Aulani for 10 days, Route 1 Cali, Disneyland trip June 2016 - now COMPLETE

Hi, everyone!

I am a longtime disboards lurker and occasional poster under my DH's name who decided to grow up and make her own account. Hey, I don't like to rush things, okay? I took years to decide to make a Facebook account. The first night I did, I kinda forgot I was cooking supper at the same time, and managed to burn supper, fill the house with smoke and activate the fire alarm. So you can see I was a little leery of joining the Disboards

Anyway, I have been grateful to many posters on here who I have stalk- er, studied carefully to glean tips for our trip. Much thanks to Captain_Oblivious, MarbleBob, and others who have shared their experiences, good and not-so-good. Hopefully, this trip report will help others with what we learned along the way.

First of all, the family:




DH: Both DH and I had been to Disney World in our younger years, and honeymooned there. For years I was a stay-at-home mom, and the budget was tight. Then in 2009, we planned our once-on-a-lifetime trip (yeah, right!) and DH found his calling: master Disney planner, scrounger of monies, and Dis addict. He works in the banking industry but lives to travel to Disney, be it Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Cruises. He's always planning the next trip!

Me: part-time church secretary, scrapbooker, master procrastinator, loves to travel and luckily doesn't get car sick (unlike other of my family members!) I have been to 49 states, and am waiting to travel to Alaska to fulfill my goal! This trip was to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.

DS: Just turned 16, got his license and a girlfriend right before we left, asked to be left home as he didn't want to miss jazz band camp, and growing up too fast.

DD: 15 years old, a sweetie, unfortunately suffers from motion sickness, loves to watch youtube for hours.

We also have two dogs, two cats, 5 fish, and 1 hermit crab. We used to have a turtle, but he ran away from home.

Our plan for the trip was to fly to Hawaii, spend 10 days at Aulani; fly to Oakland California and take two days to drive down the coast and then drive to Disneyland to spend 5 days in the parks, and 1 day at Knotts Berry.


Will our plans hold? Will someone get sick? Will I ever be able to post pictures????

Stay tuned!

Hawaii: Aulani, Diamondhead, Pearl Harbor, Kualoa Ranch

Day 1 -Traveling, Traveling, and Barfing
Day 2 - Who angered the fart gods?
Day 3 - It's my turn to be sick??
Day 4 - Pearl Harbor, Aloha Swap Meet, lava cave - and is that a burned up car on blocks???
Day 5 - Today I almost died - twice! Diamond Head, Pali Lookout, Blowhole
Day 6 - Another crazy coincidence, Starlit Hui and pics in the hot tubs!
Day 7 - Byodo-In Temple, Kualoa Ranch, North Shore and the kids get a 'tude!
Day 8 - Shave Ice, Menehune Adventure Trail, shopping!
Day 9 -Paddleboarding, turtle kisses, adult beverages!
Day 10 -Laundry, Off the Hook, our last night!


California arrival, Route 1 and Route 154

Day 11 - Honolulu Airport Hades, flight to Cali, rental car and driving in Cali trafic!
Day 12 - Meeting my cousin for the very first, redwood trees, Bixby Bridge, McWay Falls, elephant seals, and a mutiny!
Day 13 - Route 154, Walmart, Anaheim!
Day 14 - Knotts Berry and Chicken Dinner!

Disneyland and Downtown Disney

Day 15 - Finally Disneyland and Steakhouse 55 for our anniversary!
Day 16 - Downtown Disney and the Jungle Book
Day 17 - California Adventure and Dh and DD sneak off to get beignets and don't bring any back!
Day 18 - Another relax day, Gardenwalk, Cheesecake Factory, Downtown Disney!
Day 19 - Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Storybook Land, 104°
Day 20 - Blue Bayou - does it meet our expectations?
Day 21 - 22 - [URL="http://www.disboards.com/threads/aulani-for-10-days-route-1-cali-disneyland-trip-june-2016.3528138/page-3#post-56285428"]Our last day at Disney! and do we survive the trip home?[/URL]

Looking forward to reading your trip report! We are going to the Disneyland Resort in September and we'll be making our second trip to Aulani in January.

Welcome
We are at Waikiki beach for a week then Aulani for a week
Fly back to lax then have a week
Still trying decide how many days for Disneyland and what to do rest of the days ... Ahhhhh

Evette said:

Looking forward to reading your trip report! We are going to the Disneyland Resort in September and we'll be making our second trip to Aulani in January.

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I am jealous! We loved Aulani. Although I did catch my husband saying "When we go back...!" Trust me, I won't forget he said it. The traveling to get there, though....

eeyorefanuk said:

Welcome
We are at Waikiki beach for a week then Aulani for a week
Fly back to lax then have a week
Still trying decide how many days for Disneyland and what to do rest of the days ... Ahhhhh

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We had 5 days at Disneyland, 1 day at Knotts Berry and spent our other days doing to Downtown Disney for our fix. I enjoy the atmosphere at Downtown Disney with the street performers - very relaxing to sip an adult beverage and listen to music.

For our 20th wedding anniversary, I expressed a wish to go to Hawaii. I had been when I was in 7th grade many years ago with my parents. I am very nostalgic, and I had these great memories of beautiful scenery. My husband, ever eager to plan our next Disney vacation was quick to agree. For a while, we toyed with the idea of doing the NCL cruise, but decided against, planning to stay at Aulani the whole time. And of course, this would be an opportunity to revisit Disneyland, since we were traveling all that way. I also had a biological cousin living in California I had never met, and this might be the best opportunity to meet up, since we are from central Pennsylvania. I had also driven along the coast, and my husband agreed we could add that to the trip.

Our last trip was to Disney World over Christmas and New Years 2014-2015, so technically we have done Disney (or a cruise) every year since 2009. However, this gave us more time to stea-, er save money go take this very expensive trip. Also, this was by far the longest vacation. We would be gone 23 days total, and hopefully DH's work would be able to survive without him. Of course, with smart phones, you are never really out of reach.

I'm still not sure how or where to post this report; I might decide to post some of it on the Disneyland and California trip report pages. If I do, I'll make sure to include the links here.

Anyway, onwards with the report!

Day 1 Traveling, traveling, and barfing or I get cheated out of my moment - I need a do-over!

We actually started traveling the night before, deciding to sleep in a motel near the Philadelphia Airport with a shuttle. Before, we have left the vehicle at the hotel, but apparently a lot of them have a limit on the number of days you could let your car there. Additionally, the cost would be so expensive. Lucky for me, my sister lives fairly close in New Jersey, was willing to keep my vehicle, and drop us off at the hotel before our trip; afterwards, they would drop our car off at the airport for us, and we could leave right from there.

So on May 31st, we took our dogs to the kennel, packed our 3 carry on bags, 3 personal bags, and 1 checked bag and headed to my sisters. Along the way, we ran into some slow traffic, and saw a strange sight. An ambulance had burst into flames on 81N and was causing major traffic backups on the other side. I read online later that the people inside for a transport were able to get out safely, but the loss was close to $400,000.

We ended up at my sisters about 4:00 p.m. and ate supper with her, her DH, and my nephew. Then we loaded my sister's van with all our stuff, and her DH and nephew drove us to the Microtel. This hotel was fine. I'm sure the beds were comfy, but who can sleep before leaving on a Disney trip? I'm always worried about missing the alarm. We got up close to 4:30 a.m., got ready, and headed downstairs to get the shuttle. Although there was a sign stating the free breakfast was served later, it was already laid out, so we took the opportunity to get a quick bite to eat. They had cereal, fruit, yogurt, bagels, etc. and was a welcome sight. I would definitely recommend them.

We got to the Philadelphia Airport, and were able to get through security by 6:00 a.m. smoothly for our 7:45 a.m. flight. Unfortunately this TSA tango would be the last easy encounter with them.

Our first flight did not have any TVs, and seemed to last forever (approximately 6 hours.) Then we had a 2 hour layover at LAX, where we bought our first insanely expensive meal, 4 Burgers and fries for $60. And did you know there is not a chicken nugget or strip to be had at LAX? And guess what what my daughter had to have to eat? When confronted with the reality of the choices, she finally decided to have a "darn burger!" So we had darn burgers for our meal!


I also celebrated my birthday today, so the kids and husband gave me a card and little gift at the airport to celebrate.

The next leg of our journey we at least had TVs, and the flight went so much faster. When we landed, we went to the shuttle service to get taken to Aulani. Part of the package my husband booked included a shuttle to and from the airport, one day's car rental, and a $500 credit. I'm so glad for that shuttle, because as others have said, it can be confusing getting out of the airport and getting to where you need to go. And since my DH and I don't always do well together in tense driving situations, I'm glad someone else did the driving! Also, it was during the notorious rush hour traffic, so it was constant forward and stopping, forward and stopping. It took a really long time to get to Aulani.

So you know, you get glimpses of Aulani from far away, then closer, then finally the big reveal? This was the moment I had been dreaming of for probably two years. The beautiful entrance, the smiling Cast Members greeting you with leis and necklaces, ice-cold water infused with fruit, the total culmination of all of our planning coming to fruition....I could feel the joy bubbling up.....the van doors were opening..........


...........................then DD started gagging.


Remember, I stated she gets motion sick earlier? Even though she had taken medicine, the day was just too long for the poor kiddo. One plane, then another, then that rocky van journey just did her in.

The two passengers sitting in front of us showed great acumen and keen insight and bolted out of the van so fast, I thought they had teleported.

My first moments at Aulani were spent hustling her out of the van and over to the side to some shrubbery, where she could continue to gag while using my Disney jacket to avoid the van and the road. Sigh.

I will say, when the van driver and staff at Aulani realized what was going on, they were so helpful and supportive. The van driver gave me wads of napkins, and wished her well; Oliver at the valet station brought water for her to drink, a trash bag to put things in, and additional towels. They took my DH and DS inside, and told us to take our time, but when we were ready, to let them know, and they would walk us inside to join them.

Not how I pictured my arrival. I need a do-over!

After DD calmed down, Oliver walked us over to where they hand out the leis. They were kind and asked DD if she wanted to wear one, or just give it to me. She decided to wear it, I got a lei, then we rejoined the men and a Cast Member who gave us some printed information and verbal directions. There was a porter who had our bags loaded on a cart, and we would meet him at our room. He was also very kind and concerned with our welfare. You have heard it said how nice the Hawaiian people are, and it is so true. Even in the rush hour traffic, people were very courteous.

We had Room 1055 in the Ewa Tower; I'll post pictures from our balcony later. However, this first day ended with us checking out our room, getting a feel for the resort, etc. We went to bed at 8:00 p.m.; I was awake at midnight, and again at 4:00 a.m. I decided to get up very early to start our first real day at Aulani.

Coming up: Who angered the fart gods????

scrappydew said:

I have been to 49 states, and am waiting to travel to Alaska to fulfill my goal!

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i see a DCL cruise to alaska in your (hopefully very near) future.

Great report so far!

jtba said:

i see a DCL cruise to alaska in your (hopefully very near) future.

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I would like to in the next 3 years, if possible!

alohamom said:

Great report so far!

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Thank you!

Looking forward to more! Thanks for taking the time to share with us!

disnygirl55 said:

Looking forward to more! Thanks for taking the time to share with us!

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Hopefully I'll get more done today!

Day 2: Who angered the fart gods??

We were up bright and early June 2nd. DH and DD walked around the resort again, getting a feel for the property, while I had coffee on the balcony.

Our room was a deluxe studio - a queen bed, and a sofa bed that converted to a queen bed. My DH said it's the most comfortable sofa bed he's ever been on!


After it opened, we went across the street to the ABC Island Country Market Store to buy a few supplies. We knew we would have a car later in the week, and just got a few things to tide us over, but it was still $80. We had purchased the Aulani refillable mugs last night, so we didn't need to buy soda, just milk and juice. For our length of stay, it made sense for us to get the mugs.
Our kitchen had a mini frig that easily held a gallon of milk, juice, yogurt with lots of room leftover; toaster; microwave; coffee pot; drinkware, dishes (some disposable), paper towels, coffee, tea, Palmolive, sponge, and a tea towel. This made making meals in the room fairly easy.

After breakfast, we decided to go to the beach and had no trouble getting chairs that early. By noon, I'd say the beach was almost full. The water felt great, and all us played in the sand and made castles and moats. Even though they are older, it's nice when the kids consent to play with the adults!


Of course we also did the lazy river. I think DH and the kids did the slides, but I tried the one out later in the trip. The hot tub by the grotto was kid soup, but what a gorgeous view from the infinity pool.
For lunch, we bought chicken tenders and fries from Mama's Beach house - which made my daughter happy! In fact, we shared two meals, plenty for us for lunch today.
In the afternoon, we took a rest; then checked out the Community Hall and the store. For supper, we decided to try Pizza Corner across the street. The owner greeted us, and was sympathetic to DD, who was still not feeling the best. He told us many remedies to try; even went back to the kitchen in search of fresh ginger for her. Then before we left, he handed us free cinnamon rolls!
GROSSNESS AHEAD:
***********************************
Staying in the same room leads to well, a lack of privacy sometimes. We are a very open family, but there are times when it's regrettable.

We are exhausted, jet lag has us knackered...........
......................then DS starts farting. My usually stoic, introverted, highly intelligent 16 year old boy became as giddy as a teenage girl with her first crush. He insisted on describing each bodily eruption with great detail; laughing uncontrollably; demanding to know why he was so gassy; laughing more, which only served to bring on more emanations. I finally convinced him to try to use the bathroom while breathing through my hands, wondering what I had done to anger the fart gods.

Finally DS calmed down, the air cleared, and we were able to go to sleep without the fear of dying.
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Next: It's my turn to be sick???

We loved the queen sofa bed too, it really is pretty comfortable for a pull out. The whole studio set up is great actually.
That is sooo funny about your son and I can certainly commiserate, I have a 16yr old son too! It is usually my DH who angers those gods tho!!!

Day 3 - It's my turn to be sick??

Once again, the adults are up very early, by 4:00 a.m., and the kids by 6:00 a.m. DH decides to check out the fitness room at some point, and he says its busy even this early.
We are ready by 8:00 a.m. to head to the beach again and have no trouble finding chairs.


At some point, we decide to head up to the pool area, and it was more difficult to find chairs. We wind up talking to a CM about the chair saving situation, and her thoughts. She said people didn't understand the significance of the folded towels on the chair. Occasionally people would come back, not notice the towel, then get upset if their things were moved. She was telling people around the chairs to remind the people they needed to move the towel to start the clock again, so to speak. One of the things she thought might help would be more signs. When we were there, I think there was only one sign by the towel place, and they did not verbally tell us the policy.

I guess there is also talk of cubbies, but management felt they need to be electronically locked; therefore they needed to be undercover, which takes space. Space, which is hard to find. I'm not sure they need locked, but I'm wondering if Disney would be concerned about liability if things went missing?

It's getting on in the day, and it's time for food. For lunch, I make an almost fatal mistake. I get adventuresome.

Now, we are definitely meat-and-potatoes, plain food people. I am the most willing to try new things, especially I am cooking. I was also fortunate to spend 3 months in France in college, and that really expanded my palate. When you stay with other families, you eat what they place in front of you, or you go hungry. I learned to love camambert, brie, pate, tomato salad, etc. I even tried blood sausage. I get bored of cooking the same things, you know? By sheer effort, I got my DH and myself to like asparagus, by serving it once or twice for years. Now, we really like it, but the kids remain unconvinced. Any new food is viewed with great suspicion and pursed lips and shaking head. Sheesh, they act like I am trying to poison them!

One of the places to grab food is Little Opihi's, down by the beach. I see a description of something called a spring roll. I'm on vacation, it's time to get out of my rut, and try something new. We get this and some other things from Mama's Beach House, and head up to the room.

The first bite or so...well, different, isn't it? Okay. Not what I like as far as taste, but I can eat it, right?

Then I get a bite of .....something. I can't remember having a reaction like this quite before. I mean, if I don't like it, that's one thing, but to have an instant almost primeval urge to, well, barf? I gingerly take little bites, still not loving it.........

............then there it is again. The urge is stronger this time. There is some for plant (herb ?) in the wrap. I try to pick it out, but now my stomach is warning me in no uncertain terms it is NOT happy.

I try a few more little bites......then there it is again. I give up. I refuse to be sick. I eat someone's leftover chicken and fries. So much for adventure!

Something we do as a family today is to paint cells of characters. We inquired about this activity the day before, and warned that is VERY popular. In fact, if we wanted to join the class, it was recommended that we be at the Community Hall as soon as it opened to sign up. There were people waiting in line when it opened. However, each person could sign up their whole family, so the spots go very quickly.

The character is outlined on basically a transparency type of material. We are given acrylic paint and instructions, and spend close to an hour decorating our character. I think we all did Stitch, but Mickey and Minnie were available also, and one other, but I can't remember who. We were seated by a family from San Francisco who come to Hawaii every year, but this was their first time to Aulani. Since they have been so often, they didn't feel the need to leave the resort. I think a lot of people feel that way, that Aulani is a destination of itself.



In spite of the omnious clouds, the weather holds, and we spend the rest of our day with the usual suspects: lazy river, hot tubs, etc. For supper, I get take out food from Off the Hook.

One thing we learned, it is very easy to spend lots of money on food, even if you are trying to watch your budget. In fact, we spent twice what we wanted to on food at Aulani.
I really don't know what we could have done differently, except buy more food at the store and prepare it, but we didn't have a stove or oven, so we were limited. Oh, well, I didn't really need that Dooney and Burke purse, did I?

Next: Pearl Harbor Day, Aloha Swap Meet, lava cave - and is that a burned up car on blocks???

Day 4 - Pearl Harbor Day, Aloha Swap Meet, lava cave - and is that a burned up car on blocks???

First, a PSA. Don't forget to change the time on your camera. I remembered several days into the trip, so they are a little mixed up on my computer. I still haven't turned it back.

Carry on!

Today, we woke up early as usual; 5:30 a.m. We went downstairs to get our car rental at 7:00 a.m. There are usually people waiting, so plan on getting there a little before. Today we drove to Pearl Harbor.



I had gone to concierge the night before and gotten directions printed out. They have these handy at the desk. They trip went smoothly, and we were there in plenty of time to check-in. DH had prepurchased the tickets on the website, and following the advice on these boards, went early in case it got too choppy for the boats. Also, the traffic on a Saturday morning wasn't bad at all.

Because it is a military installation, they observe morning colors (the playing of the national anthem.) While I was in the gift shop, I noticed that they were not allowing any people in (there is a guard out front), and they were saluting the flag while the anthem played. Unfortunately it was very hard to hear in the gift shop, and several people were trying to ask the cashier questions. She gently shushed them, and continued holding her hand on her heart. It was moving to see everyone just stopping for a moment.

There is a two-part museum that we walked through. There are some neat exhibits, including this interactive one:



At the time of your ticket, you line up for a 20 minute movie, then get on the boat that takes you to the Arizona Memorial. We had about 15 minutes before we were to line up to go back. There was a volunteer giving some facts and information about the memorial itself, but you could walk around as you wished. I only wish we would have a little more time to read the plaques.

On a recent Podcast about things to do on Oahu, it was recommended that every American visit Pearl Harbor. It is definitely a solemn experience, and I'm glad my kids got to visit here.

We didn't choose to do anything else here; I enjoy history but the family, not so much. So on to the Swap Meet!



Since we were arriving later, the parking was hard to come by. We paid a few dollars to get in, then drove almost the whole way around before we found a spot in a bigger parking lot. The state fair was also happening, so I'm wondering if they shared parking?

You've heard it said to come here for souvenirs, and they are right. Clothes, jewelry, souvenirs, lotions, hot sauces, nuts, etc. Don't come hungry or thirsty as there were only a few fruit stands, and I don't recall any drinks. It is a long way around the stadium when you are walking, and towards the end I did get tired. There are also a lot of very similar items, but we found gifts for DD's friends, nuts for me, and my DH's favorite find:



Real banana flavored taffy!!!! He is a happy camper, and I have no idea why he's sideways. Curse you photo editing software that doesn't behave like I think you should!!

Sigh.

Sorry about that. I might have the fortitude to fix it another day.

After our haul, we decide to drive up the westward or "leeward" coast as far as we can on Route 93. It ends at a certain point that is sacred to the Hawaiians; I believe they hold this is where recently departed loved ones join their ancestors.



As you can see, lots of families had come out to spend the day. The vehicle that followed us here had a grill in the back, and they were setting up.

We head back down, and this is a view of the coast:



You know, pictures can't do it justice. I am an okay photographer at best, but this is a time where you almost just put the camera down to experience it all.

A little ways down the road you find this:



Although we didn't see this at first, we just saw some people climbing straight up the mountain, and a lot of cars parked along the road. That's usually a sign something is up (here's your sign! ) This is across the road, and at first we weren't sure what it was. This is Makua Cave, a mysterious cave with many legends. One is this:

"Another legend tells of the shapeshifter Kamohoali'i, who could transform himself from a shark into a man. He and his human wife had a son, Nanaue. When Nanaue discovered his taste for meat, just like all man-eating sharks, from then on he always had an appetite for human flesh. So whenever he was hungry, he disguised himself as a human to trick his victims. He then dragged them into the cave and ate them. But when residents later found out about Nanaue's true identity, that he was a shark man, they captured and killed him." (from the Hawaii Go website.)

I'm glad I didn't know this before hand or I might have been a little creeped out.

Here are the kids, unaware of the imminent danger:



Hey kids! It was nice knowing you! (Just kidding!) Maybe.

DH and I headed towards the front while the kids explored just a little.

There was a woman hanging around the cave entrance, clearly waiting. Remember those people that were headed straight up the mountain? On land clearly marked "Access Restricted" and "Military Installation"? It turns out that there is a technically illegal hike to a higher cave. There are google reviews about the difficulty and the beautiful view from the top, but I had no desire to get blown up or anything. Plus, we are rule followers. Well, 99% of the time

Anyhoo, the woman started talking to us, and we discovered that she lives in Bucks County, PA, and her sister lives in the same New Jersey town as my sister. Weird and neat at the same time, right? Stay tuned in this report for another crazy coincidence!

We had taken our swim stuff in case we wanted to stop at a beach, but we were content to just head on back. Plus, at the one beach there was a burned up car on blocks! So we felt we should maybe skip that beach for now.

On the way back to Aulani, we hit up a Foodland Grocery Store to stock up once again. DH was freaking out a little about the prices. They have a "regular" price, plus the price for members. All you need to do is to give the cashier your phone number, and you get the cheaper price, no fee or cards, or nuttin. Whew - that saved us $25!

And to prove the orneryness of teenagers, they insisted we buy broccoli to steam in the microwave. Of all things! Weird kids.

Supper was what we had purchased at the grocery store.

Later, the kids "highly" urged us to go get an adult beverage because they wanted to be alone in the hotel room. Alone with their electronics, that is. Also DS had been talking to his girlfriend and preferred privacy from the parents (his sister had her headphones on.)

So, DH and I went to the Olelo Room to get drinks and a shared cheesecake. I had a lava flow which was soooooooooooo good. The total came to $42. I guess you could consider it a cheap date!

Next: Today I about died - twice! Diamond Head, Overlook, Blowhole

Day 5 - Today I about died - twice! Diamond Head, Overlook, Blowhole

Today we picked up our rental about 7:00 a.m., and drove to Diamond Head with the directions provided by Aulani. We opted to drive into the parking lot, although many vehicles were parked along the road before the tunnel. The fee was $5, then you joined a line of cars to get a place. They had a guy standing on a step stool watching to spot cars pulling out, then he gives you the okay to take it. Very polite, but I wondered why the parking lots in Hawaii always seemed so small.

Now, this is something that I considered a must-to. My family, less so. I knew it would be a workout for me, so I had prepared by doing walking. I was walking 4 miles at a shot, several times a week. However, I should have been walking on more of an incline.

The park opens at 6:00 a.m., and the earlier you can get there the better. The heat was already climbing fast, and the sun was very intense. The path starts off paved, but soon ends and is very uneven and rocky at spots, but there are handrails you can hold.






You can see the switchbacks. I made sure to rest at every single opportunity or shade. I also drank lots of water.

Captain_Oblivious has stated that he only comes in two colors: white and red. I like that description, and those happen to my colors also! I'm sure I looked much worse than I felt, because I had many opportunities to interact with very nice people concerned about me. Some were locals: one was saying take your time, enjoy, you'll be fine; another was a serviceman stationed here from Wisconsin. He didn't miss shoveling snow, but he did miss the seasons. So you might say this became a social occasion!

The family went ahead, so I was able to relax and just take my time and enjoy the view. There were also some crazy people JOGGING up the trail. It took me twice as long, but I didn't die! And the view...



I could have stayed here for hours. Alas, the family waited: the kids had long scampered down to the car, and the DH was ready to go. Going downhill was easy-peasy. I only took two brief breaks, but DH's knees bothered him a little. After your hike, you long for refreshment. I will tell you there are soda machines there a tad temperemental and a shave ice truck. I had to make do with a diet Pepsi, cause that's all the machine wanted to give me.

Next we drove to downtown Honolulu to visit the iconic King Kamehameha Statute. We enjoy watching Hawaii Five-O, so I'd point out things to DD we'd see when we were in Hawaii. It was a Sunday, so the parking was not an issue, we parked almost in front of it.






We walked across the street to view the Lolani Palace from the outside, before trying to get lunch.






On the 3rd try, we finally found a McDonald's. The other two we whipped right by before realizing it. A lot of the buildings didn't stand out like they would here. McDonald's looked like the buildings around it, even the Foodland Grocery Store was hard to spot because it blended in. This is the time you trust the GPS; if it says it's there, it's there!

This McDonald's was two stories, and guess where the kids wanted to sit?? That's right, they made me climb up the steps!

Now, we have our food, I'm feeling tired, and a little sick, but not bad, I start eating...........................


........................then it hits me. I have forgotten to lock the safe.

Yup. I forgot. I had gotten something out the night before, blithely thinking that I'd remember in the morning. Nope, never even crossed my mind. Instant, pure panic. And an utter sickness. I looked at my happy kids, and my happy DH and thought: there's no way I'm saying anything. If anything was gone, there's no point in saying anything now. And if anything is gone, my DH is gonna kill me. Now, I was 99.99% sure that everything would be okay (this is Aulani), but there's always that teensy doubt. Read on to find out if I die or not (but I bet you can guess the outcome )

However, I can't eat another bite. I'm done, but I sent up a prayer and determine to try to enjoy the rest of the day. Onwards!

Next we drive to the Nulani Pali lookout. It costs $3 to park in the really small parking lot, and here again is a parking attendant trying to help direct the flow of the traffic. And there is something unusual....wild chickens! We would see them a lot of Oahu.



Now, there is a section on the right with a sign clearly marked: do not go past this point, falling rocks. There is a huge pile of rocks there. And yep, you guessed it, a younger girl and her granddad? dad? were gone right past it. sigh. I don't know why, it didn't look like anything was over there? Maybe just to do it, I guess.

After the outlook and the tunnels, we took Route 72 to go around the lower tip of Oahu and head back to Honolulu. This is full of amazing scenery, tons of places to park and look. We also went past the Sea Life Park.

Here is Makapuu Beach and Lookout. That day there were numerous families and children looking at the nearby tide pools. Sadly, recently a father and six-year old daughter drowned by the tide pools because a huge wave knocked her out and the dad went to save her. He was in excellent shape, an experienced surfer, but sometimes humans are just no match. A reminder that life is precious and to savor every moment with your family.






We also stopped by the Halona Blowhole, but the water wasn't high enough to make the water spray up. Still neat, though. There was something fountaining up further down the beach; never did figure out what that was, exactly.

So, we continue our drive past just gorgeous scenery and return our car to Aulani. While the family crashed in the room, I nonchalantly opened the closet door to where the safe was.........

.....................and of course it was all there. Whew! My DH doesn't need to kill me after all. I of course offer fervent thanks. However, this whole experience has left me emotionally and physically somewhat sick, so I lay down for a while, then spent a lot of time on our balcony. The kids vegged out, DH went to the lazy river and at some point had a $9 adult beverage. I think we just ate in the room that night.

Next: Another crazy coincidence, the Starlit Hui, and pics in the hot tub!

Day 6: Another crazy coincidence, the Starlit Hui, and pics in the hot tub!

Today was a relaxing day. We chose to do the lazy river, the hot tubs, and the pool. One of my favorite hot tubs was the adult infinity hot tub, and the hot tub by the bridge. This one didn't seem to get as busy as the others, plus it had chairs in the shade.
DH noticed that one of the photographers would take your picture from across the way, so we got ours done:



This picture cracks me up:



DS was just thrilled to take this picture, can you tell??



Now, for the crazy coincidence: we were standing in line to get out towels. DD was wearing a soccer t-shirt that had the name of our town on it. The man standing next to us, asked "Is ___________town in Pennsylvania?" We said, yes, of course! Turns out he lives about 1 hour from us, his girlfriend who he was here with, about 20 minutes, and they frequent the same ice cream shop we do! Crazy! To think we flew all this way, only to find some neighbors!

Tonight we experience the Starlit Hui. This doesn't occur every night, so you'll need to watch the Daily Iwa for when it is scheduled. We lined up well ahead of time to get hopefully near the front. You are given grass mats to sit on the ground. While we were near the front, we were also pretty far to the side, so the viewing wasn't the greatest. They do have some artisans you can visit, doing basket weaving and other activities while you wait for the show to begin.

The Starlit Hui is a good mix for families: there are times when the kids can learn a hula and join in; there are traditional hulas and singers; a little bit of fire; an awesome ukelele duo, and a finish with Disney characters. It wasn't too long, which was good, because I did get very stiff sitting. There were some benches for those guests who can't sit on the ground.



Afterwards, DH and I walk around getting some pictures of the resort at night, while the kids scamper back to the room and their electronics.

Next: Byodo-In Temple, Kualoa Ranch, North Shore and the kids get a 'tude!

Day 7: Byodo-In Temple, Kualoa Ranch, North Shore, and the kids get a 'tude!

Today we get a rental car to travel to some local sites. It is a beautiful clear day, with the trade winds.

Our first stop is the Byodo-In Temple. It is a replica of a very old temple in Japan; it also has been featured on Hawaii Five-O. Something that surprised me is that is surrounded by a cemetery. There is a guardhouse that you only need to stop at if you wish to buy flowers for a grave. It was amazing and beautiful how many fresh flowers adored the sites. You can't see the temple from the road, you kind of weave back towards the mountain up and down little hills.



It cost $3 per person to enter the grounds. Again, the parking lot was kind of tiny.




Here DH rings the bell.

There are koi ponds here, black swans, and many friendly birds. They seemed to have no fear of us at all.

To enter the temple, there is a sign requesting you remove your shoes, and you can light incense sticks.

A lady had purchased some fish food and graciously gave Riley some:




This was a quiet, tranquil place. It also had a little gift shop.

Next was Kualoa Ranch. Our DD loves Jurassic Park. When we first planned our trip, we thought about taking a helicopter tour to see the place where the helicopter landed in Jurassic Park. Seeing as it wasn't on Oahu, we'll have to do that another day. Kualoa Ranch is the place where many TV shows and movies have shot scenes: Hawaii Five-O, Lost, 50 First Dates, Godzilla, etc.

Kualoa Ranch is also a 4000 acre ranch that has been in the same family since the 1800's. It is also a pioneer in promoting self-supporting agriculture for the islands. They raise not only cattle, but prawns, fish, taro, bananas, sweet potatoes, and lots of other plants.

During WWII, it was also used as a military installation, and you can still see remnants of them. Roughly 1/2 the tour on an old school bus touched on the various gun turrets, barracks, etc. However, I was captured by the view:




Amazing!

And here is the obligatory Jurassic Park log shot:





I believe the tour was about 1 1/2 hours long. The Kualoa Ranch is a hopping place: they offer horse rides, ATV rides, zip lines, and they have a gift shop and restaurant. Maybe next time we'll all try the ATV's!

Next, we continued onto the North Shore. Now, when DH and I planned our trip, one must-do was eat at a shrimp truck. No one told the kids, however. Keep that in mind for later.

One place we wanted to try to find was Turtle Beach. Remember, lots of cars probably mean something's up. This area was crowded with cars and congested, so even though we weren't sure exactly where it was, we thought this was probably it. Be careful here, as you have to cross the road to get to the beach, and there are lots of cars trying to park and leave in both directions.

And here is was what we saw:



You can just see a rope to the top of the picture. There was someone there making sure that no one harassed the turtles, and there was information available about their conservation.

This was all we saw, but sometimes I understand there are lots more.

We saw lots of shrimp trucks, and finally stopped at this one in Halewei:



We got garlic and coconut shrimp. However the kids were upset because DS wanted pizza, and we hadn't consulted them what they were eating. Although we told them to walk down the street to see what was available, they flatly refused. DD ate one shrimp and said she liked it, she didn't eat any more. You can't see in the picture, but I'm sitting right by the truck, and to the side of me was a trash can that a chicken had flown up to the top and was picking through. She had a lot of little babies waiting patiently below.

We got one dinner to share ($15!) but it was so good we wanted more and got a second dinner. I would highly recommend this place.

To get home, we went through the middle of the island, and passed fields and fields of pineapple fields as well as artichokes. We saw the Dole Plantation and basically used it as a potty break: the podcast has it correct when they said you can get every kind of souvenir with the words Dole Plantation on it!



For supper, we scrounged in our room and ate our groceries.

Later we all went to the fire pit near Ama Ama to hear Uncle tell stories about the Menehune. There isn't much seating, so come early to get a good seat. It's magical how he lights and puts the fire out!

Next: Day 8: Shave ice, Menehune Adventure Trail, and Shopping!