Hawaii... Days 1-4

Just a fair warning...I'm posting a ton of pictures from this trip. How could I not? It was hands down the most beautiful place I have ever seen!

My parents took all of the adult children and spouses on a Hawaiian cruise to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. This was the first extended family vacation without all of the grandchidlren. And let me say that it definitely won't be the last! It was so fun to relax and do fun things jut as adults. And in Hawaii nonetheless! This was Trevor's and my first trip to Hawaii and our first cruise as well. I would so recommmend this to anyone, especially if you've never been to Hawaii. It was kind of like ordering a sampler plate at a restaurant. You got a little taste of everything so that next time you come you know what you like and would like to order more of. We spent a little time on each of the major islands. They are all so different and have so many unique adventures to offer. If we are lucky enough to come back, we have a pretty good idea of where we would like to spend more time.


We did a ton of research for this vacation. There were a lot of things to coordinate on each island. We did a couple of shore excursions through the cruise ship but planned most of the activities on our own, saving a significant amount of money. My sister-in-law even put together a spread sheet of the week for easy reference. (Sounds a little over the top but it was so so helpful!) We packed in all kinds of fun things to do on each island. I was a little worried that we were overscheduling ourselves but it didn't feel like that at all. I think the difference was traveling with adults only. It was so much easier to go from one activity to the next without worrying about dragging kids along.


We flew over a day early, before the cruise began, so that we could see some of the sights on Oahu. We spent time at the Polynesisan Cultural Center, Hawaii Temple and Pearl Harbor.

We crusied on the Norweigian Cruise Line's Pride of America. We embarked on Saturday afternoon. Holy cow, the ship was enormous! And I loved cruising. Loved, loved, loved it!

Sunday morning we were in Hilo on the Big Island. We rented a car and found a church so we could attend Sacrament Meeting. The people were so welcoming and so kind. We arrived after the meeting had already started and were fine to just sit in the foyer but the doors were open and ward members saw us and motioned for us to join them. Families scooted over and put children on their laps to make room for us on the benches. They were in the middle of singing a hymn and they even passed us their open hymnbooks. Throughout the whole week I was so impressed with the kindness of the Hawaiian people.

Then we drove to Akaka Falls. Short hike along a lush trail with the most beautiful plant life you've ever seen ending with an amazing view of a 400 foot waterfall.

We had lunch at a sandwich shop that is in the middle of paradise. The food was a bit of paradise, too! They grow the fruit to make smoothies right there on the property.

Then we drove to Volcanoes National Park. Looked out over the mouth of an active volcano and lava fields. Hiked through old lava tubes. Stood over active steam vents. A place unlike anywhere else on the planet.

Moday was the first of two days on Maui. We went through a private company that offered guided hikes to a couple of beautiful waterfalls where we went swimming. Some even did a little cliff jumping. Our guide pointed out fruit trees along the way where we picked and ate guava and passion fruit.



We spent the rest of the day seeing the sights on the west side of the island. We drove along the incredibly scenic coast, did a little snorkeling and relaxed on the beach. My favorite beach of the day was Kahekili Beach. It was a perfect place to watch the sunset.>