Hawaii 2010: Day 2

JUNE 20, 2010, We started our day early to catch the Circle Line Tour Bus. First stop, Hanauma Bay. It's one of Hawaii's most popular snorkeling spot. We figured, starting the trip with this circle tour, we will be able to see the whole island then we can just go back to the places we'd like to really explore like this place. After the trip we scheduled a shuttle to take us here so we can spend time snorkeling.

Next stop: Halona Blowhole (south shore). It got its name because it shoots up water up to 30 feet in the air. They said it's a great place to spot whales in the winter.

Third stop: Pali Lookout. It's at the Nuuanu Pali State Park. It had a beautiful view of the Windward (eastern) side of the island. It was REALLY windy there. Funny though, so many tourists were more intrigued with the little chicks at the parking lot.

Fourth stop: Byodo-In Temple. The temple can be found at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It is a Buddhist temple. Outside is a giant bell that you can ring for longevity. They also have a koi pond where you can sit down and feed the fish. Inside, there is a big sitting buddha.

Next stop: Kualoa Ranch. We went on a mini tour of the ranch. Here you can see a beautiful view of the Chinaman's hat (an island shaped like its name). The ranch also offers other tours like horseback riding and ATV tours which will take you to famous sites used in movies like Jurassic Park and the TV show Lost.

Right outside the Kualoa Ranch is the Macadamia Nut Farm Outlet where you can sample free macnut flavored Kona coffee and a variety of flavored macadamia nuts (caramel, cinnamon, salted, etc.). Our tour guide/bus driver recommended trying the 'onion and garlic' flavor, which I was hesitant to try at first but it was surprisingly good.

Next stop: Sunset Beach, North Shore (picture below). It was the summer so the beach was pretty calm. We didn't get a chance to stop at the Banzai pipeline though :(. North short beaches have the biggest waves and site of most surfing competitions in winter.

Last stop: Dole Plantation. Of course we had to try the famous "Dole Whip" (picture below: pineapple flavored ice cream). Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to ride the 'pineapple express' which is a guided train tour around the plantation about its history.

It was a very LONG day but it was truly worth it! We started at 7:00 and ended at 6:30 pm. Tomorrow we go to the Polynesian Cultural Center and that's a whole day affair too :)