Teagan and Declan: Oahu, Hawaii Trip - Day 5: Hanauma Bay, Blow Hole, Rainbow Drive-in, Round Top Drive

Day 5 started early with packing up four adults and four children and heading to Hanauma Bay on the southeast coast of Oahu. The beach and bay are set down much lower than the surrounding landscape, providing nice views from the upper rim. The bay is a nature preserve, and visitors are required to watch a video before heading to the beach about the wildlife and how to properly treat the environment to protect it. When we first arrived it was overcast and even sprinkling a little, but the cloud cover passed and by the time we left it was a gorgeous day. When the sun was out and the skies were clear the water was so blue and amazing. Even though we had gone to Kailua beach the previous day, Hanauma bay was Declan's first time swimming in the ocean.

The snorkeling is awesome at Hanauma and from the overhead shots you can see why - there is an outer reef protecting the interior of the bay, and the reefs extend into the shallow, protected waters making it perfect for snorkeling. Chris and Matt, followed by Chris and myself took some time out to snorkel in the reef. It was hard to get too much snorkel time with so many young kids to watch out for back on the beach, so the trips were short.

Our first views down to the water

First time in the ocean

Someone likes the water

(16-35mm lens)

Blue skies and blue waters (fisheye lens)

After Hanauma Bay, we took a quick drive down the southeast shore to see the Halona Blowhole. The waves were rough and we did see the blowhole spouting some (with strong waves the water shoots up through a channel in the rocks like a whale's blowhole). The water was such a deep blue, which was a beautiful contrast to the dark rocks and cliffs. You could see down the coast to Sandy Beach in the distance. It was very windy, which made Declan gasp and giggle, and made Teagan's hair blow wildly.

After the blowhole everyone was hungry so we decided to fill our bellies with Hawaiian plate lunches. On the way to eat we stopped by a scenic overlook to see the Koko Crater. This had been a running joke the whole trip, how we should hike to the top. Unlike Diamond Head, which has a winding trail of switch backs with some stairs, the Koko Crater hike is straight up a set of railroad ties from an old cog railway. You can see the trail going straight to the top in the beating sun. Not for the faint of heart, and not easy with kids I'm sure! Maybe the next time we visit.

Rainbow drive-in is a walk-up restaurant that offers your typical burgers, fries, etc in addition to their plates. Chris ordered a loco moco plate, which is 2 scoops of rice, mac salad, and a burger with an over easy egg on top. Matt got a chicken and gravy plate, and I got a BBQ pork plate. So delicious!

After Rainbow Drive-in we took a winding drive up Tantalus Drive to Round Top Drive. There were several scenic views on the way, along with many gorgeous hillside homes, but the final view was from the Puu Ualaokua Park lookout. It offered great views of Diamond Head and downtown Honolulu. It was a little hazy, but it was still worth the visit. There weren't too many photos of the girls at the lookout because they were busy running around.