Ryan and I had been wanting to do something fun for our 5 year anniversary and so we planned on going to Hawaii to celebrate. I was really looking forward to it and really excited to leave Emry with my parents and take a "just us" trip. But then we got pregnant and I was very skeptical if traveling while 26 weeks pregnant was going to be enjoyable at all. We decided to just go for it and have a fun time (knowing I wouldn't be able to do everything like if I wasn't pregnant). I am so glad we decided to go because we had such a fun vacation. Happy 5 Years to us. I think we need to start making this a yearly trip :)
Day 1 Thursday, February 20
Us on the plane (it's early + no makeup + pregnancy = don't judge)
After arriving in Hawaii, we got our car and then headed to Walmart for some essentials. We called Ryan's parents (who had been in Hawaii for about a week already and who we were going to hang out with for a couple of days) to see if they needed anything and where were they? In Walmart. Funny coincidence of the day. We chatted with them for awhile and then headed to see some of Ryan's friends he met on his mission 12 years ago (gasp).
It took us a while to find their house again (Ryan didn't have their phone number or anything. He just thought he would remember. Boys...) but we finally did and it was fun talking to this family about Ryan's mission, albeit a little more fun for Ryan than for me :) They could have talked all night but I was exhausted and really hungry so we cut it down to an hour and half or so...
Some background: This is a family Ryan taught on his mission. At the time, the husband was inactive and the wife was not a member. Ryan and his companions worked with this family to get the husband active who then baptized his wife. Now they are very strong in the gospel, sealed in the temple, and he is serving in the bishopric. It was special to see the love this family had for "Elder Gardner" and to see what affect he had on their lives.
After we left their house, we went to a local plate lunch place and got Ryan's favorite: Hawaiian Plate Lunch. We had this a lot over the next week and while I'm not really a huge fan of plate lunches, I learned to like them a little better on our trip.
After dinner, we headed up near the volcano to where we were staying. Ryan's family got a place on the military housing for cheap so we decided to stay with them the first two nights. Everyone was going out exploring when we got there (to try to see the volcano at night) but I was so exhausted, I crashed as soon as I got in bed. I don't do well with no sleep when I'm pregnant so I was much happier in the morning.
Day 2 Friday, February 21
We woke up early and headed to Waipio Valley for a tour where they take you down into the valley. On the way to the valley, we saw gorgeous scenery. It's amazing to me how every island of Hawaii is so different. We saw some good views of Mauna Kea and some beautiful valleys along the way.
Gorgeous views early in the morning. These are the steam vents that are all over near where we were staying (close to the volcano).
Not the best photo but this was a cool waterfall that went right into the ocean.
After about an hour drive, we made it to Waipio Valley and caught our van for the tour. The tour was by a local guy who used to live in the valley (but since moved to the top of the valley due to his wife wanting to feel safer. haha). The valley is only accessible by a road that is VERY steep and VERY narrow and I imagine VERY scary if you aren't with someone who drives it all the time (like our tour guide). He took us down and a ways into the valley. It was so gorgeous there. There is a TON of fruit grown down there, it was like a Garden of Eden, but mostly people who live in the valley make their living by growing taro. The valley is home to the tallest waterfall, Hilawe Falls which falls 1,300 feet! It was an incredible sight! The tour ended up being one of my favorite things we did while we were in Hawaii. It was gorgeous!!
It's faint but this is us in front of Hilawe Falls while down in the valley
The whole group in front of the falls
(Laura, Fay, Vivian, Scott, Ryan, Andrea, Amber, Leanne, & John)
A sign along the road that goes through the valley. Hilarious because the flying rocks are from a man who lives in this house. If tourists drive too fast through the neighborhoods, he throws rocks at their cars to remind them to slow down and beware of the kids. Hence the flying rocks to those who don't slow down!
So gorgeous. This is a shot up the valley. It looks like it goes on forever.
The taro plant. It needs constant damp soil (almost in a pond) so this valley makes it perfect for growing. But basically the tour guide says almost anything will grow in this valley. Drop a seed, and the next year you'll have a tree.
Our group in the van crossing the river
Me doing some much needed cooling off in the river (this is the first time I've touched Hawaiian water and we'd already been there for a whole day!!) It felt wonderful.
The guide brought us fruit he grew in his yard to get a taste of what grows in the valley. The papaya was my favorite and basically for the rest of the trip that is all I wanted--Papaya, papaya, and more papaya! So delicious!
Here is a good view of the valley floor from the top.
The view of the beach at the ocean end of the valley. Beautiful black sand beach. Mostly locals go down there, but the tour guide said they have a few tourists who go there. However, it's a pretty long hike down there so you have to be committed.
Ryan and I (and baby boy) looking down at the valley.
On the way back to town we stopped and saw a few key sites. I'll let the pictures and captions explain each one.
Laupahoehoe Beach Park is a gorgeous view of the ocean with some awesome black rock formations. The waves would come hit the rocks and make huge splashes. The water was crystal clear blue and it was just a beautiful view.
Cool picture of Scott and the water
As we were about to leave, we spotted some whales not too far off the shore. There was at least a baby and mom, but we also saw another whale with them. Perhaps an escort? We could really watch whales for hours, days, all week!! It's just amazing to see them so close!
We stopped and saw Akaka Falls, a 422 foot waterfall. It was pretty impressive. I love all the waterfalls on the Big Island. It seems like they are everywhere!
Ryan and me in front of the falls
Ryan and Akaka Falls
Ryan took us all to a place he went to on a P-Day on his mission--kaumana caves. Basically it's a lava tube and it's pretty dangerous. Of course that didn't stop us from hiking in a bit and experiencing complete darkness. (We did the hike in with our cell phone flashlights and then turned them all off when we got far enough in. Totally creepy but cool at the same time.)
Ya, see that big dark hole behind them? That's the big lava tube.
Last stop as a group on our way back was at Rainbow Falls. It was very pretty, but I guess to see the rainbows, you have to go pretty early in the morning. Oh well, it was pretty anyway.
So, after a lot of stops, we finally made it back to town. We drove around a park that had tons of banyan trees planted by famous people. We walked around a bit, drove around a bit, and then decided to all split up. Ryan and I and Ryan's parents drove around his mission a little more and saw another area he served in. It seems like Ryan doesn't talk about his mission very much until you really get him talking about his mission. He could talk to you for HOURS about his mission and tell you every detail of every person he ever met on his mission. Then we went to dinner at Ken's House of Pancakes. It's a famous diner in town that has TONS of food. We got breakfast for dinner and it was pretty tasty!!
WOW! That was a long day of driving and seeing a bunch of sites. In case you are keeping track, we have now been in Hawaii for a whole 24 hours and I have not put a bathing suit on, or visited the ocean. Such a difference Hawaii experience for me. It was a beautiful day, though, and we had a blast!!
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