Dole Plantation, Hawaiian Pineapple Fun for Travel Tuesday

This week, I want to show you a fun place in Hawaii. If you ever find yourself on the island Oahu, I highly recommend you take the drive over to the Dole Plantation, which is near the famous North Shore.
It's both fun for you and fun for the family, with lot's of things to see and do while your there.

You can take a Pineapple Garden Tour, or run around the Pineapple Garden Maze. When you're done, head inside and have lunch right off their tasty grill.

Of course if your not in the mood for lunch, you must add one of their famous DoleWhip's. They are delicious and a great way to cool off on a warm Hawaiian day. (In fact I absolutely love these!)

Need a little more fun, hop onto their Pineapple Express Train Tour. This is a fun short 20 minute tour, they'll take you around a couple of miles of the plantation. Giving you stories and history along the way.

They also have a great gift shop, you can buy a souvenir, send some pineapple home to family or friends. Or buy some creative fun local favorites.

This is one of those places that are fun to visit. You could spend an hour or a few and relax and cool off in their gardens.
If your traveling to the North Shore for the day, it's definitely worth stopping at either on your way there or way back.

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Have you been to the Dole Plantation before?
If you have, what's been your favorite part about it?
If you visit Oahu, is this a place you'd like to visit one day?

Shark Diving for Travel Tuesday

This week for Travel Tuesday I am going to take you on one of my favorite adventures.  Shark Diving, off the North Shore in Oahu, Hawaii.

These are the exact photo's taken during my dive, some were taken by me, others I took off a video they took of me while I was diving, I paid to have the rights for the video and pictures.  But this will also explain if the images look stretched, as the program I use to grab images from video doesn't work perfectly.

First off let me say, if you ever have the chance to do this, do it!  It's a beautiful and amazing experience, that if you enjoy the water, and enjoy sharks you will love this!  Sharks are beautiful and graceful creatures, I have always been amazed by them.

If you are going to go shark diving, there are many places you can do this.  I did mine on North Shore Adventures in Oahu, Hawaii.  But I also know there are places in the Caribbean as well as many others.
Cage diving, which is what I did, is completely safe.  Well as long as you keep your arms and legs inside:)

If you are going to go shark diving, early, morning is best!  And I do mean early 6-7 a.m., we loaded onto the boat before the sun was even starting to rise.  Why early morning?  Sharks are most active at night, so they are just coming off their nightly feeding hunts and the boats and divers are more likely to attract sharks in the morning than they will in the afternoon hours.

Another tip, if you are vacationing in say Oahu for a week, plan your dive at the beginning of the week.  Weather makes a big factor for shark dives.  Ours was cancelled, and re-scheduled twice, and finally on our 6th day of the trip the weather permitted the diving.

However, it was very wavy when we went.  We were lucky they still let the boat go out, as the swells were at times larger than the boat as we headed a few miles out off the North Shore.
It was also super strong waves getting into the cages that day, the cage was banging all over the place.  I know the weather is not something you can control, but if there was anything else I could have changed it would have been the waves.  It would have been nicer to be a little more in control of where you were getting pushed in the waves.

I mentioned it was wavy.  This is the view as we were let out on the lines
that let the cage float out away from the boat.  Kinda hard to see, but those waves
and swells were what a surfer would call double overhead:)

But once under the water, it wasn't quite as bad, and I had the bars on the cage to hold onto as the waves and currents were pushing against us.
The other bad thing about the waves and current, there was no chance they were going to let me out of the cage:(  Yes, I would love to free dive with sharks, I will one day I think it will be amazing!

This was when we first dropped in as we were getting released out by the boat.
Right from the minute the cage went in, and then we dropped into the water
we were surrounded by sharks!

We were surrounded by 4-5 sharks the entire time, all of which I believe to my knowledge were Sandbar.  However, you also have the chance to see Galapagos, Hammerhead and occasionally Tiger Sharks.  I would have loved to see a Tiger shark.... Maybe next time!!!

The sharks think the boats are fishing boats, which is what draws them to them.
It's actually illegal to shark dive in Hawaii, they don't want the sharks getting friendly with their tourist business.  Which is why, you can only do it off the North Shore, and they do take you out about 4 miles out of Hawaiian waters, and into I guess what would be International waters, to keep with obeying the shark diving laws there.

When you pay to do this, they will provide you with the gear and fins.  You don't necessarily have to bring your own.  Also, they have masks for those who wear glasses, so you will still be able to see everything and not have to bring those.  I know this because, my dad chose these.

What's it like?
Cobalt Blue clear water.  You can see they say for about 150 feet.  You will see the sharks coming from below and in the distance, it's a beautiful sight to see them from far away swimming toward you.
The sharks come right up next to the cage.  They are inches or just a foot or so away as they glide past you.
It's amazing!  It's also peaceful!

Our tour lasted about 2 hours, and because it was Humpback Whale season (March) when I went, as we headed back to the harbor, we saw lots and lots of whales all around us jumping and playing.

Like I said, if you have the chance I highly recommend you do this!  It's not exactly cheap, but it definitely beats any other beach stories and pictures you can take on your Oahu trip.
Take a waterproof camera, and if your interested go ahead and get a video if it is offered, it's fun to look back and watch your cage dive.

I am one of the 3 people in the cage.  So ya that's me back by his tale.
I was fine that there are no good shots of me under water, LOL
As long as the sharks turned out that's all that mattered!

Oh and don't wait as long as I did to develop your camera pictures.
The one on the bottom is what happens if you don't get them developed right after:)
Just a little tip!

Have you been shark diving before?  Would you?
If you're going to Oahu, definitely something to add to your list, don't you agree?

Waimea Valley, Oahu Hawaii

If you ever find yourself in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, you'll soon discover there is way too much to do and see than you can fit into a weeks vacation.  However, their are a few spots that you can get a little of everything.  Waimea Valley is one of those places, that offers Hiking, Swimming, Beauty, History and a little bit of everything.

How do you get to Waimea Valley?  It's located on the famous North Shore of Oahu.  There are plenty of signs from the main road along the North Shore drive to get you there.  It's actually right across the street from Waimea Bay.  Just take a break from the big waves and head into the Hawaiian Botanical Gardens.

You will have to pay for admission at the toll booth.  When I visited, prices $16 a person, but they do offer a good Military Discount for $10 each, as do most places on Oahu if that applies to you.

You can take the direct route to the waterfall, which is about 3/4th a mile.  However, if you have more time I suggest taking the full loop so you can take your time and enjoy the walk/hike and see the sights along the way, the full loop is I believe a 1.5 mile walk.

The Botanical Garden's are actually home to over 5,000 different kinds of tropical and subtropical plants.

There are also hula demonstrations, crafts, games and story telling for those visitors who are interested in additional activities.

There is quite a good amount of unusual tree's that you just don't see in other places!

The valley is also home to 48 archaeological sites religious shrines and other places.  If you take the full walk, you can actually see some of these.

There is lots of wildlife to see if your looking.  I often thought that if you lived in Oahu, you could seriously never go hungry.  There are wild chickens everywhere.

Waihi Waterfall, a beautiful 45 foot falls into a small pond.  For those who enjoyed the past TV show Lost, this was actually one of the settings they used and a lot of the filming was done in this valley.

There is actually a lifeguard on duty at the pond, just in case.  I wondered if they ever actually had to do much there, but sure enough while I was there a tourist thought she could swim and couldn't and needed to be rescued.  That or maybe she just wanted a cute lifeguards attention:)

That would be me taking a swim.  I lucked out, on the day I visited it wasn't crowded and after the other lady
had to be rescued it pretty much cleared everyone out of the water.  So I was able to enjoy it to myself:)
For a little while that is:)

Me again:)  You can actually swim all the way up to the falls and climb up the rocks around them.
The water is a little cooler, but not cold, more refreshing than anything!
It's freshwater too!

So if you need a day to escape the beach and try something new, I recommend beautiful Waimea Valley!  It's a place you an visit for a few hours or an entire day, whatever fits your schedule!
There are also places to eat, and shops to browse while your there!

Iao Valley State Monument, Hawaii - Travel Tuesday

If you find yourself in Maui, Hawaii and you are looking for something other than playing around on the beaches.  May I suggest taking a drive to Iao Valley State Park.  There you can get out and sight see, do a little short hiking.

As you can see in the shot above, you are a bit more inland for this.  However, when you hike up to the top views, you can still see the Maui Valley and Ocean in the distance.

There are lots of beautiful lush mountains surrounding you as you walk along the trails, you can stop and take different pictures at different view points.  Helps give you a different perspective of Hawaii than just warm sand and beaches.

Above is the Iao Needle.  This was carved by erosion, and rises 1,200 feet from the valley floor.

This is a fun spot to visit, if you want to spend half of a day doing something different and unique, but still see lots of beauty.

There is also a botanical garden in the lower area's.  This will give you a chance to see some of the beautiful plants that the Hawaiian's brought when they first settled here.

If you get hot, just sit under a shade tree, or stick your feet in a nearby creek to cool off.  The main trail in this area is just over a half a mile long, so it doesn't take much time at all.  Which is why you can actually take your time, and enjoy the beauty before moving onto the next thing.

IF YOU GO:

*  There is not any drinking water here, you will have to bring your own.
*  They didn't charge me an entry fee, however they do collect a parking fee from tourists, although I believe it is free for Hawaiians.
*  You climb about 200 feet.  However, the trails are well maintained.
*  I'd suggest bringing a camera:)
*  You can easily see everything you'd want to in about 1-2 hours.  However, if your going with friends or family you may want to stay a couple of hours and take your time, relax, pack a picnic and enjoy.

Traveling the Road to Hana and the Other Side of Haleakala National Park

Last week for Travel Tuesday, I showed you the Sunsets of Haleakala National Park on top of the old volcano craters.  Which you can see HERE if you didn't catch it.

This week I'd like to show you the other side, which is a bit more of what you could say is the tropical lush side.  However, to get to the other side of the Haleakala National Park you need to take the Beautiful Road To Hana:) - Additionally, I am also offering a small other day excursion to Iao Valley Monument State Park.

When you first start down this road, your first (if like me) will be, I'll wait and do most of these pullout views at the end of the day on my way back.  Wrong, take the time to do most of them on the way.  I found I never had time on the way back because it was getting dark to stop and see any of the ones I thought I'd grab on my way back down the road.

The pictures above are some of Maui's Black Sand Beaches.  They are beautiful, but not really great for the bear feet.  This particular beach was in the Wai'anapanapa State Park.  I highly recommend this being one of your stops, for a little hiking and exploring.  They have Black Sand Beaches, Sea Caves, Hiking Trails, Beautiful Vista's, Blow Holes and more!
Just a note on this particular beach, the undertow is pretty strong.  If you venture out into it be prepared for it!  Additionally, keep the flip flops on for the most part when walking on these beaches, they aren't the soft sand you think:)

This is one of those sea caves.  You can walk down into.  You won't want to actually get too close to the waves as there is a strong undertow, but its fun to go down in.  It's easy to miss if you don't see people coming out of it.  But its right on the side of the black sand beach in Wai'anapanapa State Park.

Like I said the state park is full of hiking, this is one of the beautiful views from one of the trails I went on.

Another view, from walking around on the walking trails.  This one is the view from up near the blow hole.  I just love the Pacific Blue on the Black Volcano Rock with the Lush Greens!

Some of the views from the trails are like this one.  They have such strong currents, they don't recommend swimming.  I believe I also remember seeing a sign that the waters below these rocks are always filled with a few different types of sharks.

One thing I love about Hawaii, is the tree's.  This one was one of my favorites out on the trail.  If I hadn't of just ran a marathon the day prior to this hike, I probably would have climbed this tree for a picture!!!

Another beautiful view from one of the hikes.  This was actually taken up inside Haleakala National Park.  There are several trail heads and options for day hikes.  If you have time you can do a good majority of them, they are all worth it and beautiful!!!

This is Waimoku Falls, its a beautiful 400 foot waterfall at the end of a hike in the Kipahulu area of Haleakala National Park.

One of my favorite parts of hiking Kipahulu on the Pipiwai trail, was the Bamboo Forests and walking around the trails in them.  Some of you know I do travel alone at times, and this was one of them.  Just so you know it's safe to hike in a National Park alone, because frankly you're never alone there are always plenty of other visitors.  However, this was one of those spots I stopped so I could have a few minutes alone on the trail to listen to the bamboo hit and knock around above and take a few beautiful pictures like the one above.

Now technically for tourists, the Kipahulu is pretty much the end of the road.  Because well the rental car companies make you agree you won't travel off road with their cars.  Well, I am not always one to listen to this.  So yes I will admit I drove much further and about half way down the dirt road.  (I may or may not have been the only non-local on the road.  Fortunately for me, the locals didn't seem to notice or care.  I didn't exactly flaunt I was a tourist, and thanks to my ability to quickly deeply tan, I may have looked the part.  Or possibly I was just delusional, and they just decided to be nice and let me pass.)
I will mention the other side, is beautiful lots of cliffs and on a clear day you can look over to the main island.
However, I am NOT going to recommend you take your rental car.  They are steep windy roads, and little to no turnaround points.  Technically they don't allow tourists unless you sign up for one of the jeep adventures or such, as I swear I saw a group that looked like tourists on a jeep tour when I was on the road.  I did it because well I have this incredible and yet stupid at times need for adventure and I always like to know what is around the next bend:)  Plus, I am from Utah and well 4-wheeling is in my blood, even if I was just in a little sports car:)  No worries, I didn't even put a scratch or pop a tire:)

After your long day of taking the beautiful road to Hana, if your hotel is on the beach on the other side of the Island of Maui, then take a moment to put your feet in the sand and watch one of Maui's beautiful sunsets!  If you are like me, and took way too much time exploring, you'll likely get back well after dark:)  So there is always the next day to sit and enjoy a beautiful sunset too!

Additionally, I'd like to give you a few pictures of Iao Valley, because if you are on Maui, you should go over and take a couple of hours to visit this area.

In Iao Valley, you'll find for the most part easy walking trails to different vista points.  One of the locals told me that back in these mountains, non-available by foot (for the most part) is the beautiful lush green valleys that some of the Jurassic Park Movies were filmed in.  But you'll need a helicopter to see those sites and waterfalls.

Yes, when I went I took hundred's of pictures and I am only showing a few above.  But you'll just have to plan your own trip one day, and take your camera to see everything else yourself!

MY TIPS FOR THIS TRIP

It WILL take all day, so don't plan anything else, and plan to leave early in the morning.

Fill your tank up with gas before you venture onto the scenic road to Hana

Bring lots of drinking water, hiking boots, swimsuit and a beach towel as well as snacks and lunch:)

If you are going to Maui, I recommend a week or more vacation.  There is just so much to do and see.

The roads distance may not seem like much, but you'll not be able to go much more than 10 miles an hour during the drive on this road.  For a lot of reasons, it is small and curvy, but additionally a lot of places are one lane roads, so cars from different directions have to take turns.  But that's okay, there is so much to do and see, you won't mind driving slow so you can take it all in!!!

Adding one more beautiful sunset view to end this post:)