Honolulu, Hawaii
DAY 5: JULY 6, 2023
Today we slept in a bit. It was turtle & luau day! So after eating more leftovers for breakfast, we packed up, got the truck that Dan still allowed us to use, and got on our way.
And by the way, kudos to the Pearl Hotel for giving us as many towels as we wanted everyday!
Laniakea Beach, Round Two
Anyway, we made our way back to Laniakea Beach to swim with and see the turtles. But, there weren’t any turtles when we got there. So we went snorkeling and laid out for a bit. I had lost a lot of weight prior to coming so I wanted to get a pic of myself in my bikini.
This was the one spot where I did wear the shark repellent band that my mom made me get. Why? Because I watch a lot of shark week every year, so I know that tiger and bull sharks are aggressive, ‘hunt’ around Oahu, prefer murky shallow water and love to eat turtles, and this spot is all of the above. Thankfully, we didn’t run into any.
And finally, a turtle did surface on the rocky side of the beach and a volunteer soon showed up to rope it off.
Pupukea & Waimea Falls
After a bit and a bite, we moseyed on. We wanted to see waterfalls where we didn’t have to hike a mountain and by the look of the map, it didn’t look like we’d have much luck. So I tried to pick a new route to see what we might run into and we saw a sign for a Farmer’s Market and figured we’d check it out.
It was a short drive to the parking area, which was packed, but it was clear that this place was more than just a Farmer’s Market. There’s a tourist shop, a cultural center, botanical garden, and you can hike to the Waimea Falls.
We had a luau booked later, so we had limited time and decided to just get tickets for the falls and the hike. The hike to the falls is about 30 minutes and it’s paved and mostly flat. There’s also a shuttle that’s $10 each way, but we decided to hike it. It’s a $25 donation and includes the life jacket rental which is mandatory if you want to swim at the falls.
Let me tell you, it’s a beautiful and interesting hike. It takes you thru the botanical gardens and also has replicas of how life was on Hawaii way back when. I took a lot more pictures but my iPhone decided to delete them and it’s too late to restore them :o(
This is ivy hanging from tree branches 
We were so happy once we got to the falls. It was certainly on my list of things I wanted to see before leaving Hawaii.
It was very tricky getting into the water. Like many of the other beaches we went to, there was no walkway into the water, so you had to step over and on a lot of moss covered rocks before you got in far enough to swim. But it was nice and refreshing once you did.
We stayed for as long as we could and met a nice lady who took our picture for us. You see, I had gotten us waterproof cameras, kids cameras, and I brought mine, but apparently hadn’t charged it. Duh! So she took pictures on her phone and texted them to us.
We were probably in the water for about 15-20 minutes before we called it and started our hike back. We took some pics of these wild geese that were hanging out in the parking lot. Lovers?
Germaine’s Luau
We headed straight for the Germaine’s from the falls. Dan had suggested going to this luau a few days ago and thankfully they had tickets available.
As we were led in, they greeted us with drink tickets and dark brown beaded necklaces and we quickly found seats at a table then went for some drinks. There were actually a lot of seats that were empty. A nice couple sat next to us and they were there for their anniversary.
Germaine’s is right on the water which was nice so we took some pics while we waited for them to start.
They had a pre-show in the front are where we saw the firepit in the ground where they had roasted a pig in what I assume was the traditional way to prepare a pig for a luau. They chanted and performed some luau rituals before they pulled the pig out which they prepared elsewhere.
We were herded into the main area back to our seats, the MC came out and show started. Thru the show, she talked about the history of Hawaii and the luau which was interesting, but I really enjoyed the performances. Lisa thought the whole thing was corny. I tried hard trying to find a luau that was on the beach and very authentic, but I couldn’t. I still enjoyed it.
About half way thru, they paused for everyone to get some food. It was off to the side and served buffet style which I always prefer. They had a array of sides, salads, chicken, fish, and of course the roast pork and poi. I found out that I’m not a fan of poi. Nor was Lisa. It’s wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good. Anyway, the food was pretty good, but I certainly wouldn’t rave about it.
Towards the end, the did a mini hula lesson and I made Lisa get up on stage with me.
All and all, it was a fun night. And btw, we ended up having 2 drinks each and didn’t even make it to the other non-alcoholic drinks that were included with our tickets.