Small Town Girl. Big City World.: Hawaii: Day Two

Day two in Hawaii gave us the opportunity to see the beauty of Oahu. We did not have any set plans so it was time to explore and my what wonderful things we found!

First we went and sat on the beach in front of our hotel and did a little reading. But Rob and I are not big on beach sitting for too long so we stayed for about an hour and was ready to do something active. So we decided on checking out the old volcano that sat behind our hotel called Diamond Head.

The Diamond Head Hike is Oahu's most popular hike and one of the world's most recognized volcanic crater. Its not a long hike but it has beautiful views of Oahu and eventually leads to an old World War II bunker. From the top you can see Waikiki and up the eastern coastline of Oahu, I also spotted some mega houses and a lighthouse. After returning to the parking lot I enjoyed some Hawaiian Shaved Ice which was so yummy.

After the hike, we decided to jump in our red jeep we rented, blast some music and head up the eastern coast of Oahu to explore. We stopped by the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve to see the spot where we would be snorkeling a few days later, made quick stops on the side of the road to overlook the jagged coastline and eventually ended up at the Kailua Beach Park.

Kailua Beach Park is about 30 minutes away from Honolulu but you feel like you are worlds away in this small beach town. Once thing I noticed is everyone is very active, you will always pass runners, walkers and bikers as you weave through small streets to reach the coastline. Once we arrived at the beach park we were in awe of the turquoise water and long sandy white beach. Rob and I walked a good 2 miles out and back. You could tell this park was a local favorite, many people were walking their dogs or chatting with people who passed by. There were also many wind surfers, it was amazing watching them glide across the water and do flips in the air. Rob and I would point out the houses we liked and imagined what it would be like to live in such a beautiful place.

After our long walk we went to a local haunt called the Pinkys Pupu Bar & Grill. The food was not all that glamorous nor anything to go into detail about but it satisfied our appetite. Afterwards we swung by the Cheesecake Factory and picked up some yummy goodness to eat back at the hotel. Then I passed out for the night! I think the time change had finally caught up to me and the adrenaline from first arriving had worn off because I had one of the best nights sleep in my life or maybe I just settled into island time. :)