Hawaii 2019 Day 12: Flying kites, blasting rockets, tidepooling

Just before we arrived, Billy and Ging had an air conditioning unit replaced. So they had this big box laying around. Great for painting and other imaginative play! Makai, Damien, Hoku and Ka’eo all went to town on it. I was a little bit shocked when I went outside and Makai had painted his entire hand black to make handprints on the box. Great idea, but change your clothes first! Luckily it came out of his shorts.

Billy and Ging took the day off and we all spent the day together. We first went to Sandy Beach Park where we flew kites and tried to launch a rocket that Ging picked up from Costco. I think there was 1-2 good launches but it was funny to see everyone try to get it going!

Next we drove up the street a bit. There was a food truck and we got some hotdogs for lunch and some fresh pineapple smoothies. We walked down a trail with some pails and nets.

I didn’t know really what to expect. We were walking towards the ocean, but the tide was low, so the water in this lagoon was super shallow and it made a sand bar. There were fish and other kinds of critters stuck over there. I found out later we were on the Kaiwi Coastline.

Damien and Hoku were super interested in catching fish. They had nets and were putting them into a bucket. Makai wasn’t as interested in that. We explored around and found a sea cucumber. In one tidepool I thought we found a bunch of snails, but they started skittering around and we realized that they were all hermit crabs! Makai LOVED that.


I found an area where endangered Hawaiian Yellow-Faced Bees bees were nesting!

As the tide came in it made the water on the other side of the barrier deeper. This was a special spot. Such a cool place of nature.

The afternoon was getting SO hot. I’d been draping a towel over my shoulders for hours so I would not get sunburned. Were were there for several hours before we decided to pack up and head out. Billy opened a cooler that I didn’t even know he had. He’d packed cold juice for the kids and beer for the adults! It was the coldest most delicious beer I ever tasted! We were still so hot and sweaty, I took Damien, Hoku and Makai for a quick dip at the beach!

At home, Billy’s dad brought his grandkids, Billy’s nephews over. They played for a bit and then they all went to the driving range. Makai didn’t want to go to the driving range. I think he was all tired out.

Dallas and I were going to bring Makai to meet friends in Kailua, but Ging told us to leave him with her, so we took her up on that. We met Talbert, Dallas’s friend from Kamehameha Schools, and his girlfriend Debbie at Maui Brewing. We had a couple drinks and split some delicious pizzas. Somehow we all got talked into then going to the Kamehameha dorms! Talbert rode with us and Debbie met up with us all later. It was great to see all of our old friends, but I had a total headache and was exhausted, so I only lasted til 11:45 and then made Dallas come home with me!

Hawaii Day 8: Visiting Friends on Red Hill

img_3899.jpgimg_3901.jpgWe all had breakfast and then Damien and Hoku were off to school and daycare, Billy was off to the office, Ka’eo went to his daycare, and Ging was working from home.

img_3906.jpgimg_3907.jpgimg_3910.jpgimg_3904.jpgimg_3908.jpgI took Makai down to the beach so he could see how close it was. And so I could see how beautiful I remembered it to be!

img_3920.jpgFor lunch we went to this plate lunch spot in Kailua called Fatboy’s. I wasn’t sure how it would be, but we really liked it. Dallas got a the BBQ mix plate that included teri chicken, kalbi and teriyaki beef. I got the garlic chicken, which is their most popular item. It’s boneless crispy chicken that you dip into garlic sauce. Really good. We sat outside and Makai ate food from both of us.

img_3923.jpgDallas looked up a liquor store near Fatboy’s and quick stopped in and then we were off to BJ and Nalani’s house. I’d forgotten how beautiful the drive on H3 can be.

img_3937.jpgimg_3945.jpgFullSizeRender-2FullSizeRender-3BJ and Nalani have a really nice townhouse on Red Hill, near the Moanalua neighborhood of Honolulu. We went over to watch the NFL draft with BJ and his Uncle Buzzy. Nalani was at work and Aunty Sally was also there to help mind Kanehoa, who we got to meet for the first time. Makai and Kanehoa had a great time playing all afternoon! Kanehoa is just over a year old.

img_3969.jpgAunty and Uncle both left just before Nalani arrived home from work. We went outside to enjoy the weather and bbq. BJ grilled stak and bacon wrapped mushrooms. Makai and Kanehoa sat in the wagon and got pulled around.

img_3961.jpgWhile we were outside I noticed these strange trees. At first I thought they were painted, but on closer look they were all kinds of colorful bark. Nalani told me they’re called Rainbow Eucalyptus.  So pretty!

Here are some of the beers I drank that day:  img_3958.jpgPrimo, now an old favorite. New can.

img_3966.jpgMana Wheat by Maui Brewing Co. It’s brewed with pineapple juice. It’s not super strong, but I could only drink one.

img_3975.jpgColdfoot Pilsner by Silver Gulch Brewing. BJ got this in Alaska and you can’t get it anywhere else.

img_3977.jpg At dinner we were talking about BJ’s new slippers. They’re Oofos. Made in Korea. Turns out that Nalani knew a guy, Kuni, from a class below their class that sold them. She texted him and he came over with a bunch of shoes and we each bought a pair! I got these mocha ones. They’re unbelievable comfortable.

img_3974.jpg Makai and Kanehoa – BFFs!

Shipwreck Beach

On Tuesday morning I took an oatmeal soak for my legs and then had breakfast at the house (yay berries & yogurt!). Matt, Ross, Dallas and I then headed over to Shipwreck Beach. We met up with Colleen, Marina and Laura, otherwise known as “The Boston Girls,” even though Laura moved to Los Angeles a couple years ago. Jordan and Liz joined us shortly after.

Shipwreck Beach quickly became a favorite of our friends on this trip. It was nearby (but not walking distance) and less crowded than the Sheraton Beach or Poipu Beach. Plus, it’s gorgeous and there are bathroom facilities and outdoor showers. Parking isn’t great, but usually you can find a spot.


Matt, Ross & Dallas frolicking in the surf. Ross gets pounded into the shore at the end.


Matt, Ross & Dallas. They catch a good one about 3/4 of the way through.

The water is a little more rough over at Shipwrecks than I like, but a lot of the guys were body surfing or using body boards so they all liked it. It’s also very rocky near the shoreline, but if you swim out you’ll get to a sandbar where you can stand and play in the surf. Just play it safe, there are not lifeguards here.


Matt, Ross, and Dallas

Some of the guys later on in the trip got up the courage to jump off the iconic cliff, Makawehi Point, at Shipwrecks. I’d have been more happy if they’d have done this after the wedding, as I was requesting of all people doing risky activities on the trip! Helicopter tour? After the wedding, please. Skydiving? After the wedding! Just read the comments on this post, if you want to learn about how risky this jump is! Bad idea, guys! But luckily, no one was hurt.

Around lunch time Matt, Ross, Dallas, Jordan, Liz and I went to Keoki’s Paradise, a favorite Poipu restaurant of ours. I had a delicious fresh fish (can’t remember what kind!) sandwich and a lava flow, of course. Later on I also tried a Maui Brewing Hot Blonde Lager because Ross could not stop talking about how refreshing it was. Our waitress told us they chill their beer down to 39* degrees. It was so nice after the hot beach.

* Dallas remembers them saying 29 degrees, but I think that would be ice?