Hawai'i. Da kine, brah.

Wow...I don't even know where to start. First, Darren is a most excellent host for a trip to Hawai'i. We asked him so many questions every day from, where should we hike, what is ,poke, have you done a glider ride on the North Shore, how do you pronounce that word again to what do the trail guides mean by "expert"? He had answers for everything and never led us astray.

Highlights:
1. The ridge hikes are stellar. The rocks are rotten (fall off in your hand as you try to climb), the mud slippery, the wind constant, the trails steep. Expert means expert...no messing around. Chip and I are not experts. Darren took us up Mariner's Ridge near his house for a warm up. Our first un-escorted hike took us to Makapu'u. We also hiked up Kuli'ou'ou Ridge and another ridge hike near Kolekole Pass. We went out to the north west most point of O'ahu to Ka'ena point. Views throughout the week included amazing trees and plants I've never seen before, ocean views beyond words, occasional breeching or blowing humpback whales in the distance, mountain ridges like something out of a fantasy movie, mongoose sightings plus albatross adults and chicks.

2. The beaches and ocean: We did not spend time on Waikiki, too crowded -ick. We did get a talking to at Sandy's beach by the lifeguard woman. She called us back to her and made sure we knew not to go into the waves there. Clearly our pale and sunburned skin revealed we were from the mainland and not ready for the wrath of Sandy's waves. Darren already warned us, so we were only there for the show. And what a show! Bodies lined up in the water bobbing with the waves they looked like bits of fruit suspended in blue jello! They were body surfing, body boarding and getting thrashed! Chaos of arms, legs, boards! Fantastic entertainment. Got to see some large waves up on the north shore (Banzai Pipeline) and wished the waves were "really" big so I could see what that looked like. I just can't imagine what "really big" waves look like! The ocean is beautiful and merciless in Hawai'i. The colors of the ocean were mesmerizing. The first day at the beach my brain felt fried by the intense blue/green colors. I think that part of my brain got saturated because by day 2 the ocean didn't make my eyes hurt anymore. Or maybe it was the sunglasses I bought!

3. The food: From Diamond Head Cove the fish salad, acai bowls, awa (okay that tasted weird, but was cool anyway), Kalua pig plate lunch, Kona Brewery IPA, poke, Darren's hot off the grill sesame and furikake ahi, coco puffs (not the cereal) and better than anything I've ever eaten anywhere in the world - hot malasadas from Leonard's bakery. Forty's of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on the beach were pretty darn tasty too.

4. The words. I loved trying to learn how to pronounce Hawaiian words. Kamehameha, Kalanianaole, Lunalilo, Kuli'ou'ou, humuhumunukukuapua'a. At the beginning of the week the words seemed strange and awkward to my ears. By the end of the week I could figure them out (mostly) pronounce them and they sounded like little songs. Street signs seem so boring back here now.

The first round of pictures have been uploaded to Webshots
here

I hope to add my pictures tonight.

Edit:Rest of pictures

The travel part was not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I would do the trip again tomorrow just to get some hot malasadas, fish salad from Diamond Head Cove and go all the way out to Ka'ena point to see the leina a ka `uhane - that's the rock where it is said spirits leap from the land to be with their ancestors after death.

What a trip! I don't feel like I'm fully back here yet.

Darren, your love of Hawai'i is contagious. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Hope you ate your poi like all visitors should! We never thought it was bad like some described!

Alooooooo-HA!

So glad you guys made it out here and enjoyed yourselves. Great TR and I enjoyed looking at your photos. It is nice seeing people enjoying themselves in the same places that I love.

I was late for work this morning...I stopped at Leonards Bakery for some hot malasadas. I'll make up for it by leaving early and going to Diamond Head Cove for a fish salad.

Again, I'm glad you made it out here. It was a lot of fun having you here.

Malama pono, aloha a hui ho!

- darren

I'm so glad you guys were able to make it out there to visit Darren! He likes having visitors and its such a beautiful place to visit!

I'm really jealous that you guys were enjoying the hot malasadas without me! They are the BEST! YUM!!!

Maybe I'll see you two at Caveman's next week!

cheers,

carm

oh i just got to look at your pictures!!!

I LOVED them! I wish I had time for one more trip out there, i do have four weeks of vacation saved up!!! That would be 4 trips in six months tho. I think that's a little excessive

I wish I could have hung out with you guys in Hawaii!!!

carm

Jen - i just saw your updated photos. Nice stuff. I like the shot of the spider - It really shows how big it was. I couldn't believe it when it jumped on Chip's head and ripped his hat off.

I forgot to ask you about the paperbark tree forest after you did the KoleKole pass hike. Those trees are awesome, huh? That section of trail is so cool. I might go back there this weekend.


Aloha

- darren

There is no way that 4 trips to Hawaii is "excessive". Maybe, just right or not enough or why not just stay???? Glad you liked the pictures

Dang! I'm sooo excited. We're coming out there in three weeks and your destinations are on my list if we have enough time! Great pics too. Darren, I PM'ed you with more specific info. Hopefully we can meet up.

Weatherman

Great report and pictures. I will get there in the next couple of years hopefully.

Cool report, and AWESOME photos! I liked the "long shadows". We're planning to get out there next year. Can't wait.

I feel bad that Darren had to hang out with Toe Cozy and Chip. That would suck. It is like getting your own mainland Spam.

Darren must have drank lots of the Doctor to numb the pain. That is always a good prescription.

You know what's worse than Darren having to hang out with me and Chip? Coming home to my house full of spongebob and then having to drive all the way to the Atlantic ocean and see Osprey diving into the water in order to get rid of you! I meant to post the few pictures I took at Wolf Neck State Park as a contrast to the Hawaii shots. Not often do you get to be at the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii on a Sunday and at the Atlantic Ocean in Maine a day and a half later. It would have been cool, except you were there.

spongebob said:

I feel bad that Darren had to hang out with Toe Cozy and Chip. That would suck. It is like getting your own mainland Spam.

Darren must have drank lots of the Doctor to numb the pain. That is always a good prescription.

Click to expand...

Great pictures.... but the thing I don't understand is why you let Spongebob even know where you live. I'm family and won't do that.

Ketch-up! Hi! Long time no hike!
Hey, the cat likes him. She's got a pecan sized brain, so I can't really fault her for that. Me, I don't know what my excuse is. I'm working on it. Too much beer? Yep, that must be it.

I can't believe you admitted the familial relationship in such a public place as this!!!

See you this summer, maybe? I'm trying to steal Spongebob away to Newfoundland. This has nothing to do with the Hawaii thread. cool.

Awesome photos

I'm gonna start saving for a trip today.