Sunrise at Halona: I was up early the next day so I grabbed my camera gear, started up the car and headed back out to Halona Blow Hole. This time I descended the steep path leading to the ocean below. Although now high tide, the blow hole was still not active. It must only spout during rough weather. However, I was still able to get spectacular views of the sun rising through the mostly cloudy sky and of the ocean waves lapping against the lava rock shore.
Makapu'u Point State Wayside: After my time at Halona, I jumped back into the car and drove a short way northeast of my location to another scenic spot along the eastern coast of Oahu, Makapu'u Point State Wayside. From the parking lot, it was a 1.75 mile (2.8 km) hike up to an outlook sitting on a cliff far above the Makapu'u Point Lighthouse, which marks the easternmost point of the island. The lighthouse contains the largest lens in use in the United States and is still active, although it has been automated in the time since its construction in 1909. Access to the lighthouse itself is forbidden.
Planning the Day: I returned from my morning adventures to find Peep still fast asleep in our room at the B&B. While she got herself ready for the day, I started looking for activities for us to enjoy the rest of the morning and afternoon hours. After our breakfast at the inn, we checked out, packed the car with all our luggage, and drove to Sea Life Park.
Sea Life Park: Sea Life Park is a small marine animal park located on the island. Besides admissions to the park, much of its money comes from its encounter with animal life program, where visitors can dive with the sharks in their aquarium tank or interact with rays, seals or dolphins. The dolphin encounters, of which there are three levels to choose from, seem to be the most popular. After seeing the few exhibits, Peep and I spent some time watching the dolphin encounter before the start of the first show: the Kolohe Kai Sea Lion Show.
We again killed some time before the start of the second show, the grandest of the three, the Dolphin Cove Show, where we saw the only wholphin, an extremely rare hybrid born from the mating of a female common bottlenose dolphin with a male false killer whale, on display. We then stopped at the sea lion exhibit before heading over to the third, and final, show offered by the park, the Hawaii Ocean Theatre, which featured a dolphin and a couple penguins.
Aloha Tower Marketplace: Having seen everything on offer at the Sea Life Park, we left the area and drove over to Honolulu, ending up at the Aloha Tower Marketplace for lunch. The mall itself was almost entirely closed for extensive renovation, leaving only three businesses open: a ticket office for a cruise that leaves from the pier next to the mall and two restaurants. After our lunch at Hooter's, we walked over to see the iconic Aloha Tower before getting back in the car for our drive to the west coast of the island to check in at Disney's Aulani Resort and Spa, where we would be staying for the rest of our time in Hawaii.
Check-in: We had just pulled up and were being greeting by the Aulani staff, who starting giving us directions to the check-in desk, when Tim and Samme appeared. They had just completed their check-in and were back down to move their car to the guest parking lot. The timing was perfect. So, after Peep and I were checked in, Samme escorted us to our room. Peep and I would be staying with Becky and Abby for the duration of the stay, while Tim would share a room with Ben, Samme and Nate.
The Aulani Resort: After we had settled in and got our car moved to the guest lot, we took some time to explore the grounds. Nestled between the two wings of the hotel sits Waikolohe Valley, a waterpark containing Waikolohe Stream: a lazy river; Pu'u Kilo Volcano, with two waterslides: Tombstone Curl easy tube slide and Volcanic Vertical enclosed body slide; Menehune Bridge: interactive kids water play area with fort; Waikolohe Pool; Wailana Pool; four hot tubs: Caldera Spa, Waikolohe Spa, Sunset Upper and Sunset Lower; and Rainbow Reef: a snorkeling lagoon stocked with native Hawaiian fish. It is situated along the shore of Kolola Lagoon, a manmade lagoon protected by a natural rock formation, where we caught the most picturesque sunset of our trip.
Evening Activities: We grabbed a late supper of pizza at the resort, my sister's family done and gone while Peep and I were still finishing our meal. Afterward, Peep and I left Aulani grounds to walk across the street, where we found a market that sold cough medicine within a small strip mall. Peep had been coughing and was concerned about waking my sister and niece during the night. We also purchased some food for breakfast the next morning, since my sister told me they do not usually eat breakfast. By the time we got back to the room, our roommates were both sound asleep on the pullout bed, leaving the main bed for Peep and me. How generous!