Tag: Oahu

featured Hawaii Life Lessons

What We’re Doing in Hawaii Right Now

By Jill Meinecke on

The world has turned upside in the past few months. We were eagerly awaiting our honeymoon to Spain and Italy, only to have it yanked from underneath our feet a mere day or two before leaving. Like much of the world, we’ve experienced the many stages of grief with COVID-19.

We were in denial that things were as bad as they really were. I was convinced we could outrun the virus and plan a trip somewhere else. Science and what’s now history-in-the-making would deem it impossible.

We were angry that we were no longer able to travel, and what’s more, at home, we were unable to eat at our favorite restaurants, or do much of anything we really enjoyed.

We are now at the acceptance point – we embraced our new normal, lived through what we hope is the worst of it, and look forward to taking our honeymoon in the future when it’s safe to travel.

In the meantime, we’ve been blessed and lucky enough to be living in Hawaii where the contagion is low and our freedoms are slowly returning.

Here’s how we’re staying busy and healthy right now in Hawaii:

Beach time– Surf’s up, and nothing has been more therapeutic than getting some R&R at our local beaches. During the worst of it, we weren’t able to sit/lie on the beach, but one could still take a swim in mother ocean, given you were socially distant from one another. Now, we can sit/lie on the beach, have small gatherings (as long as we’re all being safe about it) and enjoy some much-needed Vitamin D.

Diamond Head Lookout – a gorgeous beach on a gorgeous day!

Outdoor exercise – Much like hitting the beach, exercise has been a key component to staying sane during the pandemic. We’ve been allowed to exercise outside the whole time, meaning plenty of runs and bike rides. Now it’s safe to play tennis, go golfing and hike with a friend outside on the trails. Not all trails are open yet, but hey, it’s a start!

Essential exercise – taking a quick break for a photo opp.
Hiking through Koko Head Botanical Garden is a must now that it’s open.

Retail therapy – I never thought I’d miss shopping as much as I have during the coronavirus! Malls and retail stores have started to open, and with the new mandates, it hasn’t been all that bad! It’s been fun to visit stores, chat with the owners and marvel over how wonderful it feels to be out in public once again. Stimulating the local economy is especially important now, given 1 in 4 Americans is now unemployed.

Retail therapy – mask included.

Other services that have opened back up include salons, nail salons, tattoo parlors and other personal service providers. I can’t wait to get my haircut in a few weeks!

Work – Because I’m an essential worker, there has been not much of a change with my routine. I still go to the office everyday, but now we do temperature checks and we have universal mask-wearing and social distancing mandates. We work to protect the most vulnerable population – our kupuna (or elders) – so it’s imperative we abide by all the company, state and federal protective mandates. Ehren has been working for home as a teacher, adjusting to distance learning, however he is now on summer break. Well deserved!

Coming soon – Dining out, theaters and gyms! – I’m very excited for the next category. Starting June 5, our restaurants will open again for sit down service. Going out to eat is one of my favorite treats, and I can’t wait to enjoy it again this weekend!

Our back-of-the-truck picnics have been fun. But I can’t wait for a sit down meal at a restaurant!

Ehren and I have been watching a lot of Netflix and RedBox, but we look forward to getting back to the movie theater. We’ll be going to our first drive-in movie together next week Friday, so that will be a fun experience!

We both miss the gym very much. Both of us have been doing home and outside workouts. We look forward to the day it’s safe to go back to the gym, and in the meantime, we’ll be sweating from the living room!

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Our spirits have slowly been lifting out of the funk we were in, and we look forward to varying degrees of normalcy in the future. Hopefully we will still get to go on on our honeymoon, so fingers crossed.

Even the trees in Hawaii are social distancing.

We realized how blessed we are to live somewhere protected and with a generous amount of freedoms allowed to us. It’s been a time of self-reflection and counting our blessings. This wasn’t the way we envisioned spending our first year of marriage, but we’ve grown together so much in this short time and know we can weather any storm that comes our way.

How are things going wherever YOU are? How have you been staying busy during your new normal?

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adventure Food Hawaii Nature

Discovering Oahu’s Dole Plantation

By Jill Meinecke on

Are you planning a trip to Hawaii? If you’re anything like me, you’re enthralled with Hawaiian pineapple. If so, a visit to Dole Plantation in the north-central region of Oahu is a must!

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A rare coolish day in Hawaii was the perfect time to put on my hat, boots, and take a nice car ride up to the almost-north shore of Oahu to Dole Plantation for the day. Located in Wahiawa, Dole Plantation started as a fruit stand in 1950, selling fresh, Hawaiian-grown pineapple, and has since evolved into a pineapple-lover’s theme park of sorts.

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Picture yourself in a pineapple! One of Dole Plantation’s photo opps.

Visitors are able to enjoy an array of activities, from touring their lush botanical and agriculture garden, to getting lost, then found again, in the pineapple maze. Our favorite attraction, of course, was riding the Pineapple Express!

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All aboard!

A roughly 20-minute train ride through the farmland was a chance to see firsthand the pineapple crops growing in the field. The red volcanic soil and elevation are the perfect combination for pineapple growing.

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The author and her boyfriend Ehren aboard the Pineapple Express.

Not only does Dole Plantation grow pineapple, but also, Cacao (chocolate), avocado, bananas, and a variety of other plants and fruits.

 

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Do you see the baby pineapple sprouting from the crown? It takes around 18 months for a pineapple to grow until it’s ready to harvest.

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After taking the train ride, you can enjoy some pineapple soft serve at the gift shop, or enjoy other fun photo opps from around the property.

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Lots of gorgeous rainbow eucalyptus trees are around the property.

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A fun place to grab a picture, especially if you’ve ever been to any of these places.

A trip to Dole Plantation is a peaceful and fun respite from the hustle and bustle of the city and is worth the drive to learn something new about Hawaiian agriculture while having fun while doing so!

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Camping on Oahu’s North Shore

By Jill Meinecke on

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The author and her beau enjoyed luscious shoreline views during a recent camping trip.

A weekend getaway is much-needed when you live and work somewhere like “town.” Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital and largest city bustles day in and day out with traffic and congestion, making a chance to get out to the country feel like a staycation.

Recently, my boyfriend and I had the chance to get away, for one night only, to go camping on Oahu’s north east shore in Kuhuku. We chose a private campground, Malaekahana, for its serenity, privacy, and safety. We had to book early, and spots are usually taken.

We chose a tent site near the end of the park so as to enjoy a little peace and quiet. We were lucky to make camp next to gentle, kind, and, considerate families looking for some similar rest and relaxation from their everyday grind.

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Our lovely home for the evening.

After setting up our tent, which we borrowed from a generous friend, we were able to sit back, relax, and listen to the sound of the Pacific Ocean crashing against the shore underneath the palms.

Before making dinner, we opted for a walk on the beach. On the far end, the beach was deserted and we enjoyed some private time with beautiful shoreline views.

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Loving our time away from the city.

Before long, the sun began hanging low in the sky. We fired up our camping grill, which had a hard time staying lit due to the high winds. After sheltering the grill from the direct wind, we were able to prepare a delicious dinner of homemade hamburgers, fire-roasted hot dogs, grilled veggies, and potato salad.

The best part of the evening was building a campfire from kiawe wood that we picked up at nearby Ace Hardware. Making bonfires on beaches in Hawaii is illegal, but Malaekahana allows for campfires in contained fire pits. We burned a fire for a few hours, talking story, watching the stars, and of course, roasting marshmallows for ‘Smores.

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The author enjoying her freshly roasted marshmallow.

An evening in the tent was a windy and noisy affair. I was happy to have brought along earplugs and a sleeping mask. My companion didn’t fare as well, but was finally able to catch some rest on our luxurious inflatable mattress. I guess you could say we went “glamping!”

Sunrise woke me around 7 a.m. I was treated to an epic sunrise and enjoyed a solo sunrise walk on the beach. It felt like heaven on earth, and it was surely a welcome moment of solitude.

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I enjoyed waking up to this view.

Happily, checkout wasn’t until noon, so we had plenty of time to build a yummy hot breakfast of potatoes, Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs and fresh fruit before packing up and heading back to life in the big city.

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A day at the Waikiki Aquarium

By Jill Meinecke on

When one comes to visit Hawai’i, the last thing on their mind is visiting an aquarium. “Why would I visit the aquarium when I could just jump in the ocean and see a living aquarium?” Great question, but let me answer you this way. The Waikiki Aquarium showcases dozens of coral species and fish, crustaceans, sea horses, sea dragons, pipefish, predators, and ocean life from the Northwestern Hawaiian islands you just can’t see on the main islands.

The most impressive spread were the variety of colorful living corals. All the corals are thriving under conditions simulated to be the ocean in its most pristine, healthy state. The key takeaway for me was that I have never seen such beautiful, developed, colorful and healthy coral in the wild. It was amazing to see what coral could look like in the more remote reefs and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It was equally amazing to imagine what our reefs on O’ahu can and will look like when we are ready to transplant species back to where they belong.

Here are some photos I took at the aquarium. I would highly recommend this visit for any visitor to Hawai’i, especially before jumping into the ocean. It’s great to learn about the underwater world and its fragile ecosystem before diving in.

The Waikiki Aquarium is the 2nd oldest public aquarium in the country
The Waikiki Aquarium is the 2nd oldest public aquarium in the country

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An angelfish indigenous only to the Hawaiian islands swims by a colorful reef

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Sea anemone attract clown fish and other species of fish to its predatory confines

Hawaiian island reef life
Hawaiian island reef life

South Pacific reef life
South Pacific reef life

Yellow striped pipefish
Yellow striped pipe fish

Jellyfish in the "drifters" exhibit
Jellyfish in the “drifters” exhibit

Beautiful coral exhibits
Beautiful coral exhibits

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A sampling of the vibrant underwater world you can experience through thriving coral reefs

This Hawaiian Monk Seal has been at the aquarium for 31 years!
This Hawaiian Monk Seal has been at the aquarium for 31 years!

Next time you have a rainy day in Hawaii, or are just looking for a getaway to see something beautiful, check out the Waikiki Aquarium. You won’t be disappointed! They also have a predator exhibit with sharks and a vast educational/conservation exhibit, as well.

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Hawaii Nature

Hiking the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail

By Jill Meinecke on

Hiking the

Sometimes, I get overly ambitious.  This morning and I woke up and said I wanted to go for a hike. Leave it to my boyfriend (and Hawaii local) Jonathan to take that sentiment to a whole new level and bring me to the Wa’ahila State Recreation Area to the Ridge Trail.

I knew it was going to be a somewhat difficult hike from the beginning, as to get to the trail head, we had to drive up and up Saint Louis Heights, a notoriously steep neighborhood. Tucked in the back of Ruth Street was the trail head.

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Legend has it that the Wa’ahila Ridge trail is home to the sleeping giant of Manoa, Chief Kauhi. Because of a lover’s spat between the beautiful princess Manoa, the gods eternally condemned Kauhi to spend the rest of his days contemplating aloha (grace) and pono (righteousness) along the top of Wa’ahila Ridge.

The trail is easy to follow with pink ribbons delineating your course. The entirety of the trail to the summit Mt. Olympus will take about 4 hours, but a great 2 hour (4 mile round trip) hike offers sweeping views of Honolulu.

The landscapes of Hawaii always surprise me. One minute you’re sweating as if in a desert, the next you’re in a breezy pine forest. This is where your hike begins.

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About a half-mile incline later, you’re in the middle of the valley face-to-face with some up and downhill boulder climbing. You certainly won’t need rappelling equipment, but there is some real rock climbing involved in this trail. I would never attempt this hike in the rain or right after it rains, as the ridge can be slippery and one false move will plummet you over the cliff.

Going down!
Going down!

Luckily after the boulder climbing ends, the trial evens out and twists and turns through some of the densest strawberry guava tree forests I’ve ever seen. None of the trees were fruiting at the moment, but I’ll be sure to come back when I can get my fill of those sweet tropical fruits!

Through the thicket, onward and upward
Through the thicket, onward and upward

Next you’ll be snaking your way up the mountain, taking the trail marked on the left through some more pines and visible roots. The good news is that the hardest part of the hike is over. Ready yourself for some fun and funky landscapes and amazing views.

Me and my pup Pono goofing around
Me and my pup Pono goofing around

After taking a water break and posing in this cave, it was up we went. Just a mile further will lead you to a grassy clearing where you can bask in the glory of a hard-earned view of Honolulu and the Pacific Ocean.

I think I see my house! Just kidding, it's behind that crater on the left.
I think I see my house! Just kidding, it’s behind that crater on the left.

This is where we stopped, 2 miles up. You can keep trekking onward to Mt. Olympus for stunning views of the windward side. It’s so steep, you have to climb a rope to get up!

For this hike, I would definitely recommend going when it’s dry and not too rainy. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen, and save energy for the hike down. Boulder climbing going down isn’t always easy on the quads and knees.

O’ahu pleases once again with a hike that was challenging enough to get me out of my head and into a space to enjoy nature.

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How to drink like a local in Honolulu, Hawaii

By Jill Meinecke on

*SPOILER ALERT* This is not a post for the best place to drink a tasty, yet over-priced Mai Tai while fighting for a table at Duke’s in Waikiki. While there is a time, place and clientele for that, I’m gonna spill my ultimate itinerary of a perfect night out with the locals.

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You’re going to need fuel for the night ahead, so start at Yakitori Glad (766 Kapahulu Avenue), a popular Japanese tapas restaurant. Everything, and I mean everything, on the menu is $3.90! Pro tip: Order the large Kirin draft, as the small Kirin draft is also $3.90, just smaller.

What could be better than cold beer and grilled meat?
What could be better than cold beer and grilled meat?

Make sure you order the salt and pepper chicken kabobs, the shrimp, the ahi poke (diced, marinated raw Ahi Tuna), the chicken stuffed mushrooms, stuffed green chili peppers and the wasabi beef skewer.

Now that you’re fueled up and ready to go, head over to Honolulu’s industrial district to Honolulu Beer Works (328 Cooke Street) for a hip, warehouse watering hole serving their own small-batch brewed beer. Pints will run you $6.75, but the beer is great quality, the community seating and ambiance is great and the service is top-notch. Go for a pint of the Sheltered Bay IPA or the whimsically named Animal Farmhouse Ale.

Bottom's up!
Bottom’s up!

If for some reason you didn’t fill up at Yakitori Glad, Honolulu Beer Works has a small, but ono selection of local kine grinds (delicious food).

No need to get back into your car for the next stop. Walk over to Bevy (661 Auahi Street), an eclectic, artsy hand-crafted cocktail place. Pro tip: Make sure you come during happy hour which runs Mon-Sat 4-7 p.m. Here’s why: You can get local beer for $3 a pop, or just start living the high life like I did. I had a $5 glass of champagne and Jonathan had a $5 gin champagne cocktail. Top it all off with $1.50 oysters on the half-shell and you should start feeling mighty fine.

Start snapchatting your friends how hard your life is.
Start snapchatting your friends how hard your life is.

You have to be loosened up by now, but it’s not time to call it a night yet. Next stop? Brew’d Craft Pub (9th and Waialae) is a cool neighborhood spot with a beer selection that rivals many good craft beer bars on the mainland. Pair awesome beer with upbeat funk music and you have a recipe for a fun night. Choose from 20 rotating taps and over 200 bottled beer. We shared a 22 oz.  Big Island Holy Humulus IPA and couldn’t resist an order of their bacon fat fries with homemade ketchup. Round two was some other delicious IPA whose name I can’t recall. Maybe it was time to pack it in.

NAH! The last stop on your itinerary is Karaoke Hut Sports Bar & Grill (909 Kapahulu Avenue). I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t divey, but at this point in the night, this is exactly what you need – trust me. After a few cocktails, nothing is more fun than passing around the microphone to belt out “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” You can rent a private room for $30 an hour or just sing out in the bar space. The beer selection is meh, but at this point, you should gladly switch to Pabst Blue Ribbon and Coors Light anyway.

Pass around the mic!
Pass around the mic!

And there you have it. Make sure to take an Uber home and call it a night…Or just do like the locals and keep drinking once you get home!

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The Colors of Hawaii

By Jill Meinecke on

It’s hard to pinpoint one thing I love the most about living in Hawaii, but one thing’s for sure: the colors here top the list. I never knew life could be so vibrant, beautiful and colorful. Here are some photos that I’ve taken in the past few months that show just how diverse and the color spectrum is here on a daily basis:

KohalaThis photo was just a typical sunset at Kohala Beach on O’ahu, but I love the orange and black contrast.

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Hiking the Kuliouo Ridge Trail

There’s so much greenery in Hawaii all times of year. This was taken in February. The reason why we get so many rainbows is because it rains nearly every day and it’s sunny a lot, too. In order to get that lush green tropical rain forest, we have to endure our share of rain storms.

View from the top at Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail
View from the top at Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail

Sometimes cloudy days lend themselves to great shots. Here’s the payoff view from the top of Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail on the east side of O’ahu. I think the most stunning colors are the water and greenery.

Ahi Sashimi Salad at Kona Brewing Company
Ahi Sashimi Salad at Kona Brewing Company

I hate to tell you, but if your Ahi Tuna isn’t that color, you’re just not living. This Ahi Tuna salad at Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii Kai was worth every penny of its $22 price tag. I love the various colors. It’s truly a work of art!

Waikiki Sunset
Waikiki Sunset

Before moving to Hawaii, I felt amazed and jealous of all those sunset shots I’d see floating around Instagram. Then one day while casually walking down the street in Waikiki, I looked to my left and saw that it was so easy to capture the beauty that is Hawaii. The shadows and natural back lighting make photographing beautiful sunsets a no-brainer. I love the clouds’ indigo/deep purple hues in the background.

Diamond Head View
Diamond Head View

It’s almost hard to accept how beautiful the colors in this moment were. I was treated to a spectacular sunset this evening and the cotton candy sky against verdant green Diamond Head were nearly enough to make me weep.

My absolute favorite
My absolute favorite at Waikiki Beach

Here’s a rule of thumb: when the sun dips into the sky, wait around 10 or 15 minutes and see what happens. Patience was a virtue this night as I captured the most ethereal, stunning color spectrum I’ve ever seen. I still can’t believe it’s real.

sistersAt the Kaneohe Sand Bar, the contrast of light blue and dark blue ocean waters against the dramatic backdrop of the Ko’olau Mountain Range is something to behold.

Koko Marina
Koko Marina

Like I mentioned before, sometimes cloudy skies give way to amazing shots. I just adore the color of the water, the white boat and the ominous clouds over the mountains. Paradise.

Rainbow from home
Rainbow from home

No Hawaiian photo shoot is complete without at least one photo of a rainbow. When you least expect it, you look up into the ordinary sky (well, ordinary by Hawaii’s standards) and see a vibrant rainbow. There’s a reason why the rainbow is on the Hawaii license plate. No matter how commonplace rainbows might be, I’m still thrilled to see one and I’m often taken aback at how colorful and peaceful they make the atmosphere.

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