One Week in Hawaii
*Throws ray-bans on, lets down hair & jams out to Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride*
Richie and I had been talking about this vacation for over a year & officially booked late last year. This trip would be the furthest West either of us had ever traveled and mark our first major vacation together in our 9-year long relationship (holy guacamole).
During our planning period, we came up with a small bucket list of must-do adventures on our trip.
The list: skydive, zip-line, whale watch, snorkel & hike a volcano.
My goal for this year is to push myself beyond my comfort zone & experience life without having fear hold me back. I grew up deathly afraid of heights - to the point I'd cry in line for roller coasters (yes I was that girl) & borderline have a heart attack after I was strapped in - so for me to be the one to suggest skydiving was insane to say the least.
We flew direct from JFK to Oahu - 11.5 hours later, we landed in paradise.
First stop: skydive the north shore of Oahu. As hyped & excited as I was to jump out of a perfectly good plane from 14,000ft in the air, I was also petrified. After arriving @ Skydive Hawaii, we were instructed to watch two informational videos and sign-away our life with a 10+ page waiver. Not, not scary.
Ready or not, an hour of wait time had come & gone. Before I knew it, I was strapped into a harness & sitting on a plane miles high in the air. Free-falling was the most indescribable feeling I've ever experienced and something that I think everyone, if able, should do once in their life! PS here's a link to my video - I realllllly think I nailed the shaka sign!
Oahu must-do's: the Sunrise Shack, Pearl Harbor & dinner @ Dukes Waikiki Beach.
Maui was our next destination. Zip-lining here we come! After my adrenaline rush the previous day, I could't wait to sit-back, relax & take in the views of Maui's valleys. If you're up for the adventure, I highly recommend to zip with Flyin Hawaiian! We had an amazing small-group tour with great guides who made it a more personalized experience.
Whale watching was next on our list! No matter where you stay on the island of Maui, a whale watching tour boat isn't far! We sailed on the Trilogy catamaran from Kaanapali beach. On our sail, we had an experience of a lifetime by spotting a mother & calf swimming near the surface. Getting the chance to see these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat was by far one of the most memorable moments on our trip.
We took a small break from Maui by doing a day-trip to the big island of Hawaii to hike the National Volcano Park. While there, we walked through a lava tube, hiked a caldera & saw the glow of Kilauea volcano. A must see! If you do plan a trip to the park, be sure to look into the bike rental options that get you as close as humanly possible to the lava flow!
One of Richie's biggest hopes was to snorkel with sea turtles in the turquoise waters of Hawaii. I can't even begin to describe the excitement we both had when three turtles swam near the shore where we stood. As quickly as we could, we grabbed our gear and dived in. Thanks to our go-pro, we got a few incredible shots swimming with these great creatures! Pictures below!
Maui must-do's: Mama's Fish House, visit the town of Paia + the Paia Fish Market, try a poke bowl, visit a farmer's market.
I could go on & on about our adventures, the gorgeous island views & how much fun we had on our first long trip together - BUT I'll save you those details and leave with a gallery of photos instead!
Aloha, mahalo!
XO, The Future Miss You
