We arose early, picked up our zip car and made our way north, getting out of the more touristy area of Honolulu. We had decided to invest in a self drive audio tour, which turned out to be so good we would use it on the big island too. 

stopping at a coffee plantation for some coffee and tea samples, where I got my first taste of the delicious island coffee and Katrine spent most of the time getting distracted by the baby chick’s.

Next stop was Dole’s pineapple plantations where we sampled the world famous Dole whip at last, having skipped queuing for one at disneyland.

We then made for some famous surfing spots and gorgeous beaches, deciding to snorkel at ‘Sharks Cove’, which despite the clamber over sharp lava rocks with no water shoes to get to the water, proved to be a great snorkel, despite a distinct lack of sharks. 

We wound up our tour at the Polynesian Cultural centre, which was great, showcasing cultures of all the Polynesian islands.

We were exposed to history, legends, food, song, dance music and all manner of interesting presentations, including some amazing fire dances, canoe rides and folk tales. ‘Kap’s’  tree of life show was particularly entertaining and I also picked up some essential coconut opening tips (which would come in hand later).

We drive back home, another busy day under our belts. Happy but tired… Which seems to be turning into a theme.