Wednesday, January 25, 2012

KoNa, HaWaIi

ALOHA! Nic and I headed to the Big Island for a week with my parents (January 14 - 21). 
This was Nic's first time to Hawaii...EVER.
Day 1. We arrived in Kona, Hawaii. We watched the sunset poolside and enjoyed a delicious dinner there.
 Day 2. We went to church (of course). The ward choir sang "I Am a Child of God" in Hawaiian - it was beauitful.
We then headed to an amazing beach: Hapuna Beach.
 We enjoyed a delicious dinner in our condo. Unfortunately there was a bit of a grill accident.
No worries though - no one got hurt. My dad only fried his hair a little bit. The steaks turned out delicious!
 Day 3. We went to a gray sand beach: Hookena Beach. We did a bit of snorkeling.
There were a lot of Spinner Dolphins jumpin' and splashin' around. 
 We headed to what I call "downtown" Kona to Kailua Village. Lots of restaurants and shops on Ali'i Drive (Ali'i means chief in Hawaiian). We had dinner at LuLu's and watched a beautiful sunset.
 There is the one and ONLY place to get a true shaved ice (NOT  a snow cone). I remember this place from when I went with my family quite a few years back. It's delish. 
Nic's first experience with shaved ice: Rootbeer and Dreamsicle. 
 Yummy Watermelon.
 Day 4. The resort we stayed at was called Hali'i Kai. There were lots of other places to stay around, but in the midst there was the Kings and Queens shopping areas. The type of shopping at Kings was Tiffanys, Louis Vuitton, etc. We had a relaxing time at the pool.
 My parents celebrated their 33rd anniversary - woo hoo! We went out to dinner at Ruth's Chris (yummy steakhouse).
 Day 5. McDonald's in Hawaii has a traditional breakfast: rice, eggs and Spam (yes that's right). My parents love to eat at McDonald's and love the Spam.
We had to try it out.
 It was surprisingly really good and naturally GF. :) Maybe it was good because I was sitting in Hawaii? Whatever the reason, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
 Off to another beach (it had a really long Hawaiian name that I can't remember). More snorkeling. Work it Nic!
 My dad, Nic and I tried paddle boarding. Paddle boarding is standing a larger than normal surf board with one paddle. It's harder then it looks. 
 That evening we headed to Kailua Village and ate at Bongo Ben's. Nic also bought me a beautiful Plumeria necklace with earrings. Love them.
Day 6. Nic and my dad headed out on wave runners while my mom and I did a little shopping and...more shaved ice! (Once you try it you'll want it everyday, trust me)
 We stopped at a flea market.
 And met Bruno the rooster. He had a girlfriend: Brownie the chicken.
 We stopped by the Kona Hawaii temple. Such a beautiful place.
 We watched the sunset at Hapuna Beach. Nic and I attempted to do some boogy boarding but the waves were GINORMOUS.
Day 7. More time at the pool.
 I have always wanted to ride in a helicopter - it's on my bucket list. I got to cross this one off!
 We took a beautiful ride to some valleys on the Big Island. In the distance (below) there is a snow capped mountain. The Big Island is the only island in Hawaii that gets snow. 
 Stunning ride.
 There was one other guy that rode with us. We had a great time!
 Back to Hapuna Beach to watch the sunset. Nic and I also got to "swim" with Manarays. We were out in the ocean and lo and behold, there they were. They were no more then 10 feet in front of us. 
 <3
 Sunsets on the beach never get old.
 Yay.
 That night we had dinner poolside and...more shaved ice! (I know you're jealous ;)
Day 8. This was truly a day of mourning as we did not want to leave. This is the condo we stayed at. Beautiful resort.
 Our beloved front door. haha
 This was our sweet ride during the week. It has a soft top that you can pull down. :)
 We headed to a national historic park. 
 One last trip to the Scandinavian Shaved Ice.
 It was then time for our goodbyes. :'( 
Wow. What an amazing time we had with my parents.
We did so many wonderful things and made some great memories (BEAT IT!). You won't understand that one. haha Not to mention everything we did, but the whales were so active the whole week we were there. We also got to see some sea turtles. Needless to say, it was a fab trip.
Mahalo mom and dad for a wonderful week in Hawaii!
Aloha.

4 comments:

mom-jayne said...

What a trip!!! So happy you guys got to do that!! Loved the pics...thanks for sharing!!

Shauna said...

looks amazing!!! glad you guys had so much fun!

Sumo @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff said...

Such a fun trip! Glad you guys had a good time!

KP said...

WOW. looks like such a fun, amazing trip!!! im so jel.
and ser that shaved ice looks AMAZING. i want one right now. so so bad!!