After Hours in Hawaii

One of the things that has surprised me about our time here is that we don't do a lot at night after work is done.  One reason is that we're TIRED.  Another is that it gets dark so much earlier than it did when we left North Carolina.  Of course it's later in the year now than it was when we left, and Hawaii does not observe daylight savings time.

We have tried to get in a few more outings, though, as our time to leave draws nearer, so this post includes a few pictures from our after-work-hours adventures.

The little town of Waianae is situated right between the Waianae mountain range and the Pacific Ocean.  These  are our views every day.

Denise had read about a "hidden" beach, so we searched and found it, along with this burned and abandoned car!  I'm thinking "get away car".

Maybe this was the bandits' hide-out!  But since the sign had obviously fallen down a long time ago, and since the beach was too pretty to "Stay Out", we didn't.  Well, I didn't.

These were our views just a little further down the road.

And this is the sun, as it sets, reflecting off the clouds. 

Yes, we will miss all of this when we return home.

Tying Up Loose Ends in Hawaii

Although we didn't have this week's schedule, we were pretty sure that Sunday (9/27) was going to be our last day off with Art and Denise, so we wanted to be SURE to fit in everything we had on our list of things to do.  That meant a five mile (round trip) hike to Ka'ena Point.  So we packed up at 6:00 AM and headed to where the road ends on this side of the island.

Although the sun was just coming up, a lot of fishermen were already there.

I was a little nervous about the hike, but it was a wide, rocky, relatively flat trail that followed the coastline.  There were breathtaking mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.    Not far into the hike we heard a sound like a foghorn coming from a blowhole, and not far after that we came upon this arch.  EVERYthing was so interesting!

Denise and Art made me nervous, but they assured me that they were in NO danger at any time.

The skies were gray, the weather misty/cloudy/drizzly, and it rained on and off during the hike.  It not only made for a really muddy trail, but also kept us cool and created some pretty rainbows!

As we got near the point, we entered a bird sanctuary.  There is a two-doored gate (you open one and go in, then close it and open the other to go out) that leads into a HUGE fenced area (very Jurassic Park), and the path is marked off by ropes to keep people from stepping on bird nests/baby birds.  We saw several shearwater chicks which are protected here, but we did not see any of the endangered albatross.  

And then we reached the point!  All of a sudden I could see the other side of the Waianae mountain range that dominates our view each morning when we walk out of our door at Pu'u Kahea!

We climbed in left-over military pill-box for a little shelter from the rain, and had plenty of comfortable rocks to rest on.  Art's rock was a little unstable; he said his was a rocking chair.  (He keeps us entertained!)

Art and Denise gaze out from the very most western tip of Oahu.

It is so beautiful that it's really hard to describe.  I wish I had taken more pictures.  (My fellow travelers make fun of me taking so many, but I don't think anyone has ever regretted taking too many pictures!)

And then, as if the hike were not wonderful enough, we saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal on the way back.  They are an endangered species--probably less than 1,100 in existence--and we saw one!  I know it doesn't look like much in the picture, but it was very exciting to me.

We reached the parking lot and our borrowed car, and as we drove back toward Pu'u Kahea, we saw about TWENTY dolphins playing not far offshore.

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After showering away the mud from our morning hike, we headed to the windward side of the island to one of out favorite beaches, Kailua Beach.  And was it ever windy!  There were dozens of kite and wind surfers on the water, and we loved watching them from our resting spot under the trees!  After awhile, though, our mouths, ears, scalps, etc. were filled with sand because the wind was blowing so hard, so we decided it was time to move on.

We made our way back toward the Honolulu area, stopping at some of our favorite overlooks along the way.

We ended our day at the Macaroni Grill in Honolulu, then walked off all the calories we had eaten because we couldn't find where we had parked the car!

Another great day with the Smiths! 

In Search of a Perfect Beach in Hawaii

Last Thursday was one of our two-a-week days off.  We look forward to them and plan for them and enjoy them to the fullest!  On this day off we wanted to relax and rest and slow down a little, so we went in search of a perfect beach.  There are SO many to choose from!


On the way to the North Shore, we pulled over to check out some Dole pineapple fields.  I wouldn't want to work in them--they look painful!  But the pineapples sure are good to eat!

We stopped by Turtle Beach, because we couldn't pass up an opportunity to possibly see Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles.  These turtles are an endangered species, and get their name not because they're green on the outside, but because their internal body fat is green.  They can weigh up to 400 pounds, and we saw some BIG ones!  We probably saw 10, but they were swimming and feeding near the rocks and didn't come ashore to pose for pictures. 




We stopped at several beaches, trying to find one that met our criteria for the day:
1.  Trees for shade
2.  Calm water for swimmimg
3.  Reefs for snorkeling
4.  Easy access
5.  A bath house
6.  Empty of all people besides us  :)

This one was amazing, but the trees were too far from the water.   I couldn't snorkel, and didn't want to be too far from the others.  (As it turns out, I broke my hand in the hiking fall and ended my water play for this trip.)


 All that searching made us hungry, so we stopped at a road-side stand for fresh fruit.  Sliced coconut and pineapple.  (And maybe a fried banana.)

We finally ended up at Pounder's Beach.  The water was too rough for swimming or snorkeling, but there were trees for shade, and the only other people were far away.  And we just wanted to rest.

 The skies to the right were gray and moody, and the skies to the left were a brilliant blue.

Tim didn't really need the shade trees--he just rigged up a towel on a stick!

Pretty vegetation growing at the water's edge.  They aren't grapes--not sure what they are.

All that salt air made us hungry (pretty much everything makes us hungry), so we headed out to find lunch.  Guess what Tim and Art wanted?  Yes.  Cheeseburgers.  We ended up at Seven Brothers, a restaurant that had been recommended to us.  DELICIOUS!

This is the PQniolo "Cowboy" burger.  What was I thinking?  And in case you're wondering, no, you can't eat this with one hand.  I gave away one of the two humongous onion rings, took the bun off, and ate the meat, cheese, and bacon.  Awkwardly.



This is a really embarrassing post to write.  I should have titled it "In Search of a Perfect Food"!  We stopped at the Dole Plantation on the way back to Pu'u Kahea for the sole purpose of getting a Dole Whip.  It is a pineapple sherbet tasting soft-serve delight.  Very light and refreshing!





And THEN we headed back to Waianae to meet our co-volunteers and duplex-mates, Fred and Joyce, at the Sunset Cafe for dinner and music!  (And in case you're thinking less of us for our gluttony, Tim and I shared an appetizer for our dinner, as did Denise and Art.)

We enjoyed the sunset, the food, the music, and talking to each other.  It was wonderful hearing about Fred's and Joyce's adventures on their many volunteer missions trips.  They are inspiring, and are some of the hardest workers I have ever met.

Oysters Rockefeller in Hawaii

"Oysters Rockefeller consists of oysters on the half-shell that have been topped with various other ingredients (often parsley and other green herbs, a rich butter sauce and bread crumbs) and are then baked or broiled."  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Or in our case, all that plus spinach and delicious cheeses and who knows what else!!

Michael, Pu'u Kahea's Chef and Kitchen Manager, mentioned to Tim and Art that he makes unbelievably delicious Oysters Rockefeller, so of course they insisted that he prove it and gave him the money to bring back oysters when he went into Pearl City for his weekly PKCC shopping.

OH.  MY.  GOODNESS.

We gathered around in the kitchen with the oysters, a sleeve of saltine crackers, and hot sauce.

 Art may or may not have eaten eight of them.

Partial evidence from Tim and me.  (I had three, and that was one too many.  They were so rich and delicious!!!)

Thank you, Michael, for some seriously delicious

Oysters Rockefeller!

Stop and Smell the...

...flowers on the Pu'u Kahea campus!

These three are plumeria, and they smell heavenly!  They grow as shrubs or trees, and are everywhere in Hawaii.  I wish I could grow them  at home.

These are hibiscus.  They grow here in so many different colors and varieties.  There are seven kinds that are native to Hawaii, and the Yellow Hibiscus is the state flower.  I'm not sure that the ruffly red one (top left in this group) is actually here on the Pu'u Kahea campus; I've taken so many pictures and it's hard to keep track of such gorgeousness everywhere!

Bougainvillea grows all over, in several beautiful colors.  They can grow on a fence or trellis, but they also grow as trees.

This is a Hawaiian ginger flower.

I'm not sure what these are, but they're pretty.  The pink one grows all along a fence, like a wild tea rose or a sweet pea maybe?

This is some type of lily that past volunteers have transplanted and nourished.

This Hong Kong Orchid Tree grows right beside our cottage.

Bird of Paradise

This is my FAVORITE tree in Hawaii.  The flowers hang in clusters like lanterns hanging from the branches, and the petals on the ground look so romantic!  It's called a Golden Shower Tree.

This tree grows near the entrance of Pu'u Kahea and makes a statement!  It's called Royal Poinciana Flamboyant Flame Tree.

It's hard to believe that at home in North Carolina the leaves are changing colors.

Happy Fall from Pu'u Kahea Conference Center in

Waianae, Oahu, Hawaii!