I fell in love with the beauty of this enchanting island! Hawaii is such a gorgeous paradise, surrounded by so many beautiful beaches and mountains. Too many lovely scented and unscented flowers with different colors and different varieties. Especially the famous colorful tropical flowers in Hawaii, the "Hawaiian Hibiscus".
A very popular Hawaiian Exotic Flower, commonly known as Plumeria or Lei flower. Plumeria flowers are widely used for making leis and hence the name "Hawaiian Lei Flower".
Numerous unusual and exotic trees all over the place. The pine trees smell so good.
The tall "rainbow eucalyptus trees" with all of the stunning colors on its trunk, hiding in some forests. Hawaii contains one of the most breathtaking features. The magical rainbow eucalyptus trees with multicolored bark so unimaginable they are mistaken for pictures cut out of a fairy tale.
Thousands of towering "ancient banyan trees" that sometimes looks scary because of its gigantic size, the trunk is the main body of the tree and it's covered with bark which protects it from damage. You might think that these trees are haunted but the truth is, they are home to hundreds of Mynah birds.
And of course, the very famous tropical trees that you can find everywhere in Hawaii as well as in some other tropical countries, those are the "coconut trees" and the "golden hawaiian bamboo trees".
My husband and I had so much fun traveling around Oahu, HI. For me, this would be a once in a lifetime experience, so might as well enjoy our stay to the fullest. My husband rented a car for the whole week of our stay there, to avoid the stress of finding a public transportation and to make our lives easier.
Oh, by the way, I have a friend who lives in Honolulu, her name is Lyn and she is also from the Philippines. She invited us to visit her in her apartment and she volunteered to take us around Oahu. It was a good thing that I know someone from Hawaii, she was indeed a big help, and since we rented a car, we would pick her up from her work and drag her anywhere, in other words, she became our tour guide that time, for free!
Being a tour guide, likewise, she was able to see some places that she hadn't seen before. That day the sun was bright and the wind was a bit strong, everything has been just perfect. On our way to Sea Life Park, while we were passing through the beautiful island of Oahu, we couldn't help but stop and take some photos of the very inviting deep blue sea.
I took advantage that moment to watch the not so big ocean waves splashing against rocks that are beautifully formed on the seashore. Overlooking rabbit island that looks really like a sleeping rabbit from afar.
The cool gentle wind was blowing on my face, you could hear the sounds of waves crashing...one of the most relaxing sounds on Earth, it was like a music to my ears. If only I could, I would stay here forever. The colors of the sky and the ocean were so calming, they were so blue, and the clouds were pure and white like a cotton candy.
The captivating "rabbit island" or the "Mānana Island" is an uninhabited islet located 0.75 miles off Kaupō Beach, near Makapuʻu at the eastern end of the Island of Oʻahu in the Hawaiian Islands. According to some people, the island looks like a rabbit that's why they called it "rabbit island", but according to Google, in the late 1880's John Cummins, the first owner of Waimanalo Plantation, released rabbits on the island and a colony of them survived for many years. The last of the rabbits were removed in the early 1970's. Maybe, both stories are true!
Sea Life Park Hawaii
We finally arrived at the Sea Life Park Hawaii. We went to the aquarium and saw different kinds of fish and many other sea creatures. We watched the dolphin and sea lion shows. Seeing these adorable sea creatures with this beautiful surroundings, close to nature, close to the ocean, with the gentle wind that softly blowing, was really an overwhelming experience!
Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail
The next day we headed to the Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse Trail on the island of Oahu. Another incredible view, the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail, also known as the Kaiwi Scenic Shoreline, is the second most popular of all the Oahu hiking trails, next to the Diamond Head Hike. You will also discover some exciting points of interest along the way including Makapu'u Point.
We climbed up the steep hill, that was a pretty long walk, but you would never get exhausted because of the cool gentle wind blowing on your face and tangling your hair with all of the breathtaking views that would definitely distract you from walking, we would pause for a few minutes to take photos and to admire the beauty around us. I wanted to savor every moment of the day. From afar you could see the humpback whales jumping out of the ocean and the dolphins frequently pop out of the water. Such a wonderful sight!
We reached the peak of the trail and we could almost see the entire state of Hawaii. From the top of the Makapu'u Lookout where we were standing, you could see the color red, green and white lighthouse that was built on top of the hill, facing the ocean.
This breathtaking sight of Oahu, Hawaii would leave you speechless! Not to mention the beauty of rabbit island behind me. That day I noticed that there were only a few people climbing all the way to the top of the trail, probably because it looks too high when you're at the foot of the mountain. To be honest, I was hesitant at first, the first time I saw it, I was like, are we really going up there? Do you think we can make it to the top?
That was pretty high and steep, that when you look at the people on top, they looked really small. But me being an adventurous woman, I would never give up, I would love to try anything, as much as I can do. This journey will never be complete without adventure. When I made it to the top it wasn't that bad though, I was wrong! In fact, it wasn't that high. When I saw a breathtakingly beautiful natural scenery and smelled the fresh air, I felt like a bird, It was the best feeling in the world. I thanked God I did! It was worth a shot!
King Kamehameha Statue
After climbing the Makapu'u point, we headed down to our next destination, we went to the place where you can find the King Kamehameha Statue.
In front of the Aliiolani Hale building is the King Kamehameha I Statue. Facing Iolani Palace on the corner of King and Mililani streets, this landmark depiction of the warrior king who united the Hawaiian Islands emits a sense of strength and unity as he stands with outstretched arms.
To end the day, we decided to relax after a very tiring adventure we had, but we wanted to spend the remaining time we have left for the day, on the seashore, before we head back to the hotel. We wanted to watch the sunset on the beach, by just sitting and eating while watching, we were so tired of walking all day, thus, we went to the beachfront and we would look for a place to loosen up. Watching a sunset on the beach would make your mind and body relax.
I have seen a large number of people having fun, swimming, surfing, eating and drinking. Also a handful of romantic couples, families were eating together, children playing, etc. The place was so crowded, I guess that place is jam-packed every day.
That moment, I have witnessed thousands of people all over the place, also waiting for the sunset. I was standing by the shore, watching the surfers and the people around me that came from different parts of the world, talking in their native tongue.
The sun was slowly setting, a few minutes ago it was beaming bright, and suddenly it is beaming down, you could even stare at the perfect circle, it was so beautiful with its color. I was wondering, why does the sun look brilliantly orange during sunrise and sunset?
That was so majestic! The water suddenly became so calm. When you close your eyes and picture yourself on a relaxing vacation, it's only natural that you'd likely envision yourself on one of the Islands' white sand beaches, as the rolling waves crash in the distance, that would be in the beautiful state of Hawaii. If you want an escape to paradise, Hawaii and its exquisite beaches would be your perfect choice.
We went for a walk along the beach at twilight to find a place to eat, for we were both starving and exhausted that time, it was a long day. While walking we were distracted by a commotion from not so far away distance, a place filled with people, and out of curiosity, we headed in that direction and paused for a moment to find out what was going on. And we saw on stage a local group doing a fire performance, it also is known as "fire spinning" or "fire manipulation". This typically involves equipment or other objects made with one or more wicks which are designed to sustain a large enough flame to create a visual effect while dancing.
We did not wait for the whole show to end, we were so hungry, so after a couple of performances we left already and went directly to the nearest food park. Too many food choices to choose from, we picked some good food and got pigged out. Inside the food park, there was also a small performing stage where another group of people performed, some were singing, while some were dancing their famous traditional dance "Hula".
Hula dancing is one of the oldest traditions in Hawaii, designed to portray a visual story accompanied by music or chanting.
The performance was finally over. Time to go back to the hotel after an exhausting day. Nonetheless, it was filled with great new experiences, adventures, knowledge, and joy. Time to get some good sleep and recharge our bodies for the next exciting day.