maui trip!

this weekend i went with a group from the campus Leisure Center to a secluded part of Maui called Hana which has lots of beautiful waterfalls, beaches, caves, and hikes... but to get there we first had to survive the Hana Highway which is known for its 53 mile stretch of 54 one-lane bridges and 600 twists & turns! though torturous on the stomach and the driver, it is a very scenic route so while i wasn't feeling carsick i was able to enjoy the pretty views of the island :) this picture doesn't do the highway justice but you can see the winding road with a great view of the mountains as well!


to start things off, my friend locked the keys in our car! we were in a cute little town and some really nice firefighters found wedges & coat hangers to help us break into the car :) we also slightly rear-ended our friend's car on the Hana Highway while it was dark and wet... but i don't think the car dealership knows that ;)


our first stop on Saturday was the Hasagawa General Store which became our main meeting spot for the weekend... but then we were off to the fun stuff! we arrived at hike and on the way were able to see a Black Sand Beach which i had never seen before! it was so cool :D


and at the end of our hike was Hawaii's only Red Sand Beach! we snorkeled here and swam in the water even though it was really cold... there were so many little fish to see under water!


our next stop was Haleakala National Park where we did a 4 mile roundtrip hike. on the way we stopped on a bridge so people could jump off 60 feet into the water! i was a little nervous so i jumped from 50 feet off of a cliff which you can see to the far right of this picture! i was freaking terrified and thought i was going to pass out mid-jump, but i survived! i landed a little slanted and hit my tailbone on the water so it is still hurting a little, but it was so worth it :)


on the hike we were also able to walk through a bamboo forest! this was probably my favorite part of the trip... i love bamboo :) here is a picture of me and my friend in the middle of the hike!


at the end of the hike was a beautiful 400 foot waterfall called Waimoku Falls. it was nice and cool here with lots of mist from the waterfall so it was a nice place to take a break before we had to walk all the way back!


our last stop of the day was at a series of waterfalls called the 7 Sacred Pools. a group of us watched some friends jump from an 80 foot cliff which you can see in the back right side of this picture... they are crazy.


on Sunday we went to the Waianapanapa State Park to play in some freshwater caves which is where this next picture was taken. the water was cold but it was fun to explore the caves. i only wish i had a flashlight becuase it gets pitch black when you actually swim inside!


at this stop we also saw another Black Sand Beach. here is a small group shot of some of us in front of the beach :)


and our last stop of the trip was at the Venus Pool which was a fun place to swim and jump off the rocks. i had to refrain from any serious jumps because of my injured tailbone, and also becuase i was still getting over the terror i had while jumping the day before... but this was a nice place to relax before our long drive to the airport!


i keep getting asked if i liked Maui or Kauai better... and i honestly can't choose! they are both insanely gorgeous and there are so many fun things to explore at each one... next stop: Big Island!

kayaking

a group of friends and i went on a kayaking trip to Flat Island from Kailua Beach on the windward side of the island today! here we are unloading our equipment and getting ready to go... you can see the island we kayaked to in the background of the first picture :)




it was so much fun - i went on a double kayak with a friend because i didn't think i could handle it on my own... maybe next time :) we kayaked through the waves to the island and walked around on the coral to see the most beautiful views of Oahu. we circled the island in our kayaks a couple times and even got to surf on the waves! i can't wait to go again :D

kahana valley workday

today i went to the Kahana Valley for a service learning project in my Hawaiian Studies class - it was definitely a cultural immersion that i am so happy to have gotten the chance to experience! to get there we walked up a slight hill along a path shaded by several trees until we got to a beautiful valley with a view of the mountains in the distance:


as we walked further down we were able to see the taro plants growing out of several lo'i, or ditches that create pools of water used to irrigate the plant. this is where we worked to pick the taro from their roots and prepare them for use. we also tilled patches of dirt and grass with shovels to get them ready for growing more taro. we even picked weeds from ti leaf patches! it was a lot of hard work but still a lot of fun because we all worked together to get the job done :) here is a picture of a cute little boy in the ti leaf patch!


after we finished working around the valley we were given a feast of pork, chicken, sweet potato, breadfruit, poi, oranges, and bananas. the pig had been cooking all night in a traditional type of oven dug in the ground and covered with leaves. i've really never tasted anything like it... so delicious! here is a picture of the pork before it was served:


i tried poi for the first time at this meal... it was interesting. it's made out of the taro plant and is eaten with a lot of hawaiian food. here are some girls preparing it:


the line for food was ridiciulously long! here are me and some friends waiting to eat :) p.s. i got a lip piercing!


and finally we ate. some people forgot to bring plates to eat off of so they had to make their own out of hau leaves which i thought was really cool! here is a picture of what it looked like:

skydiving @ north shore!

oh my goodness, today was the best day of my life. i went SKYDIVING in HAWAII at NORTH SHORE!!! probably the best place ever to skydive... and i had the most amazing experience!


a group of us from my dorm went to Skydive Hawaii at North Shore at 7am. this was my first time going to North Shore... it took us about an hour to get there. you wouldn't believe the views from the plane!


here we are at our Caravan Aircraft getting ready to board. you can see my skydiving instructor, Cece, to my right... it was a bit of a shock finding out i was going to have this lady strapped to my back after watching everyone else meet their attractive young guy instructors... but you know what? it was ok. and that's only because the first thing she said to me was "we're doing flips!"


i always knew i wanted to skydive, but i didn't realize how terrified i would be until i was up in the plane about to jump! i was last so i saw everyone fly out of the plane before me, and then i got to the door and looked down at the 14,000 feet of island and ocean below...


and then we jumped. and then we flipped. twice. OH MY GOSH!!!


i wish i could say i was badass and did everything with ease, but this picture pretty much captures my feelings about the free fall... i screamed with terror and not only that, but i wouldn't come out of the fetal position until Cece literally pulled my arms apart...


after we stabilized and i was actually conscious of what was going on, i had a freaking blast! here you can see Ben, my camera man, holding on to us so that he could get the best footage ever... i was so lucky to have him in charge of my skydiving documentation!


it was all smiles until we fell through a cloud, which i thought would be super fun but actually hurt pretty bad! it was so cold because of the altitude so the water droplets hitting us felt like ice pelting on my skin!


here we are floating over the North Shore! all i have to say is... thank god my parachute opened.


and of course i would be the only one to land on my butt...


jen and me after it all... what an adventure we had!!! :D

you can see more pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038927&l=0edf9&id=1398780020

and my VIDEO!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX36BbXBYAE

lanikai adventures

today i went with some friends to Lanikai Beach and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful beaches i have ever seen! it was quite the journey getting all the way there to the windward side, but after a few hours of bus rides and walking we finally made it in time for an early evening on the beach :)

after walking a few miles through concrete and fields, we felt like we had reached heaven when we finally came to Lanikai. the sand there is so fine and soft and the water is so calm with such a gorgeous turquoise color... it is the perfect place to relax and play :) we even got to see parts of two different weddings while we were there!


the trip there & back took most of the day so we only had a couple hours to spend on the beach before the sun started going down, but now that i know how to get to the other side of the island by bus it will be easier to get to Lanikai's neighbor, Kailua Beach! i hope to have another update soon with more pretty beach pictures :) but until then, here is one more picture of some friends and i... waiting for the bus! (sadly one of the major parts of our day, haha)