The dramatic cliffs of Hawaii are no joke. Yes, the southern side of O’ahu (where we live) offers impressive vistas, however the views of the cliffs on the northern side of the ridge are indescribable. Video of our recap below:
Kaiona Beach was our first outing of the week, and filled the craving for these other-worldly views. With sand and water reminiscent of the beloved Lanikai Beach, Kaiona is a well-kept secret, yet right off Kamehameha Highway. (Great call, Chrissy & Makayla!) Crystal clear, waist-deep waters, nearby reef for snorkeling, and no shore break made this an instant favorite of ours.
Midweek brought us ample editing time. Work hard, play hard. Amirite?
By Friday it was back to the “play hard” part of our motto. We started with a rousing couple rounds of bowling at Aiea Bowl. We’d heard people go there just for the food (BOWLING ALLEY FOOD, Y’ALL), so we decided that was a must. We got a cheeseburger and garlic fries — DELISH. They have a showcase of cakes and desserts available, all of which looked incredible (strawberry crunch cake — what?!?), but you know how sometimes you order food and intend on going back for dessert, but then you start to bowl and realize you’re running late for a reggae festival so you jet totally not realizing you’d left your hopes and dreams behind in a dessert showcase at a bowling alley? Yeahhh. That old chestnut.
So off we went to Mayjah Rayjah, dessert left in the dust, but our hearts fixated on the sweet fact that we’d soon be seeing Rebel Souljahs perform. In that half-mile stretch between Aiea Bowl and the Aloha Stadium we came across an old cemetery begging for a minute of our attention (so many different backgrounds represented on the headstones!), so we paid our respects, reminded of the true diversity of this beautiful land, and carried on.
Shoutout to our girl Chrissy who hooked it up with Mayjah Rayjah tickets! Nothing like enjoying some live reggae surrounded by fellow onlookers sharing the aloha spirit. $13 beers couldn’t bring us down!
We finished the week with a hike around the Hanauma Bay Ridge with Kate & Brett. We’d been through the whole rigamaroo before (turns out it’s actually “rigamarole” but would anybody even know what I meant if I typed that instead?) to enjoy the bay itself, but this brought about a whole new perspective. Unshaded and exposed to the elements, the trail essentially becomes wherever you choose to go. Thankfully the wind was on our side that day, and Kate knew her way around the ridge — yay for not running out of water! We finished with the obligatory stop at Kona Brewing and dessert at Bubbies (can’t forget dessert again!). -Brandi B.
