Hawaiian Honeymoon

Awhile back, during spring break actually, I purchased a plane ticket to Hawaii........along with my mom and sister. A girl trip (with the exception of my little nephew). We would stay together (for free) at my sister's condo.

This was long before I knew I'd be married by then!

When we decided to get married that next weekend, we also decided to turn the Hawaiian vacation into a Hawaiian honeymoon. A ticket was booked for him. A different condo was rented for us. A honeymoon was scheduled!

Since we each had been to Hawaii on separate occasions, there were some things that we both wanted to do again: Pearl Harbor, hike to a waterfall, North Shore, hike up Diamond Head, etc.
We accomplished all that and MORE.............

We attempted to boogie board. We don't know if we
were doing it right, but our way sure was fun. He
was good at it. I was not. Too much sand in the
drawers!

Then there was a hike to Manoa Falls. I had found this particular destination online. The pictures were of a cascading waterfall. I could just picture the pool below the plunging water.

The reality was much different than what my mind had conjured up (thanks to that photo online). Although the hike was great.......and muddy...........and very rainy............the waterfall up close was more like a trickle!


Maybe it's the dry season over there? Needless to say, the waterfall was much more impressive from farther away............and online!


Despite the anticlimactic nature of that hike, we decided to go on another one. No matter what the outcome was, we were hiking in Hawaii, and the scenery and views were amazing! This hike would be up Diamond Head.


The view promised to be insane! I couldn't wait to get to the top. What I didn't know was that the closer to the top you got, the harder the hike got. One crazy set of stairs.........


And a dark, uphill tunnel through the mountain..........


And a tall, winding spiral staircase later.................


The most amazing view ever........................






Other highlights included:

• A bus trip to Pearl Harbor! The bus is a very cheap way to travel around the entire island! You just need to be prepared to put the time in, because it takes a little longer to get to your destination. But we enjoyed traveling around the city that way.

• Taking a catamaran ride out into the Pacific! It was amazing! The waves were crazy that day, so it made the ride a little more exciting.

• Going to Waikiki Beach almost daily...........to shop, eat, or swim!
  

• A couples massage........thanks to Whitney...........what a creative wedding gift! Thank you AGAIN!

• Going to the North Shore to sample Matsumoto's Shaved Ice. Sno Biz won't taste as good after going to Matsumoto's. I'm not kidding.

• Swimming at Waimea Bay on the North Shore.........and seeing DOLPHINS while we were there...........jumping and playing in the ocean just yards from where we were. Also, a HUGE sea turtle swam by........not even three feet from us!

• Spending time with mom, sis, and nephew after Kenny left. He stayed a week........I stayed a few extra days to get the girl trip in.
  

• Getting real, live leis. Gosh they smell good. And they're so pretty.
  

I could probably go on and on, but I'll stop now. This trip was the perfect way to begin the summer!

Now to just keep up my Hawaiian tan!