Hawaii Sisters' Trip: Beauty in Nature

Brenda and I decided to take our mom on a trip to Hawaii.  It's more like she took us because she paid for the condo.  Brenda has been to Hawaii several times with her family.  My mom and I have always wanted to go but our spouses didn't.  We decided to invite my mom's sister Gail.  She attended BYU-Hawaii 50 years ago and was thrilled visit it again after all this time.  She was a delightful addition.  

Brenda found a condo to rent on the North Shore of Oahu in the small town of Waialua.  She also planned the outings and drove the rental car while I tried to navigate.

View from condo lanai (deck).  We were on the fourth floor and loved hearing and seeing the ocean.

Our condo was right on this beach.  We had a gorgeous view of the big waves.  Brenda and I went on several morning and evening walks.  The last morning there we found a safe place to snorkel and watched the fish swim among the coral.

Morning walk on our first full day in Oahu.

The first footprints of the day

Gail and Janeil
We were so enthralled with the lush vegetation of the island from the moment we landed.  So our first excursion was to Waimea Botanical garden.  This shows some replicas of early islanders buildings.

So many varieties of flowers in bloom.  A whole garden of hibiscus....  

I thought my mom and Gail would need more down time, but they didn't want to miss anything and came on every excursion, although sometimes waited on benches and beach chairs for Brenda and I to finish having fun.  They are 30 years older than us, but still have so much energy!

Waimea Valley and Falls

Waimea Falls at the far end of the botanical garden
People were swimming but we didn't have our suits.  The first part of our week there the weather was mild and dry.  By the end of the week it was warmer and nice enough to swim.

There were too many flowers to photograph.  See Brenda's collage on Facebook!

Ancient religious site at Waimea

Janeil and Gail
Sunset at Waialua Beach

Just a few yards from the condo

It was fun to try to catch the sunset every night.  I only caught the sunrise once because I was trying to get enough sleep (5 hour time difference from East Coast).  Every evening except the night at PCC, we cooked dinner at the condo, shared photos from the day, enjoyed the view and watched BBC version of Emma, Miracle of Cookeville, and played cards.

Sunrise from our lanai (deck)
I only saw the 6AM sunrise once.  I was usually trying to sleep longer (5 hour time change) so I could make it through the day.

Hukilau Beach (like the song) in Laie.  We stopped here between outings in Laie.  The warm, blue water...

We hiked out to Ka'ena Point--the farthest you can go to the West on the North Shore.  The mountains on the South of us, the rocky coastline on the North.

 We saw a fisherman on a outcropping and crabs in tide pools.

Sunset Beach.  We found a safe place to swim and boogie board.  Most places on North Shore the waves are too big this time of year.  It was also fun to watch the surfers.  Mom and Gail were too far away to get good pictures.

Another botanical garden on our way "home" the last full day

Beautiful trails, views, flowers, and bird song!

Kailua Beach
We did a scenic drive before heading to the airport and stopped here.  Brenda's family stayed here a few years ago.  The ocean is the most amazing color of blue.  The water is warm.  This is the Southeast side of Oahu where there waves are calm this time of year.

The highway takes you through some long tunnels to get through the mountains.  The geology changes is such a such distance.  It is truly breathtaking.  Even the drives through and between towns are beautiful.

Nu'uanu Pali lookout
The mountains, valleys and coastlines are spectacular

That's a military base in the far center.  There are five military bases on this island!