For the second part of the Stull family vacation, we boarded a plane on Monday and headed from Oahu to the Big Island (Hawaii) for the next 5 days. We rented a beautiful home just up the mountain from the Hapuna Prince and Mauna Kea resorts. Melissa and I visited the Big Island in 2010 and we stayed at Hapuna Prince, so the grounds were familiar. The first picture is from the lobby of the Hapuna Prince Resort, the sister resort to the Mauna Kea (we could spell it better than we could pronounce it). We had access to both resorts. The 2nd picture is from the deck of the house. And yes, we did play that golf course. And yes, I did shoot a 38-44 with an eagle out of the sand trap to win the day.
As a matter of fact, we didn't waste any time getting on the course. Melissa, Kevin, John and I hit the Hapuna Prince golf course on Tuesday while the rest of the girls went for a walk around the neighborhood. They met us on the 15th tee box (right outside the patio, as shown in the picture above). The picture below is sure to be the first of many family photos for us on a golf course. The 4 hours we played were probably the only 4 hours while we were on the island that the wind wasn't blowing. It was absolutely gorgeous and we were treated to a beautiful sunset on the 18th hole.
Having been there before, we had some favorite things that we wanted to do again and we had some new things we wanted to try. We didn't waste any time getting to one of our favorite restaurants, Pestos. It has fantastic pizza and as I discovered this go around, the most delicious margarita I've ever tasted - the secret ingredient as I found out is coconut water.
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| Emma is ready to role. |
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| Is anyone surprised she's on Grandpa's lap? |
The following morning, Wednesday, we made a very beautiful drive up the west coast to the north shore and the small town of Havi. The destination was Pololu Point at Kohala Mountains. It was a bit of a muddy, steep, and winding path so Melissa, Emma, and I didn't go all the way down but we were still treated to beautiful Hawaii views.
The rest of the week we alternated between two of my favorite things - spending time on the beach and golfing. On Thursday we spent the morning at the Hapuna Prince beach and pool and Emma and daddy took a dip in the pool.
That afternoon it was off to the golf course. We played the Mauna Kea, which is the most beautiful course I've ever played. Every hole had a view of the water with lots of elevation changes. There was a stiff breeze, okay - maybe breeze isn't the right term - more like a steady gale force wind. What made it even worse was that every hole that was into the wind also played uphill. For as good as I played on Tuesday, I was that bad on this course. But it really didn't matter because the course was so stunning. So for the trip, Melissa and I split - I won the first round and she got me on the second.
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| This is the 3rd hole, a long par 3 that played over the ocean. I gave a couple balls to the fishes. |
While on the trip I was in search of the best macadamia nut encrusted Mahi Mahi fish. To this point I think I was 0 for 3 - strike out. So, Melissa decided to take things into our own hands and found a fresh fish market and recipe online and fired up the grill Thursday night. Home run! Perfect fuel for the the rough day that lied ahead - laying on the beach can be tough work.
Friday morning, our last full day on the island, John, Megan, and Kevin took off for beautiful Waipio Valley which, I'm told was a very challenging hike that offered great Hawaiian views. Melissa, Roz, Emma and I took off for the beach. It was delightful.
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| Our sea turtle friend was in about 2 feet of water. I followed him down the length of the beach. |
After spending the morning on the beach it was time to get cleaned up and head out to catch a Luau. Lots of food and great entertainment. Emma loved the hula dancers.
One of the things I really love about Hawaii is the sunsets. They are hard to beat and you can bet my eyes were glued to the west every night around 7 o'clock.
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| Emma and Mommy catching a sunrise from the patio. |
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| The love birds enjoying the beach at sunset. |
The Mauna Kea is an amazing resort with a very relaxed vibe. Pictures don't really do it justice but here are a few that we snapped to try to capture the beautiful vistas and prove we were there.
Emma loved these fish on the resort.
Well, we never looked at real-estate so eventually we were going to have to come back home. But, not before visiting the city of Kona and its brewery.
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| It was about an hour drive from Mauna Kea to Kona and Emma fell asleep in the car on the way. She was out cold so I happily volunteered to get her out of the car and shamelessly stole lots of cuddles before she woke up about 20 minutes later :) It was the best!! |
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| Emma even got to enjoy a beverage at the brewery :) |
When we went camping in boy scouts we packed out what we packed in. It sure felt like that plus some on the way home. It's amazing to think the crew lugged all this stuff there and back.
One of the things I really enjoy about this blog is that while I'm documenting our happenings, I get a chance to reflect on a lot of fun and exciting things that happen in our lives. It is a great reminder of how fortunate we are to have wonderful family. There are so many great memories and stories that will be told for a long time about the Stull family's first trip to Hawaii. ;) Thanks to John and Roz for a wonderful trip and so much more!
Aloha from Minneapolis,
Jason, Melissa, and Emma
Side bar: As I'm finishing up this post it is April 18th and has been snowing all day in Minneapolis and we are expecting 6-10 inches total. I'm doing some serious reflecting right now about how warm and sunny the Hawaiian beaches were...
