If you know Do Good Paper Co.’s origin story, then you know that travelling is one of my passions, and also one of the inspirations for many of our notebook designs. But, our travels after kids have been limited either in time or level of adventure due to the kids ages… until now!
Three lovely weeks on three different islands, with a packed agenda. This is not going to be a travel guide, rather a summary of my favourite moments on Oahu, Maui and Big Island. There were numerous memorable experiences, but I’ve narrowed them down to the following favourite moments:
1. Surfing and jumping the waves on Waikiki Beach – This location was great for our two older sons, who wanted to learn to surf. Their surfing teacher was great and the boys really enjoyed their lesson. The next day, we rented boards and went surfing on our own. For me, it was the first time in 15 years getting back on a surf board, and all the old feelings of bliss, challenge, spiritual connection, and adrenaline of catching a wave came creeping back into my body. Meanwhile, my youngest was having the time of his life jumping the waves crashing into the beach, under the trusty watch of my dear hubby. The enormous smile and precious giggles lit up my heart and reminded me of the purity and simple joys of childhood.
2. Soaking in a sunrise on Maui’s highest peak – My best friend joined us in Maui and we went with a tour group to the top of Mt. Haleakala one morning, only to be told by a ranger that we were not going to get a sunrise. Standing nearly frozen on the viewing level, we were in a cloud, and with the normal rising patterns of the sun and clouds, we would miss the sun rising above the horizon. Disappointed, we decided to do a little hike along the rocky path to the peak. It was still ethereal with the mist and lighting, so we started taking some pictures. We unintentionally looked in the direction of the sun, and was completely shocked to see the sun rising and the clouds glowing in the most glorious way. All of a sudden, another tourist shouted “rainbow!” and we turned around to see a FULL rainbow displaying all of its dazzling colours. That, and the next few moments watching the sun rise above the clouds beneath us (yes, we were above the clouds), was pure magic.
3. Discovering the playfulness of dolphins in the wild – For my eldest son’s birthday, he chose to do a snorkelling tour in the Big Island (aka Hawaii Island). We booked with Fair Wind Cruises, who took us on a 1-hour boat ride to Kealakekua Bay. There, we snorkeled, swam, went down the boat’s 15-ft water slides and jumped off its dive platform near the Captain Cook Monument, which was filled with tropical fish. The best part, however, actually occurred after we were all back onboard. There was a school of spinner dolphins swimming in front of the boat, and they started to swim with us as we began cruising back, leaping out of the water and spinning in the air. I’ve seen and swam with dolphins before, in controlled environments like aquariums, but this was my first time truly discovering the playfulness of wild dolphins and they really are a joy to watch.
I feel neglectful to not mention all of the wonderful experiences we had, but I’ll leave it here and finish by telling you that, despite how far, expensive and touristy Hawaii is, it deserves to be on your bucket list. If you’ve already been, please feel free to leave a comment to share what your favourites were in Hawaii, so that other readers may be inspired.
And now, I’ll have to make some time to go through my thousands of pictures to see if there’s one that’s good enough to go on the cover of a future notebook.