Awesome day at wet and wild

James Writes


Today we took a hour trip in the car to go to Wet'n'Wild. When we got to the gates we payed over 200 american $ to get in. We worked our way around 12 rides. Our favorite 3 rides were the volcano ride wich is where you ride down a bendy slide racing each other. Our other favorite was the tornado you go down a big drop in a four person in to a swirling cone of water. Our other favorite is the shaka witch is where you drop down a 7 meter  nearly vertical drop.

 After lunch we just chilled at the water playground for the rest of the day.

 For dinner we went to the roof and had hotdogs. We wanted to see the fireworks on the beach but they were hidden behind a building so we could only see part of them.

Pinapple Plantation Exploration

Holly writes:



I took a deep breath, the sweet aroma filled my nose and my tummy grumbled. I opened my eyes to a sea of yellow. We were at Dole's Plantation of everything from pineapples to cacao to avocado. The air was humid and warm and we were eager and ready for today's adventure.



Through the gift shop we were offered a sample of fresh cut pineapple. As we munched we lined up for the train ride. 20 minutes learning about the many foods in their different stages of growth. The train, dubbed ‘Pineapple Express’, even had its own theme song written by a local artist.



After we got off the train we found the maze. It is the Guiness World Records Book as the largest maze in 2008. It had eight different boards inside the maze each explaining one of Hawai’i’s unique islands. For the average person it took an hour but we aced it in 43 minutes.



We jumped back into the car and headed for the north side of the island. It was rumoured to have the best waves and the best shaved ice. We picnicked beside a beach and almost got changed until we saw a very interesting sign.



‘Shark Spotted’ it read. We put our belongings in the car and went to investigate. There were many people on the sand but none in the water. The only people were those jumping off rocks into the water and quickly getting out again.



We got back into the car and drove along the coast. Unfortunately all of the beaches we considered had the same sign up. Not exactly ideal mode for a beach swim so we settled with a quick look at a scenic beach and headed into a small town.



In the town a shop called Wili Wili’s sold humongous shaved ice, and for much less than it was on the water front. We savoured the delicious flavours and drove back home.



As per every day in Hawai’i we went for a swim in the pool before dinner. We dried off after 45mins and headed up to the apartment. The wind was blowing more than usual, so we traded a barbeque on the roof for udon noodles at the restaurant down the road.



They had those airport dividers up as though they were expecting a line. We were only lined up for about five minutes before we ordered and picked up our meals. By the time we were finished eating, the line stretched the length of the building and then snaked back again.



We stopped on the way home at an ABC store. These shops are so frequent you would not be surprised if you saw more than one on the same block. We each picked out a souvenir item and a gift for a cousin whose birthday may be coming up…



Just like every night the temperature was about 24 degrees as we strolled home. We sit on the balcony every night and gaze at the lights of the buildings framed against the night sky. This is where I sit as I write this, the warm breeze drifting its way round the island and the yawns of sleepy explorers who need a good night’s sleep.

The Day America Joined The War

James Writes:

Today we had to get up super early and hop into the car because Mum wanted us to get to Pearl harbour when it opened so we were bound to get tickets. The first thing we did was go and queue up for the movie. once we got inside we sat down and wached a 30minute movie with some footage of WW2 bombing in Pearl harbour.

When the movie was over we went to see the SS Arizona memorial and all the names of the 1,177 people that died on the USS Arizona. When we got back to mainland we went and looked at all of the types of missiles and torpedos after that we took a fascinating audio tour around a submarine. Imagine sleeping above some torpedoes!!!!!

When we finished that we went to the museum the museum was super boring. Once we were finished with that we hopped on a shuttle and went to see the USS Missouri the ship that the Japanese surrendered on.

When we got back from that we went to a man made lagoon at Ko Olino and went snorkeling and had a swim for 2 hours. We drove back to the apartments and we went for a quick swim to rinse off our salt, when we came back home we had pizza and watched a movie.  For dessert we had apple pie with cream.

Shop Till Ya Drop WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Emma Writes

Today Dad went out with Holly to get the car we are renting for 5 days. The man said Dad coud not have the car because Dad had no ID or Licence. In the end Dad had to go back to the apartment and search for his wallet. When Dad finally found his wallet Holly was to tired to go all the way back and Dad was alone. POOR DAD:( :(  When Dad finally got the car we went all the way out to the Waikele outlet store. The car was a black beauty. It had super nice air conditioning and had that screen that was in the car and it showed you what was behind you without having to look backwards. AWESOME SAUCE!!!!!!!!

It took ages to get to Waikele outlet store. We went shopping for clothes. Dad bought 3 t-shirts,1 pair of shorts, two pairs of jeans,1 pair of shoes,3 pairs of undies and 2 sweatshirts. In total Dad got 10 bits of clothes.I bought 1 pink , sparkly skirt, 2 tops, 1 pair of pjs,2 pairs of shoes , 2 pairs of leggings and 1 pair of grey sparkly tights. In total I got 10 bits of clothing. Dad and I got the most bits of clothing.

After shopping we went and had lunch. We had chinese. The serving was big enough for 2 people. The drinks were MASSIVE. Mum and I had Fruit Punch which actually tasted like candy pop and dad and James had Sprite. Holly got her own drink which was Apple Juice. Holly got her own drink because she does not like fizzy and her drink was small. Later we went and got ice creams from Mcdonalds. James got a caramel frappe but it turned out the frappe had coffee so James did not want it so Mum had it. Dad got a small vanilla soft serve. I got a chocolate sundae. Holly got a banana and strawberry smoothie. To me banana and stawberry smoothie sounded gross.

For dinner we went up to the roof and had burgers. On the roof was a mini kitchen with a mini fridge it did not have food in it. If you walk a bit you will see 2 bbqs we used one of them to cook the meat patties and the burger buns. While Dad was cooking dinner Holly James and I played interviews. one of us would be the interviewer and the others were the contestants. First one of them would come and the interviewer would interview them and see if they could be their butler.  

That is what we did on 26 th of September

Sunburnt..

We spend the morning at the southern end of Waikiki body boarding and enjoying the beach.  Its another hot day and we are glad we brought the sun umbrella with us.  Even on a Monday morning in the low season this beach is packed with tourists all enjoying the beach.  The whole world comes here - Australians, Spanish, Asians and of course Americans.

Lunch is at home again as its great to get out of the sun.  We stop in at one of the many cookie places to buy some American cookies to enjoy after lunch.  The girls enjoy choosing 5 different cookies as we stand dripping water and dropping sand on the shop floor.

The kids caught a lot of sun this morning and are keen to watch some tv this lunch time, At around 3:30 they have had enough and pop down to the pool for some swimming. 

Luckily there is a lot of aloe vera aftersun in the apartment and the kids are applying it liberally to their sunburnt arms. 

Dinner tonight is Happy Hour at PF Changs - an asian restaurant with great food and drinks.   All the restaurants cater for kids, as soon as we arrive they are provided with crayons and a kids menu with games and colouring in.  Emma orders off the kids menu but James and Holly are happy to share the puu puu (appetisers) of dumplings, lettuce wraps and dynamite shrimp.

Day 2 in paradise

After a great night's sleep we are ready for a morning at the beach and head down to Waikiki beach again.  The morning is spent swimming and body surfing then back home for lunch and a sleep.

When we stop for lunch supplies we pick up two body boards so we can enjoy the surf and try our hand at boogies boarding.

The afternoon was spent at the pool and then out for nibbles again.  This time we head left and go to Tikis Bar & Grill.  This is a beachfront bar overlooking the ocean and once again the drinks and nibbles are plenty for dinner. 

After dinner we walk along the beach watching people boogie boarding and jumping off the pier. We decide to come back here tomorrow for a swim.

Our apartment is fabulous in the evenings once the sun has gone down and we can enjoy a drink on the deck looking at the lights of the city.  We are also working our way through the Ben and Jerry's icecream flavours choosing a different one each night for dessert.

Waikiki Beach

The flight went well - we managed Koru lounge in Chc and Akl so we weren't terribly hungry.  Our seats were in the Sky couch area so we had extra large footrests that extended to create extra space.  Most of us got about 3 hours sleep which was ok. 

We arrived in Honolulu and were out into the lovely warm air almost immediately.  The airport was built in the 1960's and is a bit run down causing the children to comment that its not as nice as Christchurch airport!

Off to our apartment which is located about three blocks back from the beach.  We have a great deck running the length of the apartment with great views over the golf course and canal to the right and a wee peep of ocean to the left.

We changed out of our jeans into togs and shorts and off to explore. Straight down to Waikiki beach and into the water.  Its lovely and warm and we spend about an hour here before continuing on to explore.  We pop back to the aparment to have lunch and a sleep. 

After our nap its down to the pool area for a couple of hours.  Our children are delighted when another couple of children arrive and they have someone to play with.

Dinner is down to Moose McGillicuddys - a local bar with happy hour pricing for drinks and food.   The nachos are huge and we are all full after these appetisers.  After that we head toward the beach where there are several bands and hulu dancing displays. There is a street party starting at 7 but we are all too tired to stay for that.  Back home for sleeping.