Hawaii Days 2 and 3

June 3 & 4, 2013

We spent the day of the 3rd at the beach and it was incredible! The sand was so soft and pretty and the water was so blue. It truly looked like a postcard. This day I had a little "wardrobe malfunction" due to some big waves and distraction on my part. A rashguard was promptly bought that afternoon and sported the rest of the trip! We were also very lucky to see many turtles this week. This beach had a rock grouping that was a nice resting place for the turtles so the boys headed out to get some pictures and video. I was so excited, never having seen turtles like these outside of a zoo or aquarium.

That night we went to a nearby mall to watch a hula performance put on by a local cultural group. They were very talented and we had fun talking to them and their parents after the show.

 The next day we took a drive a little bit further south down the island to see the Captain Cook Monument. In order to get to the monument we would have had to take a tour boat. Instead we drove to the other side of the inlet to see it from afar and to marvel at the massive waves. Michelle and Andy got up close and personal with some of the waves. We had a lot of fun first watching our group be surprised, and subsequently soaked, by some rogue waves and then seeing others get "cooled off."

Another very cool stop that day was called the Place of Refuge. This park has a very cool history and was really a great stop.

Our final big stop of that day was to check out the Waipio Valley. It was gorgeous! The lookout is about 2000 feet above sea level and the steep road going down into the valley is not appropriate (duh!) for rental vehicles, so we enjoyed from above. Looking at pictures of the valley online, you can see the beauty that is preserved and protected by the steep walls.