Forgetting Waikiki

Our few days in Honolulu were fun, but we were really looking forward to visiting the North Shore of Oahu.  With a dearth of large hotels and resorts, we hoped the beaches and towns would be a bit less crowded, especially since it was off-season. 

After eating our fair share of unhealthy food in the last several days, The Wife and I decided to go for an early morning jog.  We jogged 1.5 miles south past the beaches and boardwalks, past the large hotels and resorts, and past the restaurants and shopping malls until we stumbled upon an unassuming eatery on a small side street.  

Musubi Cafe Iyasume specializes in the Hawaiian version of onigiri.  This popular Japanese snack food is essentially a large rice ball wrapped in nori.  Instead of the traditional fillings of fish or pickled plums, Hawaiians prefer to top their versions, known as musubi, with SPAM.  

With all of the Japanese tourists in Waikiki, there were no shortage of patrons inside.

SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM.
Lovely SPAM! Wonderful SPAM!

With our newly-purchased breakfast, we high-tailed it back to our hotel.  The SPAM was still warm by the time we arrived.

Kimchi SPAM musubi

Avocado, bacon, and egg SPAM musubi

 

Takuan radish SPAM musubi

Pickled plum SPAM musubi

We checked out of the Hilton by mid-morning and drove to Leonard's Bakery to buy some of their famous malasadas.  In the late 19th century, immigrants brought this Portuguese confection to the Hawaiian Islands.  The original version was mainly fried yeast-dough rolled in sugar.  The Hawaiian version is usually stuffed with tropical flavored fillings.  Several bakeries offer malasadas but Leonards, opened in 1953, is the most popular.  

We had to be patient as there was a long line of people that extended outside the bakery.

The malasadas were worth the wait.  Between these confections and the SPAM musubis, we easily gained back all the calories that we lost on our morning run.

We tried several fillings--custard, coconut, chocolate, banana, and macadamia nut.

We drove onto the H-1 highway and took the H-3 towards the eastern side of the island.  Despite these routes being highways, the speed limit only reached 60 miles per hour in a few stretches.  It really didn't matter, as we rarely made it over 45 miles an hour because of all of the slow-driving motorists.  This slower speed did help us savor the beautiful landscape of the mountains on our left, and the Pacific Ocean to our right. 

After just an hour, we pulled into our next destination, Tropical Farms of Hawaii.  There were several passenger buses parked outside this touristy store when we arrived.  

This store advertises themselves as an outlet for macadamia nut.

Although there weren't THAT many products for sale, there were no shortage of visitors to this store.

Many local products such as flavored macadamia nuts, Kona coffee, and noni lotion were on sale.  The free samples of macadamia nuts and coffee were worth a brief stop in themselves.  

However, we were mainly there to take their Ali'i tour ($20/adult and $10/child).

While we waited for the tour to start, The Kids occupied themselves by cracking macadamia nuts.

There was a large bin where guests could help themselves to unprocessed macadamia nuts. 

Nearby were some tree stumps and rocks.  The nuts, still in their shells, could be pounded gently with these large rocks to release the desirable white meat inside.

After The Kids had cracked enough nuts to fill their bellies, the Ali'i tour was about to start.  

We were instructed to board
an old, decrepit green bus.

The bus was so ghetto that the last row of seats was missing.  In their
place was a couple of dirty, broken lawn chairs that we had to sit on.

The bus drove past some of the farm's fields while our guide pointed out the different tropical plants and crops.  Eventually, we disembarked for a demonstration on important Polynesian skills by our Samoan "chief".  

The chief demonstrates how to start
a fire by rubbing two sticks together.

He transferred the smoky embers to some dried coconut husks.  Then he turned into a conflagration.

The chief then skillfully twirled a flaming baton.

He then demonstrated the importance of coconut trees to Polynesian life.

He showed us how "easy" it is to
open a coconut with just a rock.

At the end of the show, The Wife and The Kids were given leafy crowns.

We were then ushered towards a nearby pond where we passed a couple of old, unused buildings.  The chief told us that these were used as sets for TV shows such as ER, Lost, Gilligan's Island, and Fantasy Island.  In addition, some movies such as 50 First Dates and Tears of the Sun were filmed there as well.

These mountains that overlooked the farm also served as scenic shots for Jurrasic Park.

We took a short boat ride on the pond.  It was pretty much pointless.

Although the demonstrations were similar to what you can probably get at any Polynesian show, the chief's enthusiasm and humor combined with the gorgeous scenery made the Ali'i tour worth the money.

Afterwards, we drove a few miles north to Laie point.  This small strip of land and rocks that juts out into the ocean is tucked away behind a residential neighborhood.  According to Hawaiian folklore, a legendary warrior defeated a giant lizard, chopped its head into five pieces, and threw them into the ocean.  From these parts formed five "islands" off of Laie Point.  When we arrived, there was a small bus full of Japanese tourists taking pictures of the angry surf.  On the other side, some locals were fishing. 

We pose in front of one of the five "islands"off of Laie Point.

People who get too close to the rock's edge can get drenched.

Despite the many rocks and strong currents, Laie Point is a popular place for people to cliff dive.  After reading some online directions for where to jump, I contemplated taking the plunge.  The Wife thought the idea was stupid.  But, she gave me her blessings knowing that if I landed on a submerged rock and died that she could cash in on a nice life insurance policy.  However, the lack of seeing anybody else cliff dive was a big red flag.  I hesitated some more after seeing the steep, rocky path that jumpers would have to climb back up to the top.  Finally, I decided against the stunt because The Kids kept begging me not to hurt myself.

An unassuming concrete block marks the jump off point for more adventurous individuals.

We still had some time to kill before we could check into our next lodging.  We decided to stop for a late lunch.  Unlike Waikiki where there seems to be a restaurant on every corner, there are few brick and mortar restaurants on the North Shore.  However, in 1993, Giovanni's Shrimp Truck started selling shrimp scampi, heavy with garlic and butter flavor.  These crustaceans were such a hit that rival trucks are a dime a dozen now. 

We stopped by Romy's Kahuku Prawns and Shrimp.  It was more of a shack rather than a truck.

We were interested in trying their fresh prawns, raised in ponds right behind their building.

Unfortunately, they were only serving imported shrimp as their prawns had not reached ample size yet.  More disappointing news followed as we were told that the wait time for their garlic-butter shrimp was 45 minutes.  Hungry and unwilling to wait, we settled for an order of steamed shrimp with butter-garlic and hot and spicy dipping sauces.

The dining and waiting area is composed of covered picnic tables.

The steamed shrimp was good.  But it just isn't the same as shrimp scampi.

There is only one large hotel on the North Shore of Oahu--Turtle Bay Resort.  Built in 1972, the hotel has served as the background for many television shows such as Hawaii 5-0, Magnum PI, and, most importantly, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.  Many movies have also been filmed there as well.  In fact, the resort itself was the centerpiece of the 2008 film, Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

However, controversy has long plagued Turtle Bay Resort.  Many North Shore residents have organized resistance against the hotel citing deleterious environmental effects of their expansion.  We passed many homes with signs denouncing Turtle Bay and advocating to "keep the country country."

When we looked for a place to stay on the North Shore...

...we settled on an ocean villa at the Turtle Bay Resort.

Instead of renting through the hotel's management, we found one on VRBO for a better price.  The rental studio was beautiful with high-end furnishings, Bose surround-sound speakers for the television, and a fully stocked kitchen.  

The master "bedroom" was contiguous...

...with the living room and balcony.

The kitchenette had all the tools we needed for simple meals.

The bathroom was actually quite spacious.

In addition, the owners provided a storage unit that included a sun umbrella with beach chairs, five sets of snorkeling equipment, and toys to play with in the sand.  Unlike the panoramic view of the ocean from up high that we had on Waikiki, the villa's balcony was only about fifty feet from the ocean.   

It really made us feel like we were on the beach when we sat outside on our villa's balcony.

After we got settled into our new digs, we toured the grounds of the hotel until the sun began to set.

The main hotel overlooks the protected bay, giving guests beautiful views of the ocean.

The hotel's wedding chapel was the setting for the yoga class in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

The Wife and I relax on a bench that overlooks Turtle Bay.

For dinner, we drove back east and ate at the Kahuku Grill.

The Wife had the coconut and macadamia nut shrimp.

I tried their grilled fish and garlic shrimp combo.

The Kids both ended up ordering burgers.

The Girl thought she was getting pasta.  Nope, it's a pesto burger.

We also stopped off at the Foodland down the road at Laie.  I had some serious sticker shock looking at the prices for some basic items.

I guess SPAM is so popular in Hawaii because everything else is too expensive to afford.

I did enjoy the SPAM musubis so much that I got a musubi maker for $5.

*****

Friday, October 9, 2015

We woke up to the soothing sounds of waves crashing on the rocks outside.  We spent an hour at the beach that morning before we had to leave for our reservations at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Opened in 1963, the PCC provides a superficial introduction to Polynesian culture for tourists to Hawaii.  It is also one of the most visited and most financially lucrative attractions in the state.  However, all the money isn't going to some rich tycoon or corporation.  The PCC roots lie in the Mormon community that settled on the North Shore in the 19th century.  Mormon missionaries have long opened schools and churches on several of the islands throughout the Pacific.  In order to offer these students a place for higher learning, they established a campus of BYU near Laie.  The PCC was started a few years later to help raise money to support the college.  Over time, it had steadily grown in popularity and has ballooned to the massive behemoth that it is now.  You can't do much research about visiting Oahu without running into multiple advertisements for their luau.  Nowadays, 70% of the people who work at the PCC are full time students at the nearby campus of BYU-Hawaii. 

Before the gates opened at the PCC at noon, we stopped for lunch at the Hukulau Cafe.

I couldn't leave Oahu without trying loco moco at least once.  It is another odd hybrid dish invented by Hawaiians.  It was created in the 1940's by a diner owner to feed hungry neighborhood kids.  The dish combines the Japanese influence of rice with the American staples of a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and gravy.  It is a simple comfort food that is popular on the islands.  However, loco moco probably doesn't help the obesity epidemic that has affected native Hawaiians.  

Loco moco.

Teriyaki chicken

Fried mahi mahi

Fried shrimp

Despite my misgivings about the bloated admission prices, The Wife opted for the Super Ambassador Package to visit the PCC.  This option provided a guide who would take our group around and hit the highlights of the park.  Most importantly for The Kids, we would also have reserved front row seating for any of the shows so that their views wouldn't be obstructed by any adults. 

We picked probably the worst day to visit the PCC as the day was far hotter than any other that week.  It was difficult standing out in the sun.  We were introduced to our guide, "Brigham", a fourth generation Fijian.  His ancestors had come from south India as laborers when both countries were part of the British Empire.  Today a third of Fiji's population has some Indian descent.

There was no need for us to buy kukui nut lei souvenirs as they are
given to visitors who purchase higher tier packages at the PCC.

Like most of the other workers at the center, Brigham was also a full time student at BYU-Hawaii in the International Work Experience Scholarship program.  In exchange for half of his educational expenses (tuition, lodging, books, etc.) to be paid for, he must work at the PCC for 19 hours a week during the school year and 40 hours during the summer.  These hours can sometimes be difficult for a single college student, let alone for Brigham and his wife (who is also in the program) as they have a newborn child.  However, the opportunity to earn a college degree when it would otherwise be financially untenable is worth the work.  Another small benefit is that many of the students actually learn about their own culture and heritage.  Brigham mentioned that in modern times, many of the traditions are seldom practiced on the islands.  Many of the students have not been exposed to some of the traditional songs and dances of their ancestors.  Therefore, the PCC allows for some of that culture to be passed down to the next generation.

One reported origin of the Hawaiian "shaka" sign comes from
Hamana Kalili, a prominent man from Laie.  He lost three fingers
in a sugarmill accident, creating this characteristic greeting. 

The PCC is organized around different "villages" representing the Polynesian islands of Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, Marquesas, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Somoa, and Tahiti.  At each location, there are shows and interactive games that educate visitors to their specific cultures.  

Hostile tribesmen met us at the entrance to the Aotearoa village.

As the "chief" of our group, I picked up a stick that was dropped.  I guess
they don't like littering because they soon calmed down and let us in.

The Girl got a maori-style temporary tattoo on her arm.

I convinced The Boy that it is cooler to get one on his face just like Mike Tyson.

We got amped-up to play a traditional maori game involving sticks.  We all lost.

We also played a stick-tossing game that teaches hand-eye coordination.  Needless
to say, The Kids aren't getting any athletic scholarships for college in the future.

The material is obviously dumbed down for tourists.  For instance, in the Fiji village, there is no mention of the islands' violent history of tribal warfare and cannibalism which finally ended about 150 years ago.  Brigham was very open about this dark history, perhaps because these events weren't perpetuated by his ancestors.  Overall, most of the content was still pretty interesting and entertaining, albeit light on real history.

These war clubs hint at Fiji's violent past.  But, there were no official
descriptions of this history at the PCC that goes into any detail.

This tall bure kalao is one of only two
such "spirit houses" left in the world.

On this nearby rock, the necks of sacrificial victims were broken with large clubs.

Because Brigham wanted to make sure that we saw all the important shows and parade, we ended up skipping some "villages" altogether.  I don't know if you can really see the entire PCC in just one afternoon, but most of the packages allow free entry back into the park for three days after the initial visit.  However, I would be surprised if many people really use that feature.

In the middle of the afternoon, there was a procession of canoes representing each major village.

Dancers performed traditional routines unique to their island.

A performer demonstrates how
to climb up a coconut tree.

Our ambassador package included a ride on an outrigger canoe.  We smoked another family in a race.

As the evening approached, we were ushered to our seats at the luau.  There was a plethora of food at the buffet--plenty of options for all tastes.  Overall, the food was pretty good considering that mass amounts of people were being fed.  

At a luau, the pig is traditionally cooked kalua-style (in an underground oven).

Besides the pork, there were several meat options and sides...

...as well as seafood items and, of course, poi.

Desserts included haupia and pastries...

...as well as tropically-flavored cakes and pies and fresh fruit.

While we ate, performers entertained us with more traditional Polynesian dancing.  Even some local children performed on stage.

This boy who must have been around 10 years-old was impressive twirling two fire batons.

After our meal, we watched the 4D movie Hawaiian Journey in their IMAX theater.  The cinematography was gorgeous, but the content was kind of boring.  Once the film was finished, Brigham gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the PCC's evening show.  Billed as "Broadway, then adding flaming knives," this nightly event is shown inside their large 2,700 seat Pacific Amphitheater.  

Brigham explained that all work-study participants from the Polynesian islands are required to audition as dancers.  He also mentioned that there is not a lot of real-world experience gained by performing in a show.  He hinted that being a terrible dancer is not a bad thing in order to get a more coveted work-study job to build one's resume for the future.

Performers warm up adorned only in towels--more than they would wear during their performance.

A few last minute words of
encouragement can't hurt.

The current show, Hā–Breath of Life, has a convoluted plot about an island boy as he grows into manhood and starts his own family.  Whatever.  The main point of the show is really to feature the different Polynesian songs and styles of dancing.  During intermission, ice cream with fruit was served to every guest.    

With our ambassador package, we had reserved seats in the front row.

Altogether, the PCC is definitely a tourist trap.  But it is also a fun experience that can be very enjoyable especially for families.  Additionally, I felt that the center really serves a good purpose allowing people who don't have the financial resources or opportunities to gain a high level college education.   

*****

Saturday, October 10,2015

The Wife and I rarely plan a vacation and leave the itinerary blank for a whole day.  This would be the case for today as we had just planned on winging it.  I considered renting a surfboard and trying to remember our surf lessons from last year.  However, I looked outside our balcony and saw some pretty large and intimidating waves out on the ocean.  In the last two days there were mainly smaller 2-3 foot waves--good for beginners.  However, the surf report today showed that the waves would be 6 feet high--too hard for a novice who has only stood up once on a surfboard.  I passed on the surfing, realizing that it is nature's way of telling me that I'm too old and out-of-shape.

After breakfast, we decided to drive over to a nearby beach called Shark's Cove to do some snorkeling.   

There is a perimeter of surrounding rocks that creates a barrier against any rough waves.

In fact the water was pretty much still within the protected cove making it an ideal location for small children or novices to the ocean.  There were, however, many rocks that littered the entire area.  Appropriate water shoes or fins are recommended for this area.  However, The Wife and The Kids did not listen to my advice and they went barefoot.  They got a couple of  cuts for their poor decision-making.  

The cove was shallow enough for small children to walk around.

However, the lack of depth made it difficult to swim.

We had to climb hand over hand to traverse the rocky bottom.

There was hardly any coral in Shark's Cove.  There definitely was not any large pelagic animals such as sea turtles, rays, or, paradoxically, sharks.

Schools of colorless fish occupied the pool.

There were also several other colorful tropical fish including angel
fish, butterfly fish, trigger fish, and even some eel-like coronet fish.

We stayed for about an hour, and left once The Kids were finally fed up with their leaking masks and abrasions on their legs.

Afterwards, we drove by Lanikai Beach, as it is known as the best place to see honu (sea turtles).  Since we had struck out this past year finding any in Costa Rica or Turkey, it was no surprise to not see any on the beach.

We drove west until we reached Haleiwa, the largest town on the North Shore of Oahu.

We made a beeline to the Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. 

The truck in Haleiwa is reportedly the lesser-crowded of the two locations.

Unlike Romy's, the shrimp is not cooked to order, so it was ready to eat once we placed our order.  It still tasted great with a very good garlicky flavor.  

Their shrimp scampi was really good and...garlicky.

Their hot and spicy shrimp was very...spicy.

The only downside of eating at their crowded picnic tables nearby is that diners will be swarmed by hundreds of annoying flies.  

The Wife also wanted to try an açaí bowl
from the nearby 'Okina Cafe Truck.

Although açaí berries are native to Brazil, these
healthy fruit dishes are ubiquitous in Hawaii. 

Afterwards, we visited some of the shops along the main road that ran through Haleiwa.  

We stopped by the Aloha General Store for some Hawaiian shave ice.

Cherry, li-hing moi, and pineapple

Passion fruit, pina colada, and blue Hawaii

At the Polynesian Treasures store,
there were some interesting Megalodon
teeth and tribal weapons for sale.

The Kids bought some shark-tooth necklaces.  We hoped that
they would not have to take the store up on their refund policy.

We stopped off at the nearby Coffee Gallery for some much-needed caffeine.

They serve and sell beans grown and
roasted on the North Shore of Oahu.

On the way back to the Turtle Bay Resort,  we passed the "banzai pipeline," a reef break that creates some of the best waves around the world for surfing.  Several surfing competitions are held at the "pipeline," and its dangerous waves have led to injuries and death to many a skilled surfer.  Although the waves would be much higher in about two months, they were already pretty scary looking in the month of October.  Since it was Saturday, there were tons of locals surfing the waves.  There were even more people out on the beach admiring their skill.

We stopped at Ted's Bakery to buy
one of their chocolate haupia pies.

Haupia alone is pretty good, but it is so
much better with the chocolate pudding.

We spent that afternoon lounging at the nice sandy beach of Turtle Bay Resort.  I decided to do some more snorkeling while The Kids played on the sand.  The waves and current made it a little tougher than Shark's Cove, but it was manageable especially with fins.  I saw most of the same fish that I had seen earlier that morning.  However, there were many more sea urchins and several sea cucumbers.  I also managed to spot a pufferfish and a small, white moray eel.  It just stared at me and didn't swim away as I floated a few feet above it.  However, I didn't see any larger pelagic marine life in the protected bay.

As the evening wore on, we were alerted to commotion a few yards away on the beach.  

Apparently, a female monk seal simply swam up on
shore and decided to rest among the throngs of tourists.

The hotel's staff quickly cordoned off the area so that the seal could have her space.

One worker commented that she is a frequent visitor to the hotel, but her pup never comes ashore when people are nearby.  Although we didn't see any honu at Turtle Bay, a seal wasn't too bad.

*****

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Since 2001, there have been several dive boats on the North Shore of Oahu that offer the experience of diving with sharks.  These companies take you off shore, equip you with snorkels, and then drop you and nine other guests into a cage as sharks swim around you for the next twenty minutes.  There has been some opposition by some locals towards this activity.  They are concerned that these cage diving tours may alter the behavior of these sharks towards humans, leading to them being more aggressive towards swimmers and surfers.  However, while shark diving operators in South Africa bait the waters, those in Oahu generally do not.  Additionally, studies by the University of Hawaii have not shown any increased risk to people by these cage diving operations. While the idea sounded kind of interesting, I wasn't quite sold on being crammed into a cage with several others.

However, I ran across an article on the internet about a relatively new dive operator, One Ocean Diving, that offered a completely different experience on the North Shore--interacting with the sharks without cages.  One of the organization's owners is Ocean Ramsey, a shark conservationist, scuba instructor, and model, who made news a few years ago when she went free diving with a massive great white shark.  Reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp assured that One Ocean Diving was first rate and safe.  The Boy, The Wife, and I were sold on the activity.  The Girl, however, was not.  It took showing her photos of Zac Efron swimming with a large tiger shark while out on an excursion with One Ocean before she relented.  Apparently, she likes High School Musical. 

After our fiasco with The Girl SNUBA diving in Costa Rica nine months earlier, The Wife and I were concerned whether she would freak out again once in the water.  We practiced snorkeling in the weeks leading up to our trip.  We exchanged the dive straps on her mask for a comfortable cushioned one.  We bought a snorkeling vest for her and The Boy to help them float just in case the seas were rough.  Finally, we also bought them some second-hand shortie wetsuits to protect against possible cold water or jellyfish.  The Wife and I tried to proactively head off any possible issues so that The Girl could not back out.

We were up very early the next morning to make our 7 AM appointment with the denizens of the deep.  It had rained a lot the night before, so we were wary that our trip would be cancelled.    On our way to Haleiwa, we stopped briefly at Lanikai Beach but there were still no sea turtles in sight.  

At the dock, we were introduced to our crew, Hasselhoff, the
part-time captain and lifeguard, and Zissou, the marine biologist.

We were also joined by two other local girls, which gave us our maximum passenger load of six people.  We were given some safety instructions and headed out to the open ocean.  Although the storm was over, the waves were very choppy.  After just a fifteen minute ride, The Boy started to get seasick.  His eagerness to get into the water with sharks quickly turned into regret about being back on a boat.   

The Boy spent most of the journey with his head over the starboard side.

During our ride out to sea, Zissou gave us a
lecture on shark identification and behavior.

Once we arrived at our destination, we could see several sharks just below the surface circling our boat.  Hasselhoff noted that there is a natural sea shelf in this area which attracts fish and sharks alike.

  

Zissou slid into the water first followed by the first group consisting of the other two girls.  They stayed in the water for the next 15-20 minutes before we switched out with them.  The Wife and I went in first followed by The Kids.

Those same sharks who were swimming just a few feet below the surface, had dove down several yards below us.  There were some small sandbar sharks as well as larger Galapagos sharks, several larger than us.  They seemed to be more intimidated by us than us by them.

As The Boy entered the water, the sharks were still quite a distance away from us.

The Girl clung to the ropes by the boat while The
Boy tried his best to swim around despite his nausea.

It was actually quite relaxing for me watching the sharks circling around.  Slowly they started making their way upwards as they could tell that we were not much of a threat.  After awhile I noticed that The Girl was no longer in the water and had already climbed back aboard the boat.  Five minutes later, we were called back aboard as it was the other group's turn to go back in.  It turned out that The Girl had been stung by a jellyfish on the part of her arm not covered by the wetsuit.  That was a perfect excuse for her to stay out of the water for the rest of the day.  

Once aboard, The Boy and The Wife promptly made their way over to
the opposite side of the boat and began throwing up from seasickness.

Eventually it was our turn to go back in the water.  Only The Wife and I felt well enough to go back in.  Although the sharks were less timid, they still stayed several yards away from us.  I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't get a closer look at them.  Eventually, our time was up and we boarded the boat.

As we were about to leave, Zissou told us to put our GoPro sticks in the water.  Hasselhoff revved the engines and the sharks went nuts.  They started swarming the boat and bumping into it and each other.  One shark even tried to take a bite out of my GoPro.  Zissou told us that the sound of the engines makes the sharks get excited.  They forget their social hierarchy and their schooling nature as they look for food.  Zissou explained that they keep first-time visitors out of the water when they rev the engines lest those people freak out from the sharks' behavior.  However, after subsequent visits they sometimes let their guests stay down there.

After seeing how aggressive these sharks acted, I don't know how eager
I would be to enter the water with those sharks in that situation.

On the ride back, the two other female passengers told us that this excursion was much better than diving in a shark cage.  Although the price of diving with One Ocean's is significantly more, the girls felt that it was worth it.  They said it wasn't very fun having to jostle for position in a cage nor getting kicked or elbowed by other people in the enclosed space.  Overall, we were pretty happy with the sharks that we saw.  However, Hasselhoff mentioned that just the day before, they had been visited by two juvenile tiger sharks.  I was just about to curse our misfortune at missing out on seeing these dangerous predators before I remembered that only two days before a surfer had lost his leg to one only a few miles north of us.  Maybe I was better off just appreciating our swim with sandbar and Galapagos sharks.

Once back at Haleiwa, we stopped off at Matsumoto's Shave Ice, the quintessential place to go on the North Shore for this cold Hawaiian treat.  

Due to it's overwhelming popularity, there was a long line that stretched outside the store.

The Kids did a little virtual surfing
since they couldn't do it for real.

There was no shortage of interesting flavors that could be used to flavor their shave ice.

The Kids and I each got a large three-flavored dessert for ourselves.  The Wife orederd their ichiban special consisting of shave ice, ice cream, azuki beans, and mochi in a waffle cone tray.

Vanilla, cotton candy, and bubblegum

Mango, coconut cream, and white cake 

Pickled mango, lychee, and watermelon

Ichiban special

We left Haleiwa and drove a mile north to Papailoa Road.  Zissou had recommended an out-of-the-way beach where honu can often be found.  We drove through a neighborhood of nice houses and parked in a small public parking lot.

We walked through a narrow path between two of the houses to gain access to this secluded beach.

From there, we walked for twenty minutes south past rocky outcroppings and lonely stretches of sand.  

Large waves crashed against the rocks that covered the beach.

Crabs scuttled around the rocks impervious to the surf.

Finally in the distance, we saw a solitary dark shape.  We had finally found a sea turtle!

Barnacles covered the shell of this honu.

The Girl created a protective circle around the turtle.  At least it wasn't a pentagram.

Without any rocks on this stretch of sand, the waves crashed directly onto the beach.

The Kids had fun jumping over the waves in the surf.

The Girl wasn't quite as good at this activity.

After The Kids finished playing, we made the long journey back towards the beach entrance.  The walk was a bit more arduous because of the hot midday sun.  The going was slow as our feet sank into the sand.  As we reached the beach entrance, we saw a sea turtle sitting only fifty feet away on the OTHER side.  If only we had looked in that direction when we first arrived on the beach, then we would have saved ourselves a long walk.

Like the other sea turtle, this one also completely ignored us as we stood just a few feet away.

For lunch, we stopped off at the Cripsy Grindz truck which specializes in Brazilian food.

Pitaya (dragonfruit) bowl

Açaí bowl

Coxinha (shredded chicken and cheese in potato dough)

Pastel (fried dough stuffed with heart of palm and cheese)

We spent the rest of the day relaxing at our rented villa at the Turtle Bay Resort.  

For dinner, we drove a few minutes to Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp.

Aside from butter-garlic, Fumi's also offers several types of sauces for their shrimp.

Similar to the nearby Romy's, they also farm their own shrimp.  Unlike their neighbor, though, Fumi's didn't make us wait forever for our order.  The garlic shrimp was good, but we still liked Giovanni's the best.

$5 for two ears of corn was a bit on the expensive side.

Butter-garlic shrimp

Hot and spicy shrimp

Salt and pepper shrimp

*****

Monday, October 12, 2015

The next morning, we packed up all of our things and crammed them into the small trunk of our rental car.  We said our goodbyes to Turtle Bay and headed to the airport for our flight back home.  On the way, we stopped off at a convenience store next to the Paalaa Kai Bakery for some snacks to take aboard the plane.  We bought some musubis made from SPAM and others made with Portuguese sausage.

We took the H-2 highway back to Honolulu and dropped our car off at the airport.  With a couple of hours to kill, we ate lunch at the Umaizushi Bistro.  While the food was good, it was very expensive, being that it was inside the secured areas of the airport.  

Udon chili bowl

Poke bowl

Rainbow roll

Hawaiian roll

We also killed more time by browsing around in the airport gift shops.  A couple of flights later, we made it back home without any significant problems.

I like SPAM and I like macadamia nuts.  I just don't know if I like them together.

As expected, the family enjoyed our time in Hawaii.  The pace of life is definitely much slower than what we are used to, and we live in the Deep South.  The way that Hawaiians drive and their laid-back attitudes could definitely cause a type-A person to go quite mad.  But that same atmosphere seems to lend to some of the most friendly and hospitable people that we have met on our travels.

Honolulu and Waikiki were great, but we enjoyed the less-hectic North Shore even more.  We would love to visit Oahu again in the future, but there are still seven more islands in the chain that we haven't even touched.