A friend invited us to go rock climbing with her family this Sunday at the nearby Rock Gym.  I've never gone rock climbing but always thought it looked fun so I was pretty excited about this outing. My husband, son and nephew accompanied me on this adventure.

Me climbing my first slanted wall

When we got to the gym I looked around and thought yeah this will be a piece of cake can't wait to start climbing. Well, let me tell you rock climbing is much harder then it looks and you use muscles in your body you didn't even know you had. I'm pretty sure I will be super sore tomorrow. After I climbed a few walls my arm muscles literally became numb and felt super weird.

Husband coming down from his climb

My hands got all red and sore from gripping the rocks so I kept having to apply chalk to my hands which helped a lot.

Nephew climbing

Even though it was very challenging I'm super keen to go again. I think after a few times my body may adapt and I can try some of the more challenging climbs.  I did a bit of research and discovered that if you climb for an hour straight you can lose up to 500 - 700 calories. That's way more then 90 calories from cardio so that's also great motivation.


The kids had a lot of fun. When they got tired there is a small climbing wall that connects to a slide that they played on for ages. 

My nephew is staying with us for the week so we decided to go adventuring. Manoa Falls is one of my favorite hikes to take kids as it is very beautiful but quite easy. The hike is about 1.6 miles round trip and the trail is well maintained and kid friendly although it can be muddy and slippery in places.

Boys being boys

Entering into a different dimension

One thing I love about the Manoa Falls hike is just how beautiful the area and trees are. I feel like I've stepped into a movie set for Avatar or Jurassic Park it is so unreal.

Vines climbing the trees

Gorgeous views

There is a creek that runs on the right side of the hike and a few small bridges to cross. I've been on this hike 3 times and each time it rained so bring an umbrella if you don't want to get wet. We never brought an umbrella and actually enjoyed the sprinkle. The trees provide a natural umbrella and you don't get soaking just a little wet which is nice and cooling as it can be pretty hot and muggy. There are a lot of different types of trees like bamboo, tall eucalyptus, pine trees and big ferns on this hike.

Little bridge to cross the stream

Well maintained path with man made steps

Pretty bamboo

Beautiful tall tree

If you look carefully you can see the waterfall in the distance

Pretty pink flowers growing in the trees

This is a great spot to take pictures. This picture doesn't show how massively big these trees are.

On this particular day the falls were running pretty dry but I've been here when they are flowing beautifully

Pink flower petals strewn everywhere

Sun glimmering through the trees

The trail

Going through the bamboo forest

Natural Tree arch

Trickling stream

Boys climbing up the side of a hill

Little monkey's resting at the end of the trail

 After our fun hike we had lunch at this cute little cafe. It was delicious. The boys sat at their own table in this beautiful yard surrounded by papaya, mango and lemon trees.

Boys waiting for their orders and just chilling.

I got the kalo falafels which were delicious. My son and nephew got the avacado and grilled vegetable burger. I was a little skeptical of this menu because everything has a lot of vegetables and I wasn't sure if the kids would like it. My son was a bit scared to try his burger and even asked if we could go somewhere else. I asked him to just please try it and if he didn't like it we could have pasta at home. Well, he did try the burger and said was the best he had ever had. He even ate the roasted vegetables. My nephew also loved his and even ate the salad with large slices of carrots and beets. We will definitely be coming back. We want to try the portobello mushroom burger the other boys got. It looked very yum! 

Kalo falafels. Yum!

Checking out the gorgeous view

Pali Golf Course down below

I've done the Old Pali Road hike twice but both times I did not complete it perhaps this is because I had kids with me both times. This hike has some amazing views and plant life. Apparently there is a big, beautiful, waterfall, somewhere around here at the end of the trail.

Three little monkeys

Beautiful Banyan Tree

My son and his friends love this hike. Most of the trail is paved. It is all down hill when you start but that just means everything is up hill on the way back.

Holes made for dynamite

The boys loved exploring and seeing the dynamite holes. This old road was made by blasting the mountain with dynamite.

Hiding in the bush

Lots of cool little nooks and crannies for the kids to explore and play in. We came across ginger plants and guava, coconut and mango trees.

Checking out the lave formed rock

Long tall grass and lots of adventure

A small waterfall we came across

Crossing a small stream

Spot the plane?

Photo opportunities

Little Rascals

The beautiful thing about Hawaii is there is so much to see and do. There is a lot of variety on this island. One day you hike up to a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the jungle and the next you are on the sea shore looking at spectacular waves crashing on the cliff sides.

Lanai Lookout on a calm day

What I love about Lanai Lookout is the incredible cliffs and how the rocks have been formed by the water.

Incredible cliffs formed and shaped by the ocean

Rugged landscape

Husband pretending to catch a land wave

Koko Head

On the other side of Lanai Lookout lies Koko Head which looks like a dormant volcano. You can see the ridges in the mountain created by lava and imagine it flowing into the ocean.

Extra cheesiness

Lanai Lookout can be a romantic and fun place to take your date. My husband and I loved exploring the cool looking cliffs and just watching the powerful ocean below. Unfortunately these pictures do not in any way show how amazing the ocean and waves can look when the surf is big.

Look at those clouds

Apparently you can see humpback whales and on clear days the islands of Lanai, Molokai, and Maui from here.
The rocks can be wet and slippery so do exercise caution when walking near the edge of the cliffs. Sometimes the waves can be really big and at those times you will not want to be on the edge of the cliff unless you plan on being sucked into the ocean.

Great place to take photos

On the way to Lanai Lookout are some other cool places to visit such as the Halona Blowhole. This is a hole in the rock that shoots out a high stream of water when a wave comes in. It's quite fun to see.  Down the road is Hanama Bay which is a fun beach and has great snorkeling.

Adventure time!

One of my favorite things to do is hike and explore cool, new, places. The first time I went to the "Mokes" was with my childhood girlfriend. 

View from the kayak

We borrowed a kayak from a friend and set off on our adventure. I had never been in a kayak before so it took me awhile to get used to rowing in sync or just rowing in general. Luckily, my friend is a pro and had made the trip many times before. She probably did most of the rowing for me.   

Exploring

I was very excited to finally reach the island. I felt like I was a child again and at any moment we would stumble upon lost pirate treasure or some other marvelous thing.

Perfect place for a photo

I forgot to mention that my husband paddled to the island on his surfboard as the kayak only fit two. I can't remember if it took 45 minutes to get to the island or 1 1/2 hours. Anyway, it was a long way and I'm sure his arms were dying by the end of it.

Why hello!

 Yep, there were lots of fun things to look at and see. I can't wait to come back with my son and go exploring.

Deep in discussions

Such a magical place it looks like a movie set

This is where we went swimming. This picture was taken when the tide was going out. When the tide comes in the water covers all the land and you have to clutch on the rocks on the mountain side to avoid getting taken out to sea. Well, at least on very big days. Luckily when we went to the island the surf wasn't that big. If the surf is big it can be pretty dangerous and I wouldn't recommend coming here.

So pretty!

Crashing Waves

An example of what I was talking about earlier. Water and waves rushing up and covering the rocks. Luckily the wave behind me is a smallish one.

Surveying the island

Where we jumped

At the back of the island is a fun spot where you can jump or dive into the water. You just have to wait for the tide to come in so that it's deep enough. After I jumped in (the first time) my girlfriend told me that the area around the "Mokes" is a tiger shark breeding ground so if you are scared of sharks you may want to stay on land. Had I known this crucial information before jumping in I probably wouldn't have done it but I'm glad I did because it was so fun. 

Hanging from the edge of the cliff