So....you're planning a trip to Hawaii and  you'd like some ideas of things to do.  Well, I guess I mentioned them briefly earlier, but I will go over some in more detail in this post.  It really all depends on the level of activity you desire, and the amount of money you want to spend.  If you want to lay around the beach and do some shopping, options abound.  We could've gone to a different beach twice a day, every day.  If you are up for more of a physical, athletic adventure, there is as much of that as you could want as well.  So it really is all up to you.

   One of the few things we actually spent some money doing in Hawaii was renting kayaks and paddling out to the Twin islands.  DEFinitely something you want to do if you ever find yourself on the tropical island paradise of Oahu.  Once you reach the island you can eat lunch, read a book, lay in the sun, snorkel, etc. and then you get to enjoy the whole ride back.  I thought the whole experience was easy-to-moderate.  Hard core kayakers (is that a word?) would probably be bored, and it would probably be a little too hard for kids.  So I thought this was a great experience for the public in general.



   I mentioned hiking in my previous post and I'll say it again, PUT it on your bucket list.  The views were unbeatable, the weather was perfect, and there was something so amazing about working hard and EARNING your "lay on the beach time" for later.

   The first hike we did was the Lanikai pillboxes (pictures in my previous post) and I would say it was fairly beginner level.  The second hike we did was the Koko Head trail and boy howdy......it was tough.  I mean, there were some seasoned veterans basically jogging the thing, but I honestly thought I was going to die a few times.  So I'm not sure what that would make this....expert level?  O.k. so it was probably more realistically moderate, and I just need to get in better shape.  But it was HARD.


    At one point in the trail, the ground falls away beneath you far away into the ravine below, and all there is to walk on is the railroad ties.  That was actually my favorite part.

   (I forgot to take a picture of that part, and so I found this one online over here.)  I heard someone refer to it as "Mount Everest, except with less snow."  Obviously they were exaggerating, but that definitely made me feel better.  But once again, the views at the top were unbeatable.




   Would I do it again?  Yes, yes I actually would.  But I would work my way up to it, maybe by conquering a few lesser hikes first, and not do it on the second day, immediately after we did the Pillboxes.  This resulted in searing pain and jello legs for the next few days, and so I never did quite feel up to another hike on the trip.  Sad, sad, so very sad.  I want to go back and hike All. The. Things.

 
   The place where we stayed was teeny tiny (another great way to save $$)  but it had access to a beach that was almost always empty and so private.  It was so beautiful there.  One morning Randy and I walked out there and watched the sunrise.



 
   Another way to save money is to stick to a mid-size, plain Jane, rental car.  And then if you're lucky like we were, they'll be all out of those and tell you to just upgrade to the convertible for free! :)


   As I mentioned earlier, Kualoa ranch was one of our highlights.  It is BEATIFUL there and they offer several different types of tours.  Bus, boat, ATVs, and horseback.  I would definitely prefer the horseback, but my dear husband has already endured that once before for me, and so it wouldn't be nice to make him do that again.:)  We took the bus tour and they shoot lots of scenes for movies and TV shows in that valley, and showed us all the different spots that they used.