Day 2, Part 1- Around the Island

We woke up at 5:30am and it was already light, bright, and gorgeous outside! This was our first whole day there. We checked out our beach, had breakfast at Denney's and then drove around the island for some sight seeing and beach hopping.

Along the South shore

Waimanalo Bay

Someone recommended this beach to us and we're glad we went. It was beautiful and very few people. There was even a wedding party taking pictures. I think they were also having the wedding there, but I'm not sure.

We didn't do too much swimming here because the ocean is a bit rough here.

The white sandy beach just goes on and on. The whole beach is nearly 4 miles.

After frolicking in the warm waters at Waimanalo Beach. I could have stayed there all day, but there was so much more for us to see!

On our quest for more beaches, we took a wrong turn and went through a tunnel heading back towards Honolulu that went right through the mountain. You can see the road we wanted to be on and I just thought this was a beautiful shot. We did make it back to that highway.

Chinaman's Hat at Kualoa Park

That's our ride parked near the palm trees.

We picked lunch up at McDonald's ( real exotic, right?)

Then we ate it at the Laie Hawaii Temple. This was the first thing I checked on when I found out we were going. I wanted to go on our sealing anniversary (8yrs), but it has been closed for renovation. We just walked the grounds and we went to the visitors center instead. They had the original artwork from Reflections of Christ on display. Truly Amazing! The next stop for the exhibit is New Zealand! This temple is 1/4mi from the beach. It was such a beautiful view, but I didn't think to get a picture!

We found our way to Laniakea or Turtle Beach. We hoped to see some "honu" (Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle) and try out some snorkeling. This ended up being one of the highlights of our trip.

That's Jared next to the turtle. That's how close they got! The turtles are protected by law and have the right of way. We constantly had to move out of their way because they don't shy away from people. When we were a bit farther out, one came up from behind and brushed against my leg while I was trying to adjust my mask! I was startled and I tried to move away quickly without stepping on it.

Some of the turtles came ashore to bask in the sun.

We weren't allowed to cross the rope.

We drove on to Hale'iwa and then headed back to Waikiki. We wanted to be back before it got dark, so we never made it to the Northwest part of the island. I defiantly want to go back and see that part. We really didn't have enough time there!

Pineapple plants on our way back to Waikiki