Oahu 2016 - Day 7
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!
M and I forced ourselves to wake up early and hike Diamond Head. We had to leave for the Big Island the next day and it would be our last opportunity. To hike Diamond Head you have to start in the center of the crater. The hike only appears to be a small hill however, once you get going in the heat and reach the stairs you really start to feel it.
The hike consists of some uneven ground and a lot of stairs. As oppose to our previous hike, we came prepared this time without sandals. However, not everyone hiking Diamond Head that day seemed to get the memo. Lots of people in jeans and dresses, completely inappropriate shoes and clearly unaware that this was an actual hike. We made it to the top and the view was of course spectacular. While there were lots of people it was still pretty enjoyable. We hiked down the mountain and was able to complete the entire hike from stat to finish in 40 minutes, less then our Dole Pineapple Maze record.
Following the hike, we returned to our room and had lunch while we waited for our next activity, parasailing! I was obviously nervousness, being that high up in a flimsy wind catcher was a new experience for me. M,on the other hand, has jumped out of planes flying 4,000 feet in the air. So we were coming from different places…
We were driven to the docks and loaded onto a little speed runner boat. There were about 8 other people on the boat and we watched as each group went up. We were the last group to go and I was pretty nervous. It was finally our turn and let’s just say M took video but the audio will have to be muted….I was freaking out a bit. The view was again spectacular and looking down made me shake a bit, but it was a great way to spend our 4th of July.
Side note: If you ever plan on doing parasailing and they charge by the minute, take video. M recorded the whole thing and it was 7 minute long ride but we paid for 10 minutes. When there is a price difference between 7 and 10 minutes, that matters. We had fun parasailing but I think the way it is priced is a bit of a scam. You really have no idea how high you are and unless you time it they do not know if they honor the time you paid for.
Following parasailing we returned to our room and got ready for dinner. Waikiki has been very busy and finding an open restaurant that doesn’t require an hour wait has been difficult. We made reservations at a great place called Shorebird where you can grill your own meat a with a buffet provided. We enjoyed Mai Tais and Lava flows with Guava Chicken and Macadamia nut Mahi Mahi. It was a great Hawaiian dinner for our 4th of July . Following dinner we ran a few errands done, trying to kill time before the fireworks. We got some drinks and candy then reserved a spot on Waikiki to watch the fireworks. The place was packed but comfortable. We people watched until it was time and the fire works went off for quit a while. Probably one of our most favorite 4th of July’s.