2018 Hawaii (Day 6--Last Day on Maui)

On our last day in paradise we decided to hit the beach for one last attempt at snorkeling.

 We went to Napili Bay but Mother Nature had a different idea. As soon as we got to the beach and started setting up, it began to rain. Hard!

So we braced for impact and waited out the storm.

 After we were thoroughly soaked, we decided to give it a go.

Unfortunately, the water was rough and and murky, and the constant churning made me dizzy and sick, so we packed it up and went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and check out.

After checking out, we picked up some lunch in Lahaina and set out to shop for some gifts for the kids and their babysitters.

Mike found this awesome calendar for his sister, Tricia, but we decided to go with something a little less risqué. I really wanted to get his mom a genuine muumuu from Hawaii, so we searched and searched. We had a really hard time finding something I thought she might like, but after hours of searching, we finally found the perfect one. She was so thrilled with it that she posed for a picture in it that very night. Mission accomplished!

 Before heading back to the airport for our long flight home, Mike treated us to a delicious dinner at Ruth's Chris.

2018 Hawaii (Day 4--Leaving Oahu)

I had a hard time getting out of bed on Day 4, because I was still so wiped out from the night/week before. Because he is always up before dawn, Mike decided to take his own tour of the island, watched the sun rise, did some early morning snorkeling and was lucky enough to see a double rainbow over the temple. I was sad he didn't take my good camera with him!

When Mike came back, he brought me a shave ice for breakfast and then we hit the road to try to find the perfect beach for snorkeling. We got about 30 minutes from the hotel when we realized we forgot to bring towels. So we had to stop to buy towels and take another picture for the kids.

Mike wanted to show me where he snorkeled earlier at Pupukea Beach Park aka. Shark Cove. He said the snorkeling wasn't as good as it was at Black Rock Beach on Maui, but I thought it was pretty.

After Sharks Cove, Mike took me to see the famous Banyan tree near Kawela Bay.

After the Banyan tree, we walked to Kawela Bay. It was very secluded and looked like the perfect place to bring kids to swim. The water was calm and the beach was quiet. And, apparently, it was the perfect place to learn how to surf since the bay is protected from the bigger waves. Too bad we didn't have a surf board!

The water was perfect and I couldn't resist.

 For lunch, we went to the Beach House. I can't remember what we ordered but the view was lovely.

After lunch, we drove back to Pearl City to see Pearl Harbor. By the time we arrived, the lines were long and we decided we didn't have enough time to take the tour. Instead, we drove back through the mountains before going back to Honolulu to catch our plane back to Maui.

We absolutely loved the mountains and the northeast beaches of Oahu. They were breathtaking. But the contrast paradise and the poverty stricken areas of the island was drastic.

 When we saw these guys flying over the bay, we decided to stop and get a better view.

Next, we stopped at Hanauma Bay to check it out. We wished we had time to stay because the snorkeling looked great. But, alas, it was time to head back to the airport.