Pre-Trip Preparation
As the days inch closer to my big spring trip, there is a lot of preparation that goes into a trip like this. Because this is such a big trip, getting off and on airplanes, rental cars, etc, I knew that we needed to have an outline of what we were going to do on three Hawaiian islands. Last trip, I used the app called Numbers, where I created a table chart that includes the address, date, drive time from place to place, time of day, and if the excursion requires a reservation, which made it a lot easier to get from place to place. That way, we got to experience the most out of our trip. However, this trip we will be visiting three islands, so we must include three spreadsheets. We are also using the app TripIt, as we find it to be a lot easier to read when we are on vacation. The app aligns reservations and automatically imports your flight, hotel, and car rental details from your email, creating a comprehensive itinerary.
Post-Trip Reflection
During the trip, I found it to be effective to use Tripit because it was very easy to use. I started my trip off in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. As soon as we got off the plane, we were rejuvenated with warm, humid weather, so we went straight to Magic Sands Beach. This beach was very special because it is the Big Island’s only white sand beach. The Big Island is made up of all black sand due to the island’s volcanic origins. Because of this, all white sand on the Big Island is imported from many different places. We continued our descent onto the rest of the island, we went up to the northern point of Big Island, Hawaii, and stumbled upon a charming, historical town called Hawi. We continued up a hill until we hit 3,000 feet in elevation. We realized we were on a volcano. From the top, it was super scenic as though we could see all of the Big Island. Something that stood out to me was that the Big Island is filled with many wide-open spaces filled with volcanic rock. Many of these spaces are undeveloped because the lava rock makes it hard to build and develop on top of it. On the other side of the island, we stayed in Hilo. Something I noticed was that this side of the island was way more spread out and flat compared to Kona. I also noticed was Hilo was more or less where the native Hawaiian people settled. The Hawaiian people were very friendly and welcoming.
Next, we moved to Maui. Flying into Maui, I was surprised to see how much landscaping and development have been put into Maui. The glow of the city lit up the night sky. In the morning, we rose to experience SNUBA, a mix between scuba and snorkeling with no scuba license required. At first, I felt fear rush through my body. However, as the gear pulled me gently below the water’s surface, my nerves eased as I found it easy to breathe through the oxygen tube underwater. It was cool to see everything from a deep-sea level because it was something I couldn’t experience while snorkeling. After this, we tried out the famous Road to Hana. It was definitely an experience for our family because I don’t think we knew what we were getting ourselves into after a long day on the boat. The road was full of stunning waterfalls and scenic sights with never-ending curves. It made us feel like we were on a rollercoaster. One of my favorite places on the road was Twin Falls, a place filled with a plethora of different waterfalls to experience. While sightseeing, we saw some teenage boys backflip off of one of the waterfalls, which added to the entertainment and excitement for the tourists visiting.
Now, onto Kauai, the Garden Isle. My first impression was that it felt unbelievably lush and green, almost otherworldly. Knowing that the rainfall is very frequent on this island, it makes sense that the environment thrives so vibrantly. The next day, we took a helicopter tour to see the Napali Coast. What makes this tour so special is getting to witness the dramatic cliffs and hidden waterfalls the coast has to offer that have not made it on the internet yet. Later, we planned to head out to Princeville, a place known for some scenes on the popular TV show Jumanji. As we drove through the windy roads to the sounds of the Jumaji soundtrack, it felt like something out of a movie.
Out of all the islands I got to visit, I would say my favorite was Kauai.
