Never say never!

Today we had lots to cover in our final day on the island.

First up was a hike up Diamond Head Crater at sunset. We were running a little behind, but got to the top just in time for the sun to rise. The hike up was pretty fun and lots of fun things to see. By the way...at the top if you go left instead of right you save yourself lots of stairs!!!

On the way back to the Airbnb, we stopped at Leonard's Bakery for malasadas. These delicious doughnut like treasures were made to order and they were amazing. SOOO yummy. We had an original, chocolate filled, and mango filled. Must do.

Then, we went back to the Airbnb, got cleaned up, packed everything into the car, and headed to Kailua. This little town on the northeast side of the island was adorable! We went to check out a few food/drink things, but next time we might stay longer. It was way more relaxed than Honolulu and just much more enjoyable. Our first stop was Manoa Chocolate Factory. This place was great! Romi had purchased some of this bean-to-bar chocolate as a wedding gift for us, so it was fun to visit the place it came from. We got a tour of their factory and that got to sample all their bars and have chocolate tea. They even have a machine there that separates the nibs from the shells that was made by Maru chocolate in Vietnam that Mike visited when he was there this past fall. A fun connection.  SO fun! Highly recommend it if you're in the area...the tasting is free and the bars are all really good.

Then, it was time for some Foodland poke. We'd heard a lot about the grocery store's poke selection and we were not disappointed! We got two different types and ate in while sitting outside on a bench. Cheap and easy lunch.

Then came lunch #2 at Konos. We knew we needed some Kalua pork while we were in Hawaii and this place was the place to get it. We shared three sliders that had guava bbq sauce on them. YUMMY! A great second lunch!

Then, we walked over to Lanikai Brewing and had fun in their new tasting room. This chicken was trying to cross the road...so we had to get that photo!

After a walk back to the car, it was time for our next adventure: Manoa Falls. We had a 2:30 reservation at Pearl Harbor and calculating travel times we had about 40 minutes to do this hike and get back on the road. I first decided there was no way we could squeeze it in, but decided to risk it. And it was so worth it!! The hike through the forest was beautiful. We went crazy fast and made it up to the top in 18 minutes. We enjoyed the falls for 5 minute or so and ran back down to the car with a minute to spare. We'd do this hike again if we were in the area, but it may have been our favorite of the whole trip (despite doing it so quickly). Definitely a good workout moving at that pace.

We got to Pearl Harbor just in time to join the movie that had just started. The ramp to the memorial is closed for repairs so right now you get a movie explaining the history and then a little boat tour of the harbor. Definitely interesting and I learned a lot about Pearl Harbor and its history. Bummed we couldn't go onto the memorial, but was glad we took some time to see this important part of American history.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with food and drink before we headed to the airport for our flight. Paradise Ciders was our first stopped and we enjoyed it. Then, another Foodland stop for more poke and then Underdogs Sports bar for some dinner. Poke nachos for Mike and pork and tots for Ali.

Then, we went to two breweries: Aloha and Honolulu Beerworks. We were in a bit of a hurry again at that point, but Mike still got to try lots of good beers.

We got to the airport in plenty of time to return our car, get checked in, and grab some food for the plane. THEN, they asked for 2 volunteers to take a later flight. We checked and there was a morning flight that would get us in at 10PM instead of 1:30PM, so we decided to take the $300 vouchers each and stay one more night (on United). Why not, right?! Seemed like a good idea. Read the next blog for what happened next.

Exploring the north and west side of the island

Our first full day on Oahu!

First, we did our only run of the trip. A quick 3 miler along the beach. It was a nice way to start the morning.

Next up was a stop at Liliha Bakery for their famous cocoa puffs. I'm not sure they are all that delicious, but the poi doughnuts were definitely interesting. We were in a hurry, so we got everything to go. But it was cute in there so you could sit and eat your pastries there.

Then, we were on our way to Kualoa Ranch for the Jungle Jeep Expedition tour. They film all kinds of movies here most notably the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movies. I was expecting to see lots of good movie stuff. We saw some good stuff, but not a lot. I guess it was a pretty drive through the ranch and some great scenery, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Our next move was to drive along the shore and see lots of great beaches and have garlic shrimp. So, we headed out on our journey. First stop was Kahana Bay Beach Park. Nothing too exciting here, so we continued on. The drive itself was just so beautiful, we were happy to keep driving.

Then, we came upon Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. We got a plate of garlic shrimp and it was delicious!

Next up was a bit more of a drive and then a stop at Turtle Bay Resort and Kuilima Cove. We did a bit of snorkeling here and that was nice. Lots of sea urchins and plenty of fish...but the water was not as clear as our snorkeling trip the other day. We spent a bit of time enjoying the sun and then headed on our way.


Then, after struggling to find parking, we stopped at Banzai Pipeline to watch the big waves and surfers. Good stuff!

Then we stopped at Laniakea Beach. There are supposed to be sea turtles hanging out on the beach. We saw no signs of such turtles. Maybe we were too late in the day? Whatever. Onward.

Next up was a stop in Haleiwa for shave ice at Matsumoto. We both got our own this time. :) I had watermelon, raspberry, and peach. And Mike had sour apple, watermelon, and coconut...with ice cream. Good, but not our favorite.

More driving and then our next stop: The Dole Pineapple Plantation. Main goal: do the awesome maze. Mike killed it and finished the maze in like 20 minutes. Alison got lost once and took more like 30 minutes. Good times overall though. We also got some pineapple whip ice cream (yum!) and strolled about the gardens a bit. A fun stop.

Then, we stopped at Beerlab on the way back into the city. We had dinner at a sports bar with really good food (Home Bar and Grill). I think I ordered way too much food, but this meant Mike had leftovers later...so that was good. We had a poke flatbread, macadamia nut shrimp, and pepperoni truffle fries. Delicious!

Then, we tried to go to this beer release party at Maui Brewing where the guitarist from Metallica and the head brewer from Stone Brewing were going to be. It was crazytown in there, so we walked around, saw the guitarist, the crazy lines and left. We ended up at Tikis bar in the hotel next to our Airbnb and I was able to see a replay of the Kentucky/A&M game...so that was fun.