Hawaii - Part I - The Beach

As mentioned, we spent 10 days in sunny and beautiful Oahu (well actually there was torrential downpour for 2 so there was only 8 days of sun). I took an abudance of photos so I thought the best way to break down our trip would be to discussed various aspects of it. The first post, and in my opinion the most important part of any warm, tropical vacation, is the beach.

Johanna (aka Grandma Cummings aka mom) rented an unbelievable two bedroom condo just a little south of Waikiki, right near Diamond Head. It is considered deemed the "Gold Coast" of Honolulu. The neighborhood had a couple of neighborhood beaches. The one we visited almost every day was called Sans Souci beach. It was a lovely place that had many friendly locals that we talked to about the culture and sights of Hawaii.

We also went up to the North Shore to check out all the beaches with the REALLY big waves and fearless surfers. It was pretty spectacular and something out of a movie to see the surfers dropping in on the waves without any hestiation. We also did the touristy Hanauma Bay (snorkling) and spent a morning at a beach in Waimanalo. Hawaii beaches lived up to the hype. Crystal blue waters, beautiful sand, warm weather, hot sun, and not crowded.

It took Mae a couple of days to warm up to wanting to be in the water. In fact, the first day she cried when the water touched her feet. However, after the first couple of days, we couldn't keep her out of the surf and wanting to get in the water.

Here are photos from Hawaiian beaches.

Mae's First Steps in Hawaiian sand.

Barefeet, shorts, and a t-shirt feel so good.

First night together on the beach.

First day in bathing suits. Mae is happy her dad is going to build her something in the sand.

At the North Shore.

Mae has warmed up to being in the water.

Mae just got dunked.

At Waimanalo