Hawaii Weekend Adventures: Part One

Over the last two days, we have enjoyed time with our friends and adventuring around O'ahu. On Saturday, we relaxed and played Hanabi in the morning, tossed a frisbee around in a local park in the afternoon, and drove to the North Shore in the evening. 

The game we've enjoyed so much of in the last few days

Playing around with panoramas in the park after frisbee. Can you spot the two Brandons?

On the ride to the North Shore, we saw fields of pineapple bushes, a rainbow, and lots of grassy areas out the window. Our first stop was Turtle Beach to see the sea turtles that come to rest there. There are volunteers at the beach to protect and educate about the turtles. Brandon and I were expecting to see lots of small turtles on the beach, like Michigan river turtles. We sure were surprised to see one giant sea turtle!  

Female sea turtle weighing over 200 lbs!

Our awesome hosts at Turtle Beach

We then continued on to Shark's Cove an area known for great snorkeling. Alas we had forgotten our snorkel gear, and I had forgotten my contacts! But, we really only had 30 minutes of light left anyway, so we made the best of it, and waded in the clear water looking above the surface for any signs of life. We saw several fish, some bright pink coral, and a bluish colored crab. We'll have to go back again sometime with snorkel gear and see more. 

Shark's Cove

Looking for creatures in Shark's Cove

The sun is nearly set

Practicing the strong man pose as we explore the cove

After Shark's Cove, we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Haleiwa and had a chance to try an Ahi burrito and our first Kona beer in Hawaii. 

Kona Big Wave Golden Ale

We had so many fun weekend experiences that I can't fit it into just one post...I'll continue soon with Sunday's adventures!