Maunawili Falls and kayaking to Flat Island

Maunawili Falls is my favorite hike in Oahu. Not too long, and a great reward at the end (waterfall jumping!). The first time we tried to get to the waterfall, we somehow did a complete circle past it and ended up back where we started. The other two girls we were with wanted to give up but Julia and I convinced them to try again, and the second time a local was going in so he said he'd show us the way. Even though it took us twice as long, it was worth it. :)

You have to pass a few streams during this hike, so be prepared to get your feet wet! But still, I wouldn't recommend flip flops...

A long journey...

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and a great reward!

Waterfall jumping!

After the long hike, we rested at the beach for a while... 

... before heading to Kailua to rent kayaks to go to Flat Island, a sea bird sanctuary and nesting ground. 

It took us about an hour to kayak to Flat Island because the ocean was rough that day. You can also kayak to one of the Twin Islands but it was too late to try that day and the water was not calm enough. So we just explored Flat Island. 

I played in some tide pools...

and found some snails...

and held up the Twin Islands!

Paradise Park and Moana Falls Hike

Tree Hugging :)

Lace...

Tree Arch 

Just a few stairs...

Waiting for a dinosaur to run out

Catching Up

Did you know Hawaii is actually pronounced Ha-vi-ee?

Anyways, it may be impossible to catch up on the many things I've been doing since I last blogged, but I'll try my best! 

I'll try to introduce you to some of my friends and experiences in order of their happenings...

First, Lena. 

Lena is from Germany. One of my favorite travel companions in Hawaii. Ironically, she is allergic to sunlight.

Among the things we did together was visit Bishop Museum, cruise around the North Shore, find our way through the Pineapple Maze at the Dole plantation, and get attacked by a man with pet parrots.

Second, Julia. 

Julia is also from Germany. We hiked all over Oahu together and also traveled together to the Big Island, which was my third island. Julia dislikes the rules against drinking in public and being topless in the U.S., even though she really has no desire to do either. My favorite quirk about Julia was that she would sometimes sing a German song about "Heidi" to me. I tried to learn it , but singing in German is not easy, trust me. 

This is a picture of Julia during our hike to Ka'ena Point, the westernmost point of Oahu. As you can see, it's not exactly the safest trail. Anyways, we were looking for this beach out there and didn't think it would take so long to find it. We ended up walking 5 miles along the rocky coast without water and no sandy beach in sight.

We finally met some locals who were fishing. They gave us both a can of juice and told us the beach we were looking is near the north trail head, and we had come up the south trail head. But there was a little sandy spot on the ocean if we would walk about 10 minutes further. Glad for the directions and the refreshment, we thanked them and started to go but they demanded to give us more juice. With 2 ice cold cans each, we went to find the beach to rest there before heading back. On the way we passed another local in a 4x4 truck who asked if we had water and sunscreen, and pointed us toward the little beach. Before I came to Hawaii I heard alot of things about the locals not liking tourists, but  all the locals I have met have treated me with amazing warmth and kindness. 

Last Day on Oahu

Im Flying!

Some Pictures from Waimanalo Beach

Today I am enjoying my last day on Oahu. Tomorrow morning I fly to the 3rd island of my trip, the Big Island! First on the agenda is to visit the Volcano Park at night to see lava flowing and GLOWING. Maybe I'll bring some s'mores stuff... :) just kidding... but maybe I will just in case...

For my last day in Oahu, Julia and I were going to surf but the water is rough and it was recommended not to go. So instead, I will FINALLY hike the Punchbowl. Then I will pack my massive beautiful suitcase (thanks Buffalo State Human Resources!) which when I was previously staying in the hostel my roommates nicknamed the pink whale. 

At around 5am I will probably be wheeling the pink whale down Kapahulu St. to catch the shuttle from Waikiki to the airport... Flight... New Island... Julia and I will be in the Hilo Bay Hostel for 2 nights. Then Julia will leave to go back to Germany, and I will continue exploring the Big Island, maybe with Sun Young's old roomie. We'll see :)

Bye for now! Or as they say in Hawai'i, ALOHA.

Back to Waikiki

Kelly and I booked dolphin swims for the day after we returned from Kauai. Here's some pics from the dolphin swim... oh, and a turtle which I was really excited to see!

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The next day, Kelly left to go back to Batavia, NY. I was sad to see such a great new friend leave, but I must press ahead for my hike to Diamond Head! I met some German girls and we hiked Diamond Head Mt. together and visited Pearl Harbor. 

PS. We aren't sweaty, it was raining. For real. 

This part with the stairs reminded me of the Statue of Liberty. ^

Part of a sunken ship, USS ARIZONA, at Pearl Harbor:

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My travel companion the next day was a new girl in my room at the Hostel. Lena is from the German city of Hamburg and had been traveling in Canada and the west coast of the US. We went to Bishop Museum (As I mentioned, yesterday had been cloudy and sprinkling so I had made rainy day plans, but it turned out to be sunny and beautiful--Oh lovely Hawaii!), stopped to see Iolani Palace (the only royal palace on US soil), stopped in Chinatown for lunch, got back to Waikiki to see the sunset and then the Friday night fireworks. It was a really fun day. 

Lava Rock Melting Demonstration at Bishop Museum:

Iolani Palace (and tiny little Lena):

Lena and I, as single adventurers traveling on a budget, can't help but like this law:

Can't Get enough of these Waikiki Sunsets:

Kauai

I had a great two days in Kauai, a very beautiful, very GREEN place. The flight from Oahu to Kauai only took about 10 minutes and I could see the sun rising while I was in the air. 

Kelly and I rented a car and covered the East and North coasts the first day, the South and West on the second day. We saw many various beaches, waterfalls, bays, and rivers. We also saw Waimea Canyon --called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. And we took a sunset catamaran cruise on which we saw whales and spots on the Na Pali coast only viewable by boat or sky. I took a ton of pictures but here are just a few of my favorites. 

The Tree Tunnel

Maui Dog: Hot dog with cole slaw and bbq sauce. Sounds kinda weird, but actually really good:

Imagine living in that white house:

HOSTEL, More new friends, and Hanauma Bay

I checked out of the Queen Kapiolani hotel and into the Waikiki Beachside Hostel last tuesday. As soon as I checked in I had to go because I was going up to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which was fabulous. I highly recommend it for anyone coming to visit Oahu, but just remember it's near the North Shore. I didn't think about when I'd be on the North Shore so my bus ride there was 2 hrs... but worth it!

 At the Ali'i Luau:

Pig in earth oven:

Canoe Pageant:

I got back past 11 and was exhausted. When I woke up the next morning I met Kelly, a girl from Batavia, NY! Thats around 40 minutes from Buffalo, but we meet in Hawaii! Another girl was leaving the room for Kaua'i and within an hour of meeting each other, Kelly and I booked flights to Kaua'i for a trip together for the next 2 days. 

That day though, we went to Hanauma Bay, which is BEAUTIFUL and a great place for snorkeling. We went with two other girls from my room at the hostel, Emilie (from France) and Moeko (from Japan).