Hawaii, USA

O’ahu

May 5th

Before departing Japan, we got into full tropical mode with the sleep masks provided on board by Hawaiian Airlines.

Our journey to Hawaii was weird as we effectively experienced two “May 5ths” thanks to the -19 hour time difference! On our second May 5th, we landed in Honolulu and checked into a hotel just ten minutes from Waikiki Beach.

Margaux and I kicked things off with a pedicure before joining the rest of the family for a full beach afternoon.

May 6th–8th

We spent the first few days in Oahu just hanging out and spending time at the beach—a more than welcome break.

May 9th–10th

Back out and about, we visited the historic Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu—a beautiful landmark with lots of history about the Hawaiian royal family.

We then spent more time unwinding before packing up to head to Oahu’s North Shore.

May 11th

On our journey up north, we stopped at the Bishop Museum, which was an excellent tip from our friend Jenny in Toronto.

We easily spent the whole day there as there was so much to learn and see about Polynesia, including an interesting hour at the planetarium learning about the hokulea – a voyaging canoe whose sailors do not use any modern instruments to navigate (www.hokulea.com) – definitely a place to visit again!

May 12th

We went on a lovely walk to Waimea Falls, another iconic Oahu spot. Although it was quite busy, we got to learn some more about traditional Hawaiian community life along the trail.

May 13th

Following another recommendation from our friend Jenny, we walked along Ka‘ena Point—the westernmost tip of Oahu and were lucky enough to spot two Hawaiian monk seals basking in the sun.

After a delicious lunch at “farm to barn”, we visited Turtle Beach, where another seal greeted us. A lucky day!

May 14th

We conquered Diamond Head summit and were blown away by the coastal views.

We rewarded ourseves with some nice Mexican food at Clau & Chui’s Cocina.

Later, we saw the China Walls, then drove up to the Tantalus lookout to admire the cityscape from above.

That night, Margaux, Xan, and I caught a glimpse of fireworks lighting up Waikiki from our hotel window.

Hawai‘i (The Big Island)

May 15th–16th

We relaxed and packed to head to the Big Island. After collecting a seven-seater rental to squeeze in seven of us and fourteen bags, we laughed at the challenge of finding our Airbnb in the Hawaiian Acres community.

May 17th–19th

We explored Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, marveling at molten lava fields, steam vents, and volcanic landscapes—absolutely breathtaking.

May 20th

On our return to Hilo, we stopped at the Imiloa Astronomy Center.

Then made our way to a nice hotel for our last night with Margaux (aka “Margini Bambini” as Isa has renamed her).

Before letting her continue on her own adventure we had some tasty Vietnamese food, always a comfort for us.

May 21st

At dawn, we watched Margaux head off on her solo journey.

Later, we drove through beautiful scenery to Kailua-Kona to continue our own adventure.

May 22nd

We ventured out at night for a magical manta ray snorkel under the stars—one even glided so close it brushed past me. An unforgettable experience!

May 23rd

We spent our day learning plenty of things about Abalones! What funky little creatures they are.

We ended our day relaxing at the beach and even got a glimpse of the Mauna Loa Observatory!

May 24th

The family tackled the trek to Green Sand Beach. It was tough, but the unique green shoreline made every step worth it.

May 25th

We visited Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park and spotted many grazing sea turtles.

Then we drove to Waipio Valley lookout—views that were nothing short of epic.

That evening in Hilo we were enjoying dinner at “Pineapples Island Fresh Cuisine”, when we noticed that the volcano Kilauea was errupting…

We rushed to finish our food and make our way to see Kilauea erupting—though we missed the actual eruptions by mere minutes, what remained was spectacular glowing lava .

May 26th–27th

We savoured our final two days on the Big Island with slow mornings, scenic drives, and ocean views before boarding our plane to Kaua‘i.

Kaua‘i

May 28th

We got to meet up with Cassandra and her boyfriend John—Cassandra is the daughter of Christoph and Liz, whom we had met along with the rest of her family seven months ago in San Antonio!

Dinner at Big Monster Sushi & Thai in Lihue was so good that we returned later in the trip. Thanks for the tip Cassandra and John!

May 29th–30th

We spent our time at the beach relaxing and while at Poipu Beach—on Cassandra’s recommendation—we were lucky enough to spot an incredible 14 turtles sunbathing right in the middle of the crowd!

It was amazing to see how comfortable they were around humans, and just as heartening to see people respecting their space. It really showed us that coexistence with wildlife is possible without completely invading their environment or scaring them away.

We saw this throughout Hawai‘i—not just with turtles, but also with other wildlife. Seals swam calmly along Waikiki Beach, right in the middle of everything, or napped peacefully on some of the islands’ most popular beaches. The birds were curious yet cautious, never afraid, and the chickens practically ruled the place, which honestly reminded us a bit of Ghana. That made us smile.

May 31st

We spent the day driving through the stunning canyons of Kaua‘i, and I especially loved the view from the Waimea Canyon Lookout—it was so breathtaking it felt like stepping into a painting.

For lunch, we stopped at Chicken In a Barrel BBQ in Waimea, where we had a delicious meal. My parents were particularly thrilled with the impressive variety of beers on tap—definitely a highlight for them, haha.

June 1st

We hiked to a hidden waterfall amid slippery clay trails. The vines and forest canopy made it feel like we were in a lush, magical world.

June 2nd

Thanks to Cassandra and John, we got to go on an incredible boat ride to explore the caves along the Napali Coast. It was such a fun adventure—we got absolutely soaked and loved every second of it!

If you’re ever in the area, definitely check out Na Pali Riders. They’re a small, family-run local company, and we had an absolute blast with them.

June 3rd

On our last Kaua‘i day, we relaxed at the north shore, enjoyed Greek food and shaved ice at “Tiki Tzatziki”

and revisited Big Monster Sushi & Thai for a perfect farewell dinner.

June 4th

After landing back in Honolulu and checking into our hotel,…

we went out for dinner with Laura—Jenny’s sister (Jenny is the friend I mentioned earlier). It was our first time seeing Laura and meeting her husband Tyler in quite a while, so it was lovely to catch up… so much so that we completely forgot to take a photo together.

All I had was some pictures of the beautiful view over Waikiki Beach from the restaurant.