DATE: Friday, December 23, 2022

One of the benefits of the jetlag was allowing us to be nice and ready for this morning’s sunrise. I started waking up at around 3:45, and it sounds like most everyone had the same experience. Our AirBnB is right on the beach, so we all ventured down at about 6:30. It did not disappoint! For this reason, I’m glad we are starting off our trip at the North Shore. Of course, the pictures don’t do this beauty justice at all!

The prices for everything here are (always have been) a little crazy compared to what we’re used to in the Midwest. We’re compensating the prices for food by making most of our breakfasts and lunches at our place. Today, it’s sack lunches at the beach.

Our plan was to head over to one of my favorite beaches while I was here: Waimea Bay. It has a diving rock that I still kick myself to this day for not having jumped off of. I was so excited to come back and get the chance to.

Along the way, the scenery was amazing! We had to stop off at a scenic point near Pūpūkea to check out the rocks and the crashing waves.

It was about a 1/2 hour drive from our AirBnB, only to find out that Waimea Bay was closed for swimmers, I think, due to the high surf. I’m not sure if that’s a seasonal thing or if it’s long-term or what. But we were bummed. I’m not sure we’ll have a chance to come back. 😒 Now what?

From there, we headed back in the direction of our place in order to find a small beach that was open – calm enough for us all to swim. We found a beach park called La’ielohelohe and settled there for the day.

After lunch…

…the boys had the idea to get a football or frisbee to throw around at the beach. We’d seen a pretty large marketplace while we were driving around, so we headed back there to investigate. It turned out to be the Polynesian Cultural Center, which had changed a bit since I was here last, even though I had never visited. We were immediately welcomed by souvenir shops and ice cream stands. I quickly realized that this was more than just a quick run for a frisbee.

No success with a football or frisbee, but that’s okay. It was back to the beach park for a lazy afternoon. After a little more sun, the girls headed back to shower up, and us boys napped for a few. After we were bsck and all cleaned up, we headed into Haliewa, a little beach town that the North Shore is probably most known for. Our wish was to do some souvenir shopping and get dinner. Unfortunately, we got there at about 6:45, which was a little too late for the souvenir shopping since the shops started closing at 7. We were able to squeeze in one quick visit at the North Shore Surf Shop, although I believe the shop owner had mentally closed up about 15 minutes earlier.

Off to dinner! Zach spotted a burger place on our way into town that looked good, so we headed back in that direction. It did not disappoint! Everything (except the check) was delicious!

Long day! So much fun! I’m certain everyone except Mom and Dad slept on the 40-minute drive back home.