We arrived on the Big Island yesterday and are staying in Kona which is known for a much more dry climate than Hilo on the west side. When landing you would think you have arrived on Mars due to it's unusual terrain. Today we headed across the island to check out the volcanoes. We took a "doors off" helicopter ride over the volcanoes. It was amazing to fly right over the crater and view the bubbling lava. The lava is not flowing into the ocean now and hasn't...

Today was our last day on Kauai and we were able to get out on the water to see the Na Pali coast which is spectacular! The entire west coast of Kauai is not accessible by car so it's boat or helicopter. We had been disappointed with two cancelled helicopter tours due to rain but fortunately today the catamaran cruise went out. We enjoyed the views of the cliffs but also enjoyed seeing lots of humpback whales. These are the same whales as in Alaska and they c...

Today we took a drive around the south side of the island and headed up Waimea Canyon. This is a "not to be missed" part of Kauai! It has been referred to as the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. It's certainly not as large but it was absolutely beautiful. It is one of the wettest spots on earth so consequently very lush and green. The soil is red and the contrast of vibrant colors gorgeous. It has lots of lookouts along the way for photo taking and at the top the vi...

We arrived yesterday to the "Garden Island" of Kauai. Today we took the North Shore drive and the weather was good. We stopped at waterfalls on the way up the coast and enjoyed the Light House at the most northern shore of the Hawaiian islands. We saw whales at a distance and hope to continue to see them throughout our stay as they are here throughout April. We moved along the coast to the end of the road and the beaches are beautiful with big surfs at all of...

Today was our last day on Oahu so we made the most of an absolutely beautiful day. We started our morning with the Diamond Head hike. The view from the top of the volcano was amazing and worth the hike up. It was definitely challenging considering we also had a 4 mile hike to and from our hotel to the base of the crater. We spent the afternoon on the beach at Waikiki. It was busy but it's not hard to understand why people are drawn to this gorgeous beach! W...