Thursday, June 11, 2026 // Day 4
I was certain after yesterday’s “sleeping in” that I had officially adjusted to the time change. Today’s 2:30AM wake up foiled that thought. I ate my ube donut from yesterday and fiddled around until Aaron got up. After taking him to his aunt’s house so he could spend the day with his family, I came back to the Sheraton and then walked over to Island Vintage Coffee to get an açaí bowl for real breakfast. Today’s bowl was called ‘Waialua Moana Bowl’ topped with dark chocolate, cacao nibs, coconut peanut butter, banana, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, granola, and honey. It was super tasty, but I feel like the peanut butter overpowered it, so I will not be getting one with peanut butter again.
After eating I went to pick up mom, dad, and Ike and we headed north along the coastline until we got to Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail. We managed to find a parking spot to squeeze into, but it was slim pickings. There is no visitor center, and though there are a handful of parking spots, most people (us included) were parked along the side of the road driving into the area where the trail began, with even more people parked out on the road. It was a 2.4 mile round trip hike that took you to the top of the mountain. One nice thing about this trail is that it was paved the whole way, so you don’t have to worry about uneven terrain like we did at Diamond Head. When you looked out you could see so much! The water was so clear and blue, and you could see the reef so far out. We even saw another Hawaiian island - Moloka'i!
When we were on the top of the mountain, you could see so much of the islands' edges, that it reminded me of Earth photos from space. It was like I could see the brown/green that shows as land, and the blue curved surface of the ocean. I wish I had better words to describe it, because it was breathtaking - easily the best views we've had this trip. The reefs were showing through the clear blue water, and the white crests as the waves crashed into the rocks were my favorite part.
Next, we headed to Manoa Falls. This is privately owned land that is actually a rainforest. The hike is 1.4 miles round trip to a narrow waterfall that cascades down. The hike was so beautiful - it felt like you were walking through a jungle. (Honestly the hike was more impressive than the waterfall). The trail was muddy because of the frequent rain, and it was nice they supplied a hose at the visitor center to wash your shoes off with. Though I had to actually scrub to get the dirt stains off my legs. I’m not sure what kind of mud that is there, but despite power washing it off at the trailhead, it left a “stain” on my skin.
By this time it was 1:00 and we were getting hungry so we headed back into Waikiki. I dropped off the fam and then headed back to my hotel to shower. Before I came up to my room, I stopped at the coffee shop downstairs - Honolulu Coffee Company - and got a dairy-free ube + coconut swirl soft serve. It was so yummy!! I decided that would be lunch.
After showering, I sat out on the balcony and read for awhile before deciding I should take a nap before our dinner plans.
A little after 4 I trekked back out to pick up my family and we drove out to Aaron’s aunt’s for dinner. We had a wonderful spread of steak, chicken, pork, Chinese salad, noodles, sushi, rice, and cake. It’s been so fascinating to hear about Aaron’s dad’s experience growing up here, and since he is a great storyteller, it makes for an even more enjoyable time.
We headed back to the hotel around sunset and spend the remainder of the night hanging on the balcony.
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