Surfing Mommy

When in Hawaii... I couldn't go all the way to Maui and Kauai and not get on a board. I took a lesson with professional surfer Charlie Smith on the waves of Hanalei Bay. I can now say that I've surfed in Ireland, La Jolla, Southampton and Kauai. Out of all of those places, Kauai had the most beautiful and even waves I've ever surfed on! They were super smooth and easy to stand up on. It was great to have Brian and Christopher actually get to watch me this time too. In La Jolla, it was rainy so they went to an aquarium. In Southampton, they had to park at a beach farther away. So this time, they were able to swim and play in the sand while they watched me catch some waves. Brian was even able to get a video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gblV0hG5UXk

After the lesson, the instructor found some shallow water to put the board in and Chris tried standing up on the board. Of course, he loved it and as soon as he's able to, I just know that boy is going to ride some waves. He got to boogie board while we were in Hawaii so that's a start. Now if we could only find a beach in Kansas...

Sunsets

We were fortunate enough on both islands to face west so each night we were greeted by a different and beautiful sunset. Sometimes we were on the beach, other times we were on our patio, and another time we were on a hotel's terrace but each time, the sky was stunning! It also restored my faith in people that they would gather and watch something slow and quiet each night. Here are some of the sunsets we got to see on our trip...

The first picture is from the beach in front of the Westin in Maui:

The following set of pictures are all from the patio of our condo in Kauai. Each is a different night:

 

 This last set of pictures is from the St. Regis Hotel in Princeville. They had this beautiful terrace outside one of their restaurants where people gather to watch the sunset over Hanalei Bay:

Flowers

For this entry, I just want to share some pictures I took of the beautiful flowers and plants that grown in Hawaii. Just amazing...

In February, we bought a number of plants at a local nursery for the inside of our home, partly to add some greenery to the house and partly to help with air quality. Many of the plants were tropical so when we were walking around different areas of both Maui and Kauai, we would see a lot of the plants that we either saw at the store or bought for our house! Of course in Hawaii, they all grow naturally.

Kilauea Lighthouse

One afternoon in Kauai, we took a trip over to Kilauea Lighthouse and wildlife preserve. It was just down the road from our condo and well worth the visit! As we approached it, I realized our son has never been to a lighthouse and so we had to change that. Growing up on the East Coast and spending summers down the shore, I have many memories of visiting various lighthouses such as Barneget and Cape May Lighthouses. You may notice that the lighthouse is not very tall. I suppose it doesn't need to be when it is on such a high cliff!

It was a beautiful area with a tremendous view. Since it is a wildlife preserve, there were tons of beautiful birds, including albatross. Here are some more pics of the area around the lighthouse and preserve...

On the same afternoon trip, we drove over to see Wailua Falls. You can't go to Hawaii without seeing waterfalls! The lookout was, well, very high up with warning signs along that way telling of the "severe drop off." No kidding! They were worth it though and we enjoyed just watching the mesmerizing water.

Limahuli Botanical Garden

One afternoon we took a ride over to the Limahuli Botanical Gardens on the north shore of Kauai. When driving on Kauai, there is one main road that goes around most of the island. The break in the road occurs once you reach either side of the Na Pali Coast. Limahuli Garden is close to one end of the road so we first drove all the way until the road literally ends (at Ke'e Beach) then turned around and stopped to check Limahuli out. It was a beautiful native Hawaiian garden that had a 3/4 mile walking trail with little stops along the way where you can learn all about native plants, ancient Hawaiian farming techniques, and legends told by native Hawaiians about the mountains, plants, and ocean. We actually stopped quite a few times to read the little guidebook we got before setting out because Chris (and us too!) found the legends really interesting. Here are just a few pics from our afternoon there...

There is a story that goes along with the second picture in this previous series... Apparently, the native Hawaiians would climb up that dome shaped mountain carrying unlit torches. When they would reach the top, they would light the torches and throw them off and the wind would carry them out to sea where a chief (or kahuna) would be waiting to see which one went the farthest. The person who threw their torch the farthest would be honored. There were many, even more interesting stories and legends like this but what amazed me most (really the whole time we were in Hawaii) was the fact that the native Hawaiians would just climb these ridges and peaks like it was nothing. When you see them and how high they were, you can appreciate what an amazing feat this was!

Pardon the Interruption

We interrupt these Hawaii posts to bring you a video of Christopher swimming at his lesson today. The video is a little blurry but you get the gist! That's his teacher, Ms. Charlotte, behind him watching him go...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv9VVPPBOd8

The Na Pali Coast

On Monday, June 10th, we boarded the Spirit of Kauai with Captain Andy's Sailing Adventures and headed out for our tour of the beautiful Na Pali Coast. The Na Pali Coast has some of the most gorgeous mountains, valleys, waterfalls and beaches I've ever seen. It has been the filming sight for countless movies including Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Six Days, Seven Nights. There are no roads that can access the coast so the only way to see it is by helicopter, plane, or boat (or if you want to brave the level 9 hiking trail that takes you through it go ahead; but Mount Everest is a level 10 sooooo......). Here we are after just setting out on the boat:

We actually met another couple from Overland Park while we were on the boat. Small world! Anyway, along our way to the coast the captain slowed us down a bit to check out the dolphins. We got to see both bottlenose and spinner dolphins. Since spinners travel in larger numbers, they were fascinating to watch. They just come right alongside the boat! Chris was amazed!

Dolphins are not easy to photograph from a moving boat! Anyway we eventually stopped at a decent spot to snorkel. Brian and I snorkeled and although Chris didn't want to, he still came in the water with us and swam. At a certain point, both he and I started feeling a little queasy but we plugged along. After the boat started up again, it got really rough and we both got even more queasy (along with many others on board). But we were determined to see the Na Pali Coast no matter what! Chris fell asleep for awhile but managed to see some of the beautiful scenery. Here are some of the pics from the day. Again, they do the real thing no justice...

It was an incredible day and we are so glad to have had the opportunity to see one of these wonders of the world!