PS

It's been a busy last few days for us and I forgot to post photos of two other highlights of our trip, so here goes:


DOLPHIN QUEST

Rick and the kids went for an amazing swim with dolphins in the Hilton Lagoon while the rest of us we were able to sit nearby and watch the fun. 

 Dolphin Lagoon

 Orientation hut before the actual swim

 

Patting the dolphin

 

 



 

 

Although it was a short period of time fun was definitely had by all three of them!

 

 

 

 

Hualalai Resort - aka Four Seasons 

 

 

We decided that we needed to have an evening out to see how the 'other half' live it up so we headed out one night to check out the Four Seasons Resort.  Upon reaching the place we turned off the highway and drove up to the 'check-in' hut with a gate that is manned 24 hours by hotel staff.  Here they ask if you're checking in, in a veiled way to to actually figure out why you're there.  We advised that we were there for cocktails and then we were graciously let through to spend our vacation dollars.

 

 



 

The open hotel lobby was the epitomy old traditional Hawaiian opulence, complete with soft music and fragrant flowers.

 

 

 

We raised our glasses to toast another memorable vacation (with cocktails the price of a dinner!)

 

 

 

So that's it - the last of our Hawaiian holiday.

Sun, Sand and Surf

We've spent a lot of time both in the pool and at the beach.  I think these photos are pretty typical of a day at Hapuna beach on the Big Island for most people!

We've learned a few things on this holiday;  the power of the waves (translates to don't wear a two-piece swim suit), how much sand a person can bring home from the beach and not know until you're in the shower, and also how good it is to make memories of fun times with our family and friends.

Today Ted and I head back home to real life, our Westcoast sunshine (rain), and regular routines.  I know I'll be looking back at this photo journal of our trip several times over the next couple of months while we wait for our summer! 

Are Sea Horses Real??

When I was growing up I really wasn't sure if there was such a thing as seahorses or not.  To me they seemed like such magical creatures that it must be just a fable.  On this trip I found out for sure that it's true - there really is such a thing as a seahorse. 

I came across a brochure for a seahorse conservation station that was not far from where we're staying and it detailed the work that they're doing in raising seahorses.  Well right away I knew I was going to go check that out and take my grandchildren to see them as well, and I'm so glad I did.  They showed them in various growth stages, and at the end of our one hour tour we all were able to hold them in our hands underneath the water.  The adult seahorses are approximately ten inches long, and they are very social - they wound their tail around our fingers and perched there. 

See the way the seahorse hangs onto the coral, that's the same way they curled their tail around our finger when we had our arms plunged into the tanks.  It was an amazing experience!

Lava Lava Beach Club

Usually while on holidays you find a spot that's just fun to be at.  Here on the Big Island we found this little beach front eating establishment, which was the scene of many laughs, the best Mai Tais, and a beautiful sunset.

Lava Lava - or 'Lulu's' which is what I call it - has a great happy hour daily from 3-5pm.

 

 

 

 

Even the little ones have fun at Lava Lava!

 





Adam family heading out...stopping at the beach though to take a look in the water for fish.

 

 

Things get a bit livlier as the late afternoon sun fades, live music and even a hulu dancer appears.

Just another day in paradise coming to a close.  :)

Glass Bottom Boat

 Anaehoomalu Bay - or 'A Bay' as it's commonly referred to on the Big Island, is a beautiful sandy stretch of beach with a variety of available tours to go on.   I think everybody loves the idea of going on a glass bottom boat and rarely does it, to me it was a no brainer - let's go!  Off we headed to A Bay.   

Turn around guys!

 

That's better.

 

 

Rick, Jen and kids

 

 

Sand angel

 

 

Wondering if it's ever going to be our turn  to get on the boat...

 

 

Finally it was our turn to board the boat and head out onto the water. 

The Captain took us out into the Bay and slowly guided the boat over the coral reefs so we could see the beautiful fish below us, we even saw the odd turtle now and again.

It was a great way to end Barry's stay in Hawaii,he was heading back into Langley in the morning.  Maybe next time we'll go deep sea fishin'!

More Family!

Jen, Rick and the kids arrived on the weekend, lots happening around here now!  We took them out for a morning walk on their first morning here to see the cat feeding station, they were quite impressed - there's even a duck who hangs around there.  The local people here have several feeding stations here for homeless cats, which seem to abound on the island.  We had a close look but didn't touch!

Next stop was the koi pond at the Kings Shops, pretty impressive as well.

This was the fanciest in the pond

It's been a busy few days with more family and friends arriving so I've got a bit of catching up to do here with posting photos, more to come tomorrow!

Canucks

Yes even on holidays we're Canucks to the core - and when there's a game playing some people will do whatever it takes to try and watch it.  Here's a couple of hardcore Canuck fans who don't mind watching it on a small screen.  The local establishments here are far more interested in basketball and so weren't showing hockey, hard to believe eh?

Internet, iPhones, whatever it takes.......

Captain Dan and the Three Hour Tour

 Friday we set sail on a 'three hour tour' looking for humpback whales, hosted by Captain Dan McSweeney out of the Honohokau Harbour just north of Kona.

When we booked the excursion I was a bit apprehensive of being out on the ocean in case it was rough seas, but it turned out I had nothing to worry about.  (Although I did take Gravol just before getting on the boat)

My official 'yachting' shoes

Last on and still got the best seat on the boat

As we headed out of the harbour Captain Dan explained what he hoped we'd see on our trip, what to watch for, and then he turned on some cruisin' music and we set out to sea! 

About thirty minutes out we had our first sighting of a whale spouting, so we continued traveling towards it and before long we saw several whales coming up out of the water, and then going back under.  Amazing sight to see!

The mist in the middle is a whale spouting.

 

 

A genuine whale's tail!

Another cool thing we saw was a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins frolicking around the boat amongst about six whales - they came right alongside of us.  There were three of them that jumped up out of the water together.  The whales would surface and dive back down again very quickly and unexpectedly but Shirley was right on deck taking video and photos as it happened.

Ted anxiously scans the horizon watching for the next whale

   And there it is.

Docked back in at the harbour and headed for dry land.

 

 

Captain Dan bids us farewell as we disembark.

Catch of the day

 

 

We ended up going quite a ways out on the ocean, at one point I was looking around and couldn't see land. Then I realized it was behind us and we'd actually travelled quite a distance catching up to the group of six whales.  Throughout the trip we were given great service by the Captain and his crew of two, who were very informative about the whales, and who also served us snacks and beverages.  Great voyage!