From Waikiki to Wailea: Oahu Part 2

When we first got to Oahu, we were kind of in a mad panic to see and do everything. Our first couple of days on the island consisted of waking up early, going sightseeing, staying out late, and dragging of exhausted bodies back to the hotel. On about day three, we finally slept in and it was GLORIOUS. I love sleep. Especially blissful honeymoon sleep. I highly recommend it!

North Shore

After that wonderful day of rest, we took a more relaxing approach to our honeymoon. One day we decided to rent a car and drive to the North Shore. We didn't have a destination in mind, which was great! It was fun just driving, kind of like a mini road trip. The North Shore goes on forever. 

Oh, hello Paradise.

We stopped often along the way whenever we wanted to stretch our legs or fill our bellies. Mr. Warbs wanted to see the maze at the Dole Plantation so we poked around there for a bit. He thought he could beat the world's largest maze. My silly, misguided husband. We spent maybe ten minutes in the maze before he gave up. I think he was a bit claustrophobic. Or painfully aware of his poor maze solving skills. I have photos of him attempting to re-route us through the maze, but I'll save him the embarrassment...

Here's a photo of him practicing his backstroke!

We passed a ton of little secluded beaches and jumped in for a dip when we got hot. If you've been following my posts you will remember that I wrote about my decision to finally learn to swim. Well, I can report that...I can now float. But that's pretty much it. You guys, I don't know what happened. Oh, wait, yes I do. I was planning a wedding, working and trying t overcome a childhood phobia. Two out of three ain't bad, right? Some members of the Hive questioned whether or not I was giving myself a reasonable amount of time (at the time less than six months) and you ladies were absolutely right. I barely learned how to tread water. But that didn't stop me from getting into the water. I didn't go very far in while we were on Oahu, but I was able to float with the assistance of a boogie board in Maui pretty far out in the water. Of course, I don't have any photographic evidence, because Mr. Warbs never let me go into the water by myself and I didn't care enough to ask a stranger to take a photo of me trying not to drown. So you'll just have to take my word for it. I swear on cheesecake, you guys.

Waimea Falls

Up until our honeymoon, I had never seen a waterfall. Well, other than the Hoover Dam. I"M JUST KIDDING. I know that doesn't count. It was beautiful! If you're driving up the North Shore, I would definitely recommend stopping by Waimea Falls. You have to take a hike to the waterfall itself, but it's a paved road which didn't make it feel like a hike at all. It took us about 20 minutes going downhill and 30 minutes going back uphill. Definitely worth it! And you get to see all kinds of gorgeous plant and wildlife along the way.

This sign was posted about half way through our hike to the waterfall. Too late to turn back now!

That water was freaking freezing.

Speaking of wildlife, Waimea Falls has a ton of peacocks. Seriously, they're everywhere. Oh and they're fabulous, and they know it. One peacock stalked me in the parking lot. I guess it was offended that I was wearing pretty much the same outfit that it was wearing.

We circled each other. 

Finally, I caved. Peacocks = the divas of the bird family.

Diamond Head

First, I want to start off with a little disclaimer. If you plan to hike Diamond Head, don't do it on the same day you choose to sleep in. Like way in. So, if you want to hike Diamond Head, but it's high noon, I would recommend going another day. Yup, we started our hike up to Diamond Head at noon on probably the hottest day of our honeymoon. I'm not a hiker. I don't like to sweat and I've yet to master proper breathing techniques while exercising. So in short, Diamond Head was not my idea. Warning: getting married may cause you to do things you hate for the person you love.

It was probably payback for making him watch Sex and the City. The movie. The second movie.

Not only did we start our hike late, we also took the bus there. The bus drops you off right outside of the entrance, you still have to walk through a tunnel and into the park before you get to the trail. I was already tired at this point. The beginning of the trail is paved, but eventually it leads way to an uneven rocky path winding around the crater, then 74 steps, a tunnel and then 99 very steep steps. After that you have to walk up 43 more steps in a lighted tunnel before you get to the top. There is an alternate route at this point, but I wouldn't recommend it for people who are afraid of heights, like me. I couldn't brave those final steps so I technically never reached the top of the crater.

See those stairs on the left? That's where I stopped. I get freaked out just looking at this!

On average it takes people 1.5 - 2 hours round trip. It took us more like 2.5 to 3 hours because I had to keep stopping. Some of the people who managed to pass me were: a mother holding her child while wearing Crocs, a slew of barefoot people, an elderly woman with a cane and a man with a freaking portable oxygen tank. I'm not even kidding, I'm that pathetic.

Mrs. Warbler = a hot mess.

Here's a photo of how much further we had to go.

Here's a photo of Mr. Warbs coming back down after realizing I was NOT behind him.

I just couldn't do it. The straight shot up terrified me. I couldn't help but look to the left or right and just see all the open air. I got to maybe the halfway point on sheer stubbornness, but had to turn back. Mr. Warbs went on without me and took some photos.

Waikiki!

Hey, I made it more than halfway. Doesn't that count for something?

Up next: Maui, and then it's wedding recap time!

From Waikiki to Wailea: Oahu Part 1

Even though we got off to a rough start, the rest of our time in Oahu went off without a hitch. Waking up in paradise everyday definitely helped! With less than a week to spend in Oahu, we wanted to explore as much as we could so our days were packed full of activities. We both had things we were looking forward to: Mr. Warbs really wanted to go to Pearl Harbor and I really wanted to go on a LOST tour. Completely different right? We were able to do both and then some!

Pearl Harbor and USS Missouri

Everybody always says if you ever go to Oahu, you just have to visit Pearl Harbor. It's true. Once you get to the USS Arizona, there's just a change in the atmosphere. Reverence probably is the closest word I can use to describe looking at all the names on the wall. Reverence and humility.

You can't bring anything except a camera into the memorial. No exceptions!

A shot of oil leaking from parts of the USS Arizona that they couldn't get to.

 The anchor behind us was blown off the Arizona and landed 200 yard away.

I think we took more than 100 photos on the USS Missouri alone, Mr. Warbs and I really explored every available inch of the ship. I slammed by shin on a metal ladder going below deck. I like to think a little part of me is still on board!

We were able to book a tour that included Pearl Harbor, USS Missouri and the other attractions at Ford Island and a city tour. Our fantastic tour guide gave us great tips on places to eat and where to shop. The whole tour lasted 6 hours! We had just enough energy to grab dinner before crashing back at the hotel. But it was a very fun day.

 LOST Tour

Like I mentioned above, the thing I was looking forward to most was the LOST tour. I was a huge fan of the show and cried real tears (I'm not a cryer) when the show ended. So I had big expectations for the whole experience, which unfortunately were not met. Damn, that was a high maintenance sentence wasn't it? My expectations were probably unfair because the show did end two years ago. Even though we got to see the locations the show was shot at, most of the sets were no longer up so it was kind of bittersweet.

 Chinaman's hat - not shown in LOST

Me making my "meh" face.

Was the tour fun? Absolutely. All of the sites were cool and the views were amazing. But, I think I would have enjoyed myself if I could have seen the sites while filming was still going on. Obviously. So in my opinion, if you're going on the tour, go for the scenery and don't place too much stock in recognizing all of the show sites.

Up next, more fun in Oahu!

From Waikiki to Wailea: First Night in Oahu

After a long cramped flight, we finally arrived in Oahu! We hopped on a shuttle to our hotel and forty-five minutes later, we checked into our temporary home for the next week. The Courtyard Marriott Waikiki is a decent hotel, but it wasn't overly extravagant which was fine because we didn't spend a lot of time in our room anyway. Other than sleeping and you know.

Even though we were dead tired from the early flight, we went out to explore right away. The drive from the airport only showed us freeways and industrial buildings. We wanted to see Oahu. The beach was only a few blocks away from our hotel so we strolled on over. And it was beautiful. 

After a few drinks at a bar we hit the streets again. Mr. Warbs saw a dude walking around with a bunch of parrots he had trained to strike a pose and vogue for tourist photos. I watched for a minute and kept walking. But Mr. Warbs was transfixed. He wanted a photo with those birds. Badly. I was content to take photos of him holding the birds, but I was not.touching.those.birds. But Mr. Warbs thought it would be the best thing ever. Kind of how people under the influence think it would be the greatest thing ever to buy a shit load of tacos from Jack-in-the-Box at 2 in the morning. So between my husband's prodding and the effects of two Mai Tais, this happened:

Don't let my smile fool you. I was terrified.

We walked around holding hands and being all mushy for a bit before going to get something to eat. And drink. But mostly...OK I drank a lot. 

 OMG best Mai Tai ever.

Can you tell I had a little too much to drink that night?

By the time our food was served, I was feeling sick. I only managed to take a couple of bites of my kimchi fried rice. I already mentioned in my last post that I had to run to the restroom and give my stomach a little pep talk. Even though I felt better after we got back to the hotel, the rest of the night was a wash. I'm sure most people don't dream that the first night of their honeymoon will end with pepto bismol and ginger ale, but that's what happened to me! So, Oahu: 1, Mrs. Warbler: 0. Don't worry, Hive it got better.

Up next: Good times in Oahu!