its beach breaks, making it a popular haven for long board surfers. Duke Kahanamoku, the person credited for making surfing popular as a modern sport, has an honorary statue at the entrance to the beach.  

Waikiki Beach

Jaden took his surf lessons here last week but decided he was finally ready to surf solo.  We rented a surfboard from the Beach Boys (not the musical group) and out he paddled.  He spent most of the day surfing.  There were times he was so far out in the waves, I could only identify him by his swim trunks and backflips he did before he fell off the board.  He was exhausted when he came in!  He has been asking me all day when we can go buy his own surfboard.  Patience, my child!  

His longboard is twice his size, but he is happy!  And so is mom  :)

Aloha!

Resorts don't suck

My parents are in town, which makes my 1 bedroom apartment a bit too crowded for all of us.  My mother is  queen of "let's make a deal" and found a resort for them to stay.  It is in the town of Kapolei, about 30 miles north of Waikiki.  The room, infinity pool, and beach lagoons were amazing!

Bluefish was FINALLY happy!  This is exactly the type of lifestyle I'm sure he envisioned when I said we were moving to Hawaii.  Ha ha!  We spent Friday and Saturday swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing.

Today, we had to check out of the resort, but we were still in paradise.  I have been on a mission to find all the non-tourist things to do now that we are "locals"  :)

We drove to the town of Waianae in search of Makaha Beach.  It was so beautiful.  The mountains and ocean were separated only by a two lane road.

Jaden swam, skipped rocks, skim boarded, boogie boarded, and played with a group of kids.  The water was so clear and warm.  This might become a new favorite beach on my list.  

We ended the day grabbing a quick dinner and driving back into town.  We dropped my parents off at their new hotel for the week and headed back to reality.  When I walked into our apartment, I was greeted with this view outside the lanai.  I guess reality doesn't suck either!