Oahu, Hawaii - Day 8 (Diamond Head Hike)

 Friday was a fairly relaxed day, so to speak.  The day started with a short fish-feeding for B who was up early enough.

Then we made our way to Honolulu for a delicious brunch at Koko Head Cafe (winner of the 2016 Hawaii Brunch Competition).  Everyone really enjoyed their food, the Cornflake Crunch French Toast was a big hit with the kids.

The waitlist for the restaurant was non-existent so we had to kill some time before we could get into the Diamond Head State Monument to hike up to the top and overlook Waikiki Beach.  We decided to find a beach to watch the waves crash against the shore.

It was pretty hot at the start of the hike up, however there was nice breeze which helped cool the hikers.  B was setting the pace for most of the way up and then once T realized the hike was actually pretty cool, he started to set the pace (and all the way back down).

Once back at the van and in the air conditioning, we made our way back to the condo to cool off in the water at the beach.  The waves were HUMUNGOUS which was excellent for the boogie board riders.  The riptide in the lagoon was also pretty strong, which caused the surf riders (and bystanders) to continuously get pulled towards the centre of the lagoon beach.

After battling the waves for about an hour, it was time to get cleaned up and ready for the luau down the street.  B and T were excited to wear their new (matching) outfits.

The luau was very good and organized differently from the other luaus the crew have been to.  Instead of having all of the pre-meal shows on stage, people moved from different stations/areas to see how leis are made, different markets and the Imu Ceremony (hula dance and removal of the "pua" (pig) from the cooking pit).

Supper was very good and everyone found enough food to fill them up before watching the show.  B and T (and DD) even got to go up on stage to learn how to perform a hula dance.

After a short walk back "home", it was time for bed while the adults finished the remaining levels of Overcooked before calling it a night.

Oahu, Hawaii - Day 7 (Jurassic Adventure)

 Today was a busy day of site-seeing.  We started off with a 1 hr drive to Koaloa Ranch for a Jurassic Adventure tour, to see many of the sites used to film TV shows and movies including some of the Jurassic Park movies, 50 first dates, Jumanji and the TV show Lost.

Overlooking Kaneohe Bay at the Navy plane that overshot the runway earlier this week

The first stop was at a bunker on the property where some of the props from the movies/shows were stored.  AA was more interested in the view outside the bunker than what was inside the bunker.

The next stop was at the base of Koaloa Valley which has a spectacular view into the Koaloa Mountain Range.  The kids really enjoyed the "sleeping grass" that was pointed out by our tour guide.

The next stop was at the tree stump from Jurassic Park where we all posed for photo.

It was a short(ish) drive up the valley to a couple more sets from Jurassic World which offered some spectacular views of the valley and the ocean.

On the drive back down the valley, we had to stop a couple times to wait for some cows to get off our path.  This allowed our tour guide to explain that when producers are shooting movies/shows, they need to work around the Ranch tours which do not stop.

As we drove out of the valley and over to the other side of the Ranch, we passed by "the boneyard" from Godzilla or King Kong (AA doesn't remember which movie).  All the bones are made from styrofoam.

The drive to the other side of the Ranch was quite bumpy.  It was very interesting to learn about the history of the Ranch (has been owned by the same family since the 1850's, was purchased for $1,300).  On our way to our last stop, we were given some amazing views of Kaneohe Bay.

Our last stop was at a set from the Jurassic World movie.  B and T were very excited to pose with (and as) some of the dinosaurs.

Re-creating the photo from the movie (above)

After the tour, it was time for lunch at Aunty Pat's Cafe (at the Ranch).  Everyone was hungry and needed some food before making the drive back to the condo.  Lola did not enjoy the birds that frequented the picnic table area.

It was a modest drive back to the condo, not much traffic compared to Wednesday.  The time was well spent - a quick nap taken by some and screen time for others.

Back at the condo, everyone changed into their swim gear and headed to the beach to catch some waves before heading back to make a Thanksgiving meal.

There was just enough time for a couple more rounds of video games before calling it a night.

We all had a very fun day and were all very thankful that we were able to spend it together.