On December 30th we flew to Honolulu for a family vacation we put the deposit down for in 2020. It has been amazing to finally be here! After our 7.5 hour flight, car rental, and Costco run, and hour drive to our rental, we were ready to settle into our townhome and sleep! But we made up for sitting for hours on end the last day of the year by walking over to Turtle Bay beach, going on a Jurassic safari at Kualoa Ranch, and spending the afternoon and evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center!
Natalie and I had to watch Moana on the flight. Michelle finished her Ender’s Game audiobook and I finished my With a Little Luck audiobook (her book was better but I’ve already read it). Kate’s stomach hurt so she ended up laying across my lap while the boys sat in aisle seats. We all agreed that it was cramped and long but we were so happy to have finally make it to Hawaii!
Our AirBNB was a short walk to Turtle Bay so we tried to watch the sunrise from there. It was great to be near the ocean again and be outside in perfect weather. Sadly, Michelle scraped her toe pretty bad but she has been a trooper with her two boxes of bandaids from Foodland.
Next up was the Jurassic Valley Tour at Koalua Ranch. This was so neat! Our tour guide gave us a great introduction to that part of the island, legends, flora facts, movie trivia, and magnificent views.
Indominus Rex enclosure (above) and short hike (below)
We could have stayed at the top for so long. It even smelled amazing.
All too soon our tour ended so we headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center for an early lunch and to get there in time for the canoe parade. We throughly enjoyed all the different things they had to do and see there. The dinner was much different than what we had in 2008 but there was plenty to eat and Dole Whip so we were happy.
After dinner we looked around the shops and donated 4 chickens via the Giving Machines.
We could not believe our luck when we ended up in the very front row for the show. If we stretched out our legs they were on stage floor and we could feel the heat easily when there were fire dancers. The experience was the very best! I felt so spoiled and was truly amazed by the performance.
And how cute is the free photo they gave us to download? We ended 2024 with fire!
New Year’s Day was dominated by the water. We opted to visit Waimea Bay Beach Park and ended up spending most of our day simply enjoying the perfect weather and the ocean.
I tried to take a picture of Kate but she gave me the no paparazzi sign. And here’s my photo of Michelle visiting special trees because of her injured toe.
Dan and Carolyn, mission friends of mine, were kind enough to have us visit their home for New Year’s Day dinner. Other than their excellent company, a highlight was Natalie getting to hold their pet chameleon. C explained that they are an invasive species on Oahu so if you find one you can take it home as a pet. Such a great day to begin 2025!
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