Hawaii, part three: the North Shore

The North Shore was pure bliss.

Bright, beautiful, quiet {read: uncrowded}, bliss.

After a few days on Waikiki Beach we were ready for something a bit more serene. Everyone told us to go to the North Shore. We learned we could drive around the entire island in just a few hours. That sounded fun and adventurous. Plus we got to use our rental car, which was bonus fun.
The dual (front/back) sunroofs were all the rage.

Here we are leaving the busy city behind and heading for a more peaceful destination.

We saw Pearl Harbor as we drove out of Honolulu. We opted to see it from afar rather than stop for the grand tour. Patrick and I were interested in the history, but we felt like our 4 and not quite 2-year old wouldn't have been as interested or had the quiet reverence due that place. So we passed from afar and continued on out of the city.
I have such fond memories of this time; this road trip around the island.


The boys did so well. They napped. We sang. We laughed.
We learned that William hated my singing. Every time I'd start this silly song, he'd yell (through his pacifier) "stop". But it was so dramatic. It was more like "stoooooooooooop!!!" Patrick could sing. Henry could sing. But every time I'd start it would be "STOP". We cracked up. I have a video. I'll never forget that.

The scenery was beautiful as we drove.

Rows of pineapples growing in the richest, reddest soil.

We decided to stop when we saw the Dole Plantation. We had no agenda or set itinerary. So a stop at the home of the most delicious pineapple imaginable seemed like a very good idea.

Standing in this very spot in the middle of the "o" is what all of the families seemed to be doing. Looks pretty silly now, but we totally followed suit!

There was a train tour of the plantation,

It rained for most of the tour but blew over shortly after. It was very tropical and didn't last long. I couldn't get over what a deep red color the soil was.

After the tour we ordered the pineapple ice-cream. So good!


And then we got on the road again. By this time we were starting to see the ocean.

The landscape was so pretty. Mountains to the left, pineapple fields in the middle and the ocean straight ahead.

There were several beaches along the way. We stopped and parked and spent the afternoon at this little slice of paradise.






We left there after a few hours and continued on our drive around the island. The boys both took naps while we drove.
First was this pretty beach. William was asleep during this stop.



And then we got back into the car and kept driving. It was way more beautiful than these pictures show. Just mountainous and green and lush and sunny and blue.


And then we stopped here. This time Henry was asleep.

William didn't sleep long and woke up sad. We stopped because of the beautiful mountains. But also because of the meltdown. Note the chocolate chip cookie he's holding.

This place was amazing. These mountains are directly across the street from the ocean. A surfer came over to talk to us. He was a middle aged guy, he told us he moved to Hawaii to live a simple life and surf. He also said these mountains are where many famous movie scenes have been filmed, including Pearl Harbor and Jurassic Park. We asked him about the waves. They seemed small to us and we'd been expecting to see big ones. He said they are the smallest in the summer, the ocean is more like a swimming pool; very flat and calm {which was really best for us and our small boys}. But in the winter months, October thru April, people come from all over the world to surf waves that reach up to 50 feet.

After that stop we got back in the car and drove back to Honolulu and our hotel. The island was beautiful and scenic and serene. It was everything I had imagined when I imagined Hawaii.