Hello from this jet lagged gal! I am home and missing Hawaii terribly already. It was a dream trip — the beauty of Hawaii is hard to share in words or pictures. Tyler and I had so much fun and had absolutely no desire to come home haha. As I try to get back into the swing of things, I wanted to share some of the fun things we did on Oahu and how I’m dealing with jet lag. #sotired 😴 If you missed the first few days of our trip, you can catch up here!
We did the popular Diamond Head hike that provides stunning views of Waikiki. This hike is one of the most popular hikes in Oahu so it was crowded but totally worth the stunning views! We grabbed a bag of fresh pineapple for sale after we finished, which was the perfect post-hike treat. The pineapple there is so amazing!
After our hike, we headed to Waikiki, the busiest city on Oahu, to explore the downtown area and visit the beach there. There are tons of shops and restaurants downtown, and many beautiful hotels where you can grab a tropical drink along the water. The beaches in Waikiki are pretty crowded, but the water there is calm and beautiful — I’d recommend going for one day! While we were in Waikiki, Tyler rented a surfboard so I got to watch him do his thing, which was super fun.
My favorite beach we visited was Lanikai beach in Kailua — just stunning. It’s the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to. The calm, crystal water looks out to two mokes that you can kayak out to. Kailua is a gorgeous area and I loved its relaxed beaches. While we were in Kailua, we had the BEST pancakes ever topped with Lilikoi butter, a local staple made from passion fruit. I need those pancakes in my life again ASAP!
While we were in Kailua, we visited Manoa Chocolate Factory and had the chocolate tasting of my dreams! We got to sample a piece from about ten flavors and it is some of the best chocolate I’ve ever had. We bought some fun flavors like goats milk, lavender and one with cacao nibs — so dreamy! After a fun day in Kailua, we wrapped up our day there with an absolutely stunning sunset. Heavenly!
Since the first time Tyler visited Hawaii, he had been talking about Dole Whip, so I knew I had to get my hands on some. The plantation is on the beautiful North Shore and it serves up treats that are worth the hype! Tyler and I shared a Dole Whip smothered in fresh pineapple. It was one of the yummiest, most refreshing treats I’ve ever had, and this is coming from a sweets connoisseur 😉 You need to come here if you go to Oahu!
We enjoyed as many beaches as we could, snorkeling Electric Beach, exploring the Mermaid Caves to even getting pummeled by the waves on the North Shore haha. From calm Lanikai Beach to the firing waves at Pipeline, you won’t get bored exploring the beaches across Oahu. The water was stunning and we saw so many amazing fish while snorkeling, which is one of my favorite things we did there.
There’s so much more I could go on about and recommend, but to end on an exciting note, we went skydiving! Yes, we willingly decided to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We went with Pacific Skydiving Honolulu, and while we were signing the waiver packet and I read a clause that basically stated “you are agreeing to do this very well knowing that you could die,” I kind of wondered if we had lost our minds. But once you’re floating in the sky, all those doubts go away.
I was really excited before we went up in the plane. The instructors were so kind and funny, and made the experience even more enjoyable with their jokes poking fun at everyone’s nerves. Once we went up in the aircraft, it started to sink in that we were really doing it! When they opened the door, I’m pretty sure my eyes bulged out of my head. Tyler and his instructor were the first ones to go, and my stomach dropped when he and his instructor basically barrel rolled out of the plane! But at that point, there’s not much thinking to do. My instructor and I quickly made our way to the door and were out of the plane before I could even doubt this crazy idea.
The first few seconds of free falling are insane (in a good way). It is the craziest feeling I’ve ever experienced! Once the instructor pulled the parachute, the ride down was actually really relaxing. Tyler and I were both surprised how calm it was once the parachute was pulled. It was a slow and calm descent with stunning views of the North Shore beaches that my instructor pointed out to me as we made our way to the ground.
The landing was simple and easy! Overall, it was the highlight of our trip and we are already planning on doing a helicopter skydive next time we’re out there. The adrenaline and beauty of the view made it so worth it!
If you’ve been to Oahu, what were your favorite things to do?
Have you ever been crazy enough to go skydiving?! I’d love to know your experience!
– Morgan