Kat's Birthday Celebration
For Kat’s milestone birthday we spent time on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Maui. It was a perfect way to celebrate Kat and all her accomplishments in her life. It was a beautiful mix of the city energy and the quiet countryside. Spending a large chunk of time there was a great way to slow it down and really dig deep into its beauty, people, history and culture.
The first few days were spent in the heart of the city. It was filled with many delicious eats and plenty of adventures by foot. We found a great coffee spot that we hope to go back to when we do return. We adventured mostly on foot with the exception of a few places such as the Byodo-In Temple and Restaurant XO on the other side of town I wanted to take Kat to for her birthday.
The temple was absolutely beautiful and peaceful. We rang the bell when we arrived and it truly did help clear our mind and put us both in the right headspace for our visit. The entire area is so peaceful. There were many alcoves where you could sit and relax, Coi fish swimming around the pond and beautiful flowers to get lost in. It was a really peaceful place and we hope to visit again one day. Both of our Uber drivers that day were genuinely nice and we had great conversations with them both.
There is something nice about walking around a city versus driving. You get to see the smaller details of areas that you could miss speeding by in a car. One of our favorite meals was at a little ramen spot a little off the main area of shops. The wait was about an hour but definitely worth it. Another gem that we found on foot was this stand that made these amazing malasadas. We’ve both had our fair share of malasadas but these were easily the best we’ve had. The dough was thinner and the fillings were really generous. They were not oily at all and the filling was generous. They were the airiest malasadas we’ve ever had. They didn’t have a shop or business card and would only sell at these local farmers markets around town. A true gem of the island.
We then hopped on a plane to Maui. Our AirB&B was a cute and cozy spot in a quiet part of town. We had a beautiful little beach where we watched sunset from on our first night, The people here were so nice. We met our neighbors Kim and his awesome furry sidekick Finley. We had learned Finley had been recovering from a recently ACL surgery. We saw them a few times, chatted as Finley worked on his rehabilitation. We noticed in the lobby that there was a painting of Finley on the wall that one of the residents had made for him. What a great group of folks. This made us both smile.
The next few days were spent visiting areas we’ve always talked about, the road to Hana, Halaekala National Park and one of the black sand beaches we had read about.
Our trip to Hana was a blast. We saw a cute looking coffee spot on the way to fill up on caffeine for our drive. The drive to Hana is no doubt beautiful. So much eye candy (waterfalls, lush forests, jaw-dropping views, etc.) in this area. We stopped off at a random pull out and found an awesome grove of the famed Rainbow Eucalyptus trees. We spent some time walking the trail exploring this little area. Words and photos don’t do them justice, you just have to experience them in person. It was one of the highlights for me.
Later we visited the Garden of Eden Arboretum for a few hours. Such a wonderful area. We did need to apply some bug spray as we were both getting eaten up. The grounds were fantastic for sure, so many great looking plants and trees to get lost in. The views from the various lookouts were fantastic. Kat made a beautiful image of some flowers here that I do want to frame and put on our wall. Although we spent a good two hours here, it wasn’t long enough. Maybe on our next trip we’ll stay a little longer.
We continued on and stopped for lunch at the Nahiku Marketplace. The people and food here was awesome. It was nice to support the local businesses on our trip. Definitely stop here if you ever make the drive to Hana. We arrived at the Waiʻānapanapa State Park but unfortunately you need reservations to get in. For our next trip we’ll be sure to set that up. Kat and I pushed on with the goal to make it to Pīpīwai Trail before sunset. The road got narrower, windier and the light darker. We arrived at Wailua Falls and given the time, we knew this was going to be as far down the road we’d be able to go for this visit. We enjoyed the waterfall here and spent a little time chatting with another couple about the Hana area. After some photos, we decided to head back to Hana for some coffee, restroom break and stretch the legs before the long drive back. In town we picked up some iced coffees from My Tita’s Cafe. She was super sweet and chatted with us for a little while we were there. We arrived back from Hana just as the sky turned firetruck red. What a way to end the day.
The next few days were filled with plenty of beach days where we just relaxed the day away quietly. On the last few mornings, I spent the blue hour sifting through some of the photos we had made and taking in the light show. Kat and I both took to our journals before the days got started. I also was able to read a little which was really nice.
After a few more visits to Ululani’s for shave ice and Foodland for poke, our time in Hawaii was coming to an end. Our final sunset of the trip was spent at Halaekala National Park. What a beautiful way to end our trip. The views from up there were breathtaking. As much as we enjoyed quietly resetting ourselves in paradise, we were yearning to get back to our beautiful little home. So many great memories of Kat’s birthday trip. I hope to bring her back there again one day.
Below are some images from Kat’s birthday celebration in Hawaii. Until next time. - Marco
