Hawaii, Day Four

Ah, Day Four! One of our favorite days on the island! We rose with the sun, picked up our rental car and hit the road for a sight-seeing trip that encompassed the entire island. We took our time, enjoying every stop along the way while making sure to hit every item on each of our bucket lists.

We all agreed that we wanted to take in some gorgeous scenery along the coastline, and, we certainly weren't disappointed.

Hugh insisted on a detour along the Pali Highway to take in the view from the Nuuanu Pali Lookout.

In addition to being one of the island's most scenic areas, the Lookout is a site of great historical significance; it is the spot where King Kamehameha fought the battle that finally united Oahu under his rule. We learned that the previous day, while touring HPU's Hawaii Loa campus; our guide pointed up at the Lookout while telling us the story.

And, here is the Man-Cub, graciously pointing down at the school from the Lookout.

Really! It's there, see?

Once we had our fill of the scenery, we left the Lookout and it's cool rain forest mists and headed toward the North Shore, stopping at Kualoa Beach, where we had a great view of Mololi'i Island-otherwise known as China Man's Hat, for, well, obvious reasons.

The beach provided a great opportunity to collect shells as well as a close encounter with a terrible sea creature...

By this time, we were starting to get hungry, so we pushed on toward the North Shore, where we stopped at Ted's Bakery, which had been on the girl's list of Must Do Things because they had been there last year and swore that the cake was to die for. Which, I guess it was.

But, it wasn't quite enough to satisfy the appetites of six hungry travelers; for that, we stopped at a food truck that Hugh and Mom had seen profiled on Guy Fiery's Diners, Drive-in and Dives.

After eating our fill of shrimp and crab (and, a hamburger for me since I don't eat things that once lived in the sea), we ventured to Waimea Bay so that the kids could stare at a large rock for several minutes, contemplating whether or not they wanted to take their lives in their hands by jumping (SPOILER: they did).

They were quite pleased with themselves, as you may imagine.

So, what does one do after one defies death? Head to the Dole Plantation for a Dole Pineapple Whip, of course.

Or, maybe that was just what I would do. Eh, either way, I got my Whip on, but, not before falling victim to the enticement of the pearl sellers at the front door. I shared the rings that we had made from our pearls in the last Friday Favorites post, but here are some photos of the pearls before they were mounted.

Oh, and here's that Dole Whip, mmm,mmm. good!

And, just in case you, like me, thought that pineapples grew on trees (what? it's a common misconception!), here is a photo of an actual pineapple plant.

As well as a random picture of a sign at the plantation. Just because.

By the time we finished up at the plantation, we were (Dole) whipped (see what I did there? Ha! I slay myself!), we made the drive back to our suite, stopping at a grocery store to stock up on staples.

Dinner that night was a fried chicken feast on the balcony, followed by another movie, all of which made for a very long and active day, which, is probably why I fell into a drooling coma long before the end credits.

So, what's on the agenda for Day Five? Tune in tomorrow to find out!