Honeymoon in Hawaii!
I figured I should recap our honeymoon to remember how awesome it was! I know its six months later, but it is definitely worth documenting! We were at the big island of Hawaii near the town of Kona.
Day 1
Day 2
Of course, when you fall asleep at 8pm local time you wake up at the crack of dawn! We awoke to the sound of thousands of birds going crazy! You couldn’t see them since the sun wasn’t up yet, but it was amazingly loud! We then went down to the big island breakfast, but we were too early and they weren’t done setting up yet. We watched the fish jump in the water and then finally stuffed our faces with the amazing buffet! They had American, Japanese, and Polynesian food so you got a little taste of the different cultures that make Hawaii. Afterwards we walked around the resort and hung out in a hammock. The resort has a bay connected to the ocean so the animals can come and go as they please. We saw lots of turtles and fish and Andy swam around with them. The water was a little too cool for me, so I stayed in the hammock!
Day 3
Later that day we went and swam with the dolphins! Since the resort has the salt water bay, they have a dolphin cove with trainers that work with them. We got to feed, pet, and play with them! Later they had a choreographed dolphin dance where they showed off their flips and tricks! Afterward we tried out our conch shell blowing skills (I was the best they’d ever seen) and then had a sunset picnic. We were able to have a point that jutted out into the water all by ourselves and we spread out a blanket and enjoyed it! It was great ending to a wonderful day!
Day 4
We had a scheduled tour that took us around the entire big island on a bus with a large group of people. It was a great and cheap way to see everything on the island and not just the resort. We also learned a lot about the history of the big island and got to see all of its big attractions! The big island is like a third world country in many places. Since they are on an island, importing things is much more expensive. Most of them don’t have running water and they just have large basins out in their yard to collect the rain. Also, their power bills are the highest in America. Instead of using the power from all the volcanic activity on the island, they import oil and burn it (a big political issue). We were told an average power bill is over $200.
The big island also has every climate zone except for the tundra. They have mountains, desert, rainforest, grasslands, and forests. You wouldn’t think they would have a desert, but we saw it! Basically the way the island is, it only rains on the northern end and the southern end never sees rain. This makes for a great vacation spot because it didn’t rain at all while we were there except when we traveled to the northern side on our tour.
We took an island hopper over to Oahu, which is where Honolulu and Pearl Harbor are. Since my birthday is December 7th and Andy is a huge history buff, we had to make sure we saw Pearl Harbor while we were there. The valor in the pacific national monument has a lot of different things to walk around and see. We were able to look at a lot of the old war equipment scattered throughout the monument and there is a museum about the attacks. We watched a video and then headed out by boat to the USS Arizona, which is still at the bottom of the bay. Since it is so shallow, many parts of the ship are still sticking out of the water. They built a memorial over the ship and it is actually still leaking oil today. You could see the river of oil going out into the ocean.
Afterwards, we went out to the USS Missouri, which is docked and accessible for tours. It hasn’t actively been used for duty since the 70’s, so you have free reign to wander about and see how people lived on the ship. I wouldn’t want to be stuck below deck and have to step over those doorways all the time! We then went out to Waikiki for shopping and got to walk along the beach. It was must more crowded and touristy than the big island with a college scene and the big city nightlife. However, it was definitely the place to surf!
On Friday we enjoyed the pool and then went to the big Luau for dinner! We paid a little bit more for better seats and unlimited food and drinks! They even roasted a pig and pulled him out of the ground for our food. They had tribal artists and dancers that could teach you how to dance and authentic Hawaiian food, which I know I can’t pronounce or remember how to say correctly. Then after dinner the show began! They had Hawaiian dancers and fire breathers! Andy even got called up on stage to perform the dance with them and it was hilarious! It was a great ending to our week!
Day 7
Day 1
We left at the crack of dawn, about 4am from the hotel (a mere few hours after the wedding ended). We jumped on a 2 hour plane from home to Atlanta, then a 5 hour ride to LA, followed up by 6 hours to Kona, Hawaii! Talk about some tired honeymooners! We ended up arriving at 2am our time the next day, so that’s almost 24 hours of traveling! We had a nice dinner at our almost deserted resort hotel (May is the perfect time to vacation because all the kids are still in school) and then called it a night!
Day 2
Of course, when you fall asleep at 8pm local time you wake up at the crack of dawn! We awoke to the sound of thousands of birds going crazy! You couldn’t see them since the sun wasn’t up yet, but it was amazingly loud! We then went down to the big island breakfast, but we were too early and they weren’t done setting up yet. We watched the fish jump in the water and then finally stuffed our faces with the amazing buffet! They had American, Japanese, and Polynesian food so you got a little taste of the different cultures that make Hawaii. Afterwards we walked around the resort and hung out in a hammock. The resort has a bay connected to the ocean so the animals can come and go as they please. We saw lots of turtles and fish and Andy swam around with them. The water was a little too cool for me, so I stayed in the hammock!
Later that day we went and got relaxing massages by the ocean. Since we were there as a rewards guest we had access to the spa area, which is basically a fancy locker room with a sauna and hot tub. Only problem is that guys and girls were separated, so we pampered ourselves alone for a while and then met back up and walked down to the shopping area! We had a nice fish dinner by the water, but then Andy had an allergic reaction to something and broke out in a rash on his legs. We think it was from the massage oils, but we’re really not sure. We headed back and called it an early night!
Day 3
We went scuba diving! We rode a shuttle down to A bay, which in Hawaiian is something much more complicated to say, and got on a boat. We had a scuba instructor and another family who was letting their daughter dive, so we had a small group. I had taken a training lesson in a pool before, but it was nothing like the real thing! We saw lots of fish and got up close and personal with a sea turtle. Unfortunately we used our entire disposable camera on the first dive and of course all of the really cool things happened on the second one! Our instructor found a small reef shark hiding out in the coral and scared it off. Then we found an octopus and got to pet it! It inked everywhere and it was really soft to touch. They gave us really awesome local pineapple for a snack and then it was back to the resort.
Later that day we went and swam with the dolphins! Since the resort has the salt water bay, they have a dolphin cove with trainers that work with them. We got to feed, pet, and play with them! Later they had a choreographed dolphin dance where they showed off their flips and tricks! Afterward we tried out our conch shell blowing skills (I was the best they’d ever seen) and then had a sunset picnic. We were able to have a point that jutted out into the water all by ourselves and we spread out a blanket and enjoyed it! It was great ending to a wonderful day!
Day 4
We had a scheduled tour that took us around the entire big island on a bus with a large group of people. It was a great and cheap way to see everything on the island and not just the resort. We also learned a lot about the history of the big island and got to see all of its big attractions! The big island is like a third world country in many places. Since they are on an island, importing things is much more expensive. Most of them don’t have running water and they just have large basins out in their yard to collect the rain. Also, their power bills are the highest in America. Instead of using the power from all the volcanic activity on the island, they import oil and burn it (a big political issue). We were told an average power bill is over $200.
The big island also has every climate zone except for the tundra. They have mountains, desert, rainforest, grasslands, and forests. You wouldn’t think they would have a desert, but we saw it! Basically the way the island is, it only rains on the northern end and the southern end never sees rain. This makes for a great vacation spot because it didn’t rain at all while we were there except when we traveled to the northern side on our tour.
Hawaii used to have a King back before it joined the United States. It is the only state to have a palace, which was actually very small. I recently watched the movie Lilo and Stitch and it was amazing how that movie had many of the scenes we saw on the big island! We saw the black sand beach, which is made of lava rock, and we went to a coffee bean farm, which are really common on the island. We then went to volcano national park and the Jagger museum, where you can see the steam rising out of the crater from many miles away. Andy was told that if you took a lava rock you would be cursed by the goddess Pele. We really wanted one and were told that you could only take one if you made a sacrifice. They said the goddess really likes gin and the lava has even avoided houses with a gin bottle on the front door, so we gave her some. The funny thing is that the park regularly receives returned lava rocks and letters explaining the bad fortune the person received after leaving with their rock! Well, it’s been 6 months for us and no bad luck, so I guess the gin sacrifice worked!
The next stop was Thurston Lava tube, which is where the lava flowed in a cave like formation so you can walk through it. It felt very similar to being in a cave, except it wasn’t as damp and cold. At this point we were up in rainy Hilo, Hawaii, so we stopped at a chocolate factory for some touristy shopping and samples. We befriended a lady from London on the bus and talked with her. She wanted us to send her some wedding pictures, but I think I lost her email address. One of our last stops was Rainbow falls, a really beautiful water fall in the rainforest of Hilo and then the macadamia nut factory, which was Andy’s favorite. We went around the whole island in one day, and without stops it only takes a couple hours. I think I would go stir crazy living out there since there are no big cities and the best shopping they have is a Sam’s club!
Day 5
We took an island hopper over to Oahu, which is where Honolulu and Pearl Harbor are. Since my birthday is December 7th and Andy is a huge history buff, we had to make sure we saw Pearl Harbor while we were there. The valor in the pacific national monument has a lot of different things to walk around and see. We were able to look at a lot of the old war equipment scattered throughout the monument and there is a museum about the attacks. We watched a video and then headed out by boat to the USS Arizona, which is still at the bottom of the bay. Since it is so shallow, many parts of the ship are still sticking out of the water. They built a memorial over the ship and it is actually still leaking oil today. You could see the river of oil going out into the ocean. 
Afterwards, we went out to the USS Missouri, which is docked and accessible for tours. It hasn’t actively been used for duty since the 70’s, so you have free reign to wander about and see how people lived on the ship. I wouldn’t want to be stuck below deck and have to step over those doorways all the time! We then went out to Waikiki for shopping and got to walk along the beach. It was must more crowded and touristy than the big island with a college scene and the big city nightlife. However, it was definitely the place to surf!
Day 6
On Friday we enjoyed the pool and then went to the big Luau for dinner! We paid a little bit more for better seats and unlimited food and drinks! They even roasted a pig and pulled him out of the ground for our food. They had tribal artists and dancers that could teach you how to dance and authentic Hawaiian food, which I know I can’t pronounce or remember how to say correctly. Then after dinner the show began! They had Hawaiian dancers and fire breathers! Andy even got called up on stage to perform the dance with them and it was hilarious! It was a great ending to our week!Day 7
Saturday was the day we flew home, but since we didn’t leave until that night we figured we would make the best of it! That morning we took a helicopter ride over the volcanoes! We got to see the lava up close and personal! Then we flew over to the northern side of the island where they have all the mountains and waterfalls, it was gorgeous! Too bad it was the first time either of us had ridden in a helicopter and we learned how motion sick Andy can get! He toughed it out, although I don’t think he remembers it as fondly as I do since he was trying to not to get sick the whole time!
After that, I enjoyed our last few hours in Hawaii with Andy passed out in a pool chair. At least he was able to sleep it off before we boarded our 15 hour flight back home!
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