2017 has been a great year for us. We’ve maxed out our holidays, taking three international trips and several long weekends away within Australia. It’s been a blast! So it wasn’t very hard to put together our top ten list of experiences for the year. Taking a boat right up close to an active lava flow in the Big Island, Hawaii One of the best ways to experience the...
When we booked our first trip to Hawaii, my plan was to avoid Oahu as much as possible. My expectations of Oahu were very low. I always pictured it as Hawaii’s tourist-hub, over commercialised, full of high rise condos and tacky tourists attractions; and to be honest, this was also our opinion of Hawaii in general, and it stopped us from heading there for ages. But...
It’s not hard to find a good hike on any of the Hawaiian Islands, and Oahu is no exception. It has more hiking trails than you can realistically conquer during a two week holiday. If like us, you’re a hiker, you may find it tricky to choose from them all. But, on the eastern edge of Waikiki’s coastline, lies one of Hawaii’s most iconic landmarks, the Diamond Head...
You might think that Hawaii is all about lying on the beach, surfing and enjoying the spectacular scenery. But some of the best things to explore in Hawaii are found under water. Beneath the stunning blue sea is a world of tropical fish, colourful coral reefs, friendly green sea turtles, rays, dolphins and many other species of marine life. A school of Surgeonfish in...
As a first time visitor to the Hawaiian islands, it’s really hard to choose which islands to head to. When I organised our initial trip to Hawaii I did lots and lots of research but I still found it hard to decide. Each of the islands has its own unique charms and personality. Ideally you’d visit them all, but of course, for most of us, that’s not practical. Which...
After indulging ourselves a bit too much with beautiful food and cocktails during our Hawaiian vacation we decided it was time to burn some calories. So on our way down from Oahu’s north shore to Waikiki at the end of our trip, we made a pit stop at Koko Head. We’d heard that hiking up the Koko Head Trail made for some great exercise. It sounded like the perfect...
If you love hiking, you will love spending some time on Kauai. Home to some of the most spectacular trails in Hawaii, Kauai is a hiker’s paradise. You won’t have any trouble finding a hike to match your particular level of fitness or experience. Whether you prefer a coastal stroll, wandering through a rainforest, hiking down a canyon, up a mountain, across...
Since our first visit to Kauai last year, I have been raving about the place to anyone who will listen! From the moment we caught sight of the island and witnessed Kauai’s natural beauty, we knew that it was a really special place. Every minute we spent on the island made us fall in love with it even more. It was incredibly sad to leave and all I could think of in...
If you are heading to Kauai, there is one part of the island that is absolutely worth heading to, the Nā Pali Coast. The Nā Pali Coast extends from Ke’e Beach on the North Shore to Polihale State Park on the West side of the island. If you visit Kauai you can’t leave without exploring this part of the island; it leaves me speechless every time. With five-million-year...
If you’ve read some of our previous posts, you’ll realise that I have a rather large addiction to sea turtles. It’s a weird addiction to have I must admit. Of course, it’s not my only one, travel and chillies are two more; but don’t worry, in this post I’m only going to talk about sea turtles! The first time I swam with sea turtles was in Akumal in Mexico and I was...