After checking out of our hotel we went to hike to the top of the infamous Diamond Head. It was actually a pretty vigorous hike but with a great view but it was a little too crowded with tourists for my taste.

After having such a blast at the North Shore yesterday we decided to head back. This time I was determined to rent a boogie board and actually surf those monster waves instead of let them toss me around like a rag doll. I rented a boogie board and grabbed a hamburger from Sharks Cove and went to the beach. The waves were gone. It was flat as can be. Glassy. All day I didn’t catch a single wave. I’m sure the guys who rented the boogie board to me were laughing their asses off. I felt like a real tourist. In fact, I was one. Well sunset beach may not be as fun without the waves but it is just as beautiful. And since the waves were gone, we had the entire place to ourselves. It was a great way to finish off our vacation.

On our way to the airport we stopped and met Swede who just moved out there. He took us out (and paid for! Thanks Swede!) our last sushi dinner. Two hours later we were in a plane coming back to the main land.

After a nice long sleep we headed down to Waikiki Beach and signed up for some cheep surf lessons. this consisted of about 10 minutes of beach preparation that went something like this:
1. Lay down on your board. No. Further back. Yeah that’s it. Don’t point your toes.
2. Get up and kneel on one knee.
3. Now stand.
4. Ok, now we’re going to do that in the water.

G kicked ass as she caught, stood up, and rode about 80 percent of the waves she tried for. I was just ok and my arms pooped out early making my paddling weak. I really started to suck during the end. It was a lot of fun though.

Afterwards we headed up to the north-shore to see how it’s really done. Unfortunately we got a little lost on the way and ended up in Hawaii’s sketchy northwest corner. For being such a paradise, Hawaii has a whole host of social problems. The classes are really stratified here, there is tons of racism, a terrible methamphetamine problem, a large number of homeless, and the locals tell us that some what to introduce legalized gambling - yikes. While lost I was able to get my hands on a traditional, drive-thru style loco moco though.

After getting back on track we spent the rest of the afternoon at Sunset Beach - home to the Duke Kahanamoku Classic surfing competition, the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing competition, and occasionally the site of the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational. We body surfed and got pummeled by 4 to 6 foot shore break pounders all afternoon and loved ever minute of it. Two weeks later we are still finding sand thats been wedged into our ears from getting tossed around in the washing machine waves.

That evening we went to eat at Koe’s which was incredible. But I was too tired to enjoy it.

Just about every single morning and evening G and I would head down to poipu beach park to lunge in the sun, swim in the waves, snorkel, sip mai tais and watch the sunset, read books, people watch, check up on the endangered monk seals, stare at the ocean, explore, or just plain veg out. The place was absolutely magical. These photos do it no justice.

After a late night we slept in as long as we could. We checked out, did a little shopping (unfortunately I was just a little too early to enjoy one of the famous puka dogs), and then headed straight to Kipu Falls. The falls are off in the country a ways and they take a short hike through some cane fields to get to but they are popular with tourists and locals alike. And rightfully so. Besides the natural beauty of the falls there is a giant rope swing and cliff jumps here too. In addition, the swimming hole is really large, mellow and glassy.

After a few jumps and a quick swim we rushed off to the airport changing out of our swimsuits on the way. We puddlejump over to Oahu and were in Waikiki in about three hours.

While in Waikiki we stayed at the gorgeous Sheraton Moana Surfrider. We immediately hit Waikiki Beach for a quick dip, pina coladas, and people watching.

For dinner that night we went to a hidden gem for dinner and drinks (When I remember the name of it I’ll put it here. It was an izakaya style restaurant located in a strip mall next to a Papa Johns. It was super friendly, had like a 15 page menu and authentic gyoza. It was a lot of fun and had a great atmosphere to boot. Most of the locals we talked to were surprised and a bit disappointed we found out about this place (probably because they wanted to keep it to themselves). Our check-out guy told us it was one of his favorites. Go there if you can.

After another quick swim in the ocean , G and I headed up to Wailua River -Hawaii’s only navigable river. We ate breakfast at some nondescript diner in Wailua that smelled of mildewy carpets and old coffee. The meal was basically choked down but appreciated. We were on a tight schedule cause we had to take G’s parents to the airport in the late afternoon.

We rented a double sea kayak from the Kamokila Village and headed up the river. This is a great way to get a kayak because it saves you about 45 minutes of paddling and allows you to take the trip unguided so you can spend as much or as little time doing as you please.After about a 15 minute paddle up the river we docked our boat and made the 30 minute hike up to Secret Falls which were stunning. We played around in the falls for a while and just kicked back and enjoyed the view before going back to the kayak and going up the river further. After a while we stumbled upon another really fun swimming hole with some large cliffs and a rope swing to jump off of. All of it was a ton of fun.

However, it was here that I somehow managed to get our digital camera so wet that it would no longer turn on. Water in the screen, on the battery, in the lenses. Soaked. Busted.

After our kayaking and swimming hole adventures we took a quick look at Opaeka’a Falls and the Wailua River Lookout. Then we headed to Bubba’s Burgers for some good old rejuvenating grease. We ate on the deck and watched the huge surf on Kapaa beach.

After dropping G’s parents off at the airport we raced up to Princeville to try and visit Queens Bath. Looks beautiful doesn’t it? It can be an uncomfortable place in the middle of the night, empty, with storms brewing. We didn’t make it till late in the evening and the treacherously path down to the shore was pitch dark and slippery from rain. When we reached the bottom we realized we were on a very dangerous rocky outcropping with really strong seas below us. On the horizon lightning storms were brewing and would occasionally light up the precipice we were standing on. After a few minutes we turned back up the trail and G had a full blown panic attack and barely made it back to the top. We headed straight to The Princeville Hotel so G could catch her breath.

After we both calmed down a bit we headed to the Blue Dolphin Restaurant (which also doubles a backdoor fish market) in Hanalei where we had the best sushi of the entire trip (we ate sushi/sashimi whenever we had the chance) which redeemed the evening. It was very late by the time we got back to our room.