Day 4

Just an ordinary day in Hawaii.  Headed off first thing in the morning to waipio valley. On the way we stopped for breakfast at Waimea and discovered a coffee shop that actually makes real coffee that tastes good!  Such a good start to the day. 

At waipio valley we headed off on the walk down into the valley down an incredibly steep hill. Seriously very very steep. On the way down a local offered us a lift in the back of his pick up truck. Although we do teach our kids to never take rides from strangers, we weighed up the risks and the benefits and hopped right on in!  The added bonus was that this man had grown up in this area, so he showed us some of the highlights and we reached places that we could not made it to on foot. 

The final destination was the black sand beach. Absolutely stunning place. Unfortunately our ride was hanging out at the beach for the day so after spending some time exploring the beach we had to make our own way back up the incredibly steep hill on foot. The hill is the steepest paved road in the USA. Officially. I am not just making it up. So although it is only a mile long it took us 30 minutes to climb and we were feeling pretty exhausted by the time we got to the top. It was worth it. 

Time for a shaved ice treat, which after the hill climb tasted like icy heaven. 

Next was a quick stop back to base to change ready for the nighttime adventures- snorkelling with manta rays. Amazing. The boat took us to the location where the mantas like to hang out. Then they had us all hang onto a pontoon made from a surf board and PVC pipes. In the surf board they attach lights which attract plankton which attracts the manta rays. They swim right up underneath the board and back flip as they scoop up the plankton. And they are huge. What an experience for us all. 

So yes, a totally ordinary day! 😉