Flossie fizzled out in the end which was good news for the state, and for us as our flight got away ok. Today's shot is of the heavy rain at Honolulu airport before we departed (remnants of the "tropical depression" as it was referred to).
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
f365: Day 212
It was a long day today with the 10 hour flight back from Hawaii, plus having to get up early.
Flossie fizzled out in the end which was good news for the state, and for us as our flight got away ok. Today's shot is of the heavy rain at Honolulu airport before we departed (remnants of the "tropical depression" as it was referred to).
Flossie fizzled out in the end which was good news for the state, and for us as our flight got away ok. Today's shot is of the heavy rain at Honolulu airport before we departed (remnants of the "tropical depression" as it was referred to).
f365: Day 210
Our second to last day in Hawaii....It was terrific having the rental car as we were able to quickly cover a lot of ground.
We went to Hanauma Bay early - this is a top snorkelling spot only about 20 minutes from Waikiki. Jenn and I went two years ago, but the views today which much better - more fish and the water hadn't been churned up like last time. Armed with both my GoPro and Olympus underwater cameras, I snapped away. Got an up close experience with a Green Turtle plus saw many colourful reef fish.
We drove around the South Coast, stopping at look out point along the way. We topped the day off with dinner in Waikiki and a walk along the beach. Aloha!
We went to Hanauma Bay early - this is a top snorkelling spot only about 20 minutes from Waikiki. Jenn and I went two years ago, but the views today which much better - more fish and the water hadn't been churned up like last time. Armed with both my GoPro and Olympus underwater cameras, I snapped away. Got an up close experience with a Green Turtle plus saw many colourful reef fish.
We drove around the South Coast, stopping at look out point along the way. We topped the day off with dinner in Waikiki and a walk along the beach. Aloha!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
f365: Day 211
Our last day of our holiday. An update on Flossie: the winds and rain picked up around 1-2 pm this afternoon. Weirdly, it has calmed down now with just light drizzle and overcast skies (it is 6.45pm as I type), but hopefully it will not be as bad as expected and we can fly home tomorrow morning ok.
Today we hit the Ala Moana mall - acres and acres of shops and we took advantage of relatively speaking cheap clothing and shoes. I only took one photo today - a view of the mall from the upper levels (the sun was out at this point).
Today we hit the Ala Moana mall - acres and acres of shops and we took advantage of relatively speaking cheap clothing and shoes. I only took one photo today - a view of the mall from the upper levels (the sun was out at this point).
Sunday, July 28, 2013
f365: Day 209
Even with a falling Australian dollar, Hawaii is still a fairly cheap place to shop. Today we picked up our rental car (which disturbingly smells of wee and the tank is only half full.....) and drove out to the Waikele Outlet Center. We picked up lots of clothes (plus some bits and pieces for the baby) - two pairs of Levis for US$80 isn't too bad!
Afterwards we drove into the interior of O'ahu and checked out the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Although it no longer operates as a farm, it now acts as a distribution centre plus makes cash from ferrying people around on their mini train as well as having the "World's Largest Maze".
Lastly, we drove along the North Shore. The sea is calm at this time of the year, but during the winter months, the wave can reach above 10m in height. We stopped at Turtle Bay and saw a few green turtles which was amazing.
Enjoy today's selection :-)
Saturday, July 27, 2013
f365: Day 208
We managed to cram a lot in today including stuffing ourselves full of mains and ginormous cheesecake dessert courtesy of the well known "Cheesecake Factory" here in Waikiki.
I also tried my hand at one of those indoor firing ranges that the touts try hard to get tourists to visit. I wasn't interested two years ago, but thought I'd give it a go today. It all looked a bit dodgy from the outside, but it was perfectly legitimate and inside. I chose the "C" package which included firing rounds from a .22 Ruger Rifle, a couple of Glock pistols, a .38 S&W Revolver and Dirty Harry's .44 Magnum. The Magnum had the biggest kick, but also I was the least accurate with (have attached a few shots from the range including my results).
I also did some more paddle boarding at Waikiki and managed to finally ride a few small waves although am still more comfortable on flat water (but gaining confidence).
Lastly, the Hilton put on a good fireworks display every Friday night. Hundreds of people were spread around the hotel and beach, but we nabbed a good spot on a concrete pier. I used my Gorilla pod and have added a few of the better shots here.
I also tried my hand at one of those indoor firing ranges that the touts try hard to get tourists to visit. I wasn't interested two years ago, but thought I'd give it a go today. It all looked a bit dodgy from the outside, but it was perfectly legitimate and inside. I chose the "C" package which included firing rounds from a .22 Ruger Rifle, a couple of Glock pistols, a .38 S&W Revolver and Dirty Harry's .44 Magnum. The Magnum had the biggest kick, but also I was the least accurate with (have attached a few shots from the range including my results).
I also did some more paddle boarding at Waikiki and managed to finally ride a few small waves although am still more comfortable on flat water (but gaining confidence).
Lastly, the Hilton put on a good fireworks display every Friday night. Hundreds of people were spread around the hotel and beach, but we nabbed a good spot on a concrete pier. I used my Gorilla pod and have added a few of the better shots here.
Friday, July 26, 2013
f365: Day 207
We sadly left Maui behind today, but our holiday is not over yet. We arrived in Oahu around 9.30am this morning. We decided to upgrade our hotel experience from when we last visited two years ago - we scored a good deal at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Resort.
This place is amazing - it is almost big enough to have its own separate time zone (big exaggeration, but it is like a medium sized community here with all the shops, 2,000+ rooms etc).
Apart from unpacking and settling in, we had a fairly quiet one and spent a few hours at the nearby Ala Moana shopping mall. Today's shots are of the Hilton complex and the beach.
This place is amazing - it is almost big enough to have its own separate time zone (big exaggeration, but it is like a medium sized community here with all the shops, 2,000+ rooms etc).
Apart from unpacking and settling in, we had a fairly quiet one and spent a few hours at the nearby Ala Moana shopping mall. Today's shots are of the Hilton complex and the beach.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
f365: Day 206
Today was our last day in Maui - tomorrow we head to Honolulu where we'll spend the next five days before flying home. Anyway, we had a beach day and a quiet one at that.
I played with my Go Pro camera more and went stand up paddle boarding first (first couple of shots), then did some snorkelling. The coral reefs are impressive and also noteworthy are the people leaping off the "black rock".
In the late afternoon/evening we had a wander around the old town of Lahaina. The last picture represents the dominant architecture style there.
I played with my Go Pro camera more and went stand up paddle boarding first (first couple of shots), then did some snorkelling. The coral reefs are impressive and also noteworthy are the people leaping off the "black rock".
In the late afternoon/evening we had a wander around the old town of Lahaina. The last picture represents the dominant architecture style there.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
f365: Day 205
Another awesome day in paradise a.k.a. Hawaii!
(Background to today's post): I bought a Go Pro camera about a month ago (one of those miniature cameras with a water proof casing) and had a very lucky escape yesterday. I was wearing it on an elasticated head band while body surfing. I rode a 30m wave into the shore only to discover it had been ripped off my head. Panic quickly set in - the tide was rough and I fruitlessly searched all over the ocean floor for it (zero visibility). Miraculously I found it. I should have bought a lottery ticket as the odds did not seem very good at the time.
So it survived another day. Today I went on a mountain bike adventure tour descending 6,500 ft from Mt Haleakala all the way to the small village of Haika. I took it down the mountain with me and did some videoing as well as on a setting which takes a shot every 5 seconds. The first shot was taken by the tour guide of me leaping into air with a cloud backdrop (staged: to give the impression of sky diving). I have included shots from the Go Pro during the descent, plus a polarised sunset effect at dinner tonight. Enjoy the pics :-)
(Background to today's post): I bought a Go Pro camera about a month ago (one of those miniature cameras with a water proof casing) and had a very lucky escape yesterday. I was wearing it on an elasticated head band while body surfing. I rode a 30m wave into the shore only to discover it had been ripped off my head. Panic quickly set in - the tide was rough and I fruitlessly searched all over the ocean floor for it (zero visibility). Miraculously I found it. I should have bought a lottery ticket as the odds did not seem very good at the time.
So it survived another day. Today I went on a mountain bike adventure tour descending 6,500 ft from Mt Haleakala all the way to the small village of Haika. I took it down the mountain with me and did some videoing as well as on a setting which takes a shot every 5 seconds. The first shot was taken by the tour guide of me leaping into air with a cloud backdrop (staged: to give the impression of sky diving). I have included shots from the Go Pro during the descent, plus a polarised sunset effect at dinner tonight. Enjoy the pics :-)
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