We woke up to the kids chomping on bowls of cereal and thumbing through the guide magazines, writing down their plans for the trip.  Jet lag was still in effect.  Today was moms forced family fun day!  I opted for a drive up 83 towards the North Shore.  We found a place to pull off before Waimea Bay called Three Tables.  We all ate our lunch that I cleverly packed before we hiked down and started exploring the tidal pools.  We may have lucked out with timing because there weren’t that many other people out hiking with us.  We decided to press on towards Waimea Falls.  Note to self: BRING A BATHING SUIT.  For some reason I thought I read somewhere that it was discouraged to swim due to bacteria in the water or something like that BUT everyone was swimming in the falls! I got serious side eye from my littles when they saw all the others having fun and they were in shorts and t-shirts. Ooops! We let them climb around the rocks and wade in the water a bit.  It was pretty cold and I think deterred them a little from wanting to jump in, clothes and all.  There were botanical gardens along the way with an actual site of a hawaiian village.  The kids got to see how they used to live long ago and see artisans on the way out.  The trip was complete with following wild chickens and getting their first shave ice before heading back.  We returned to the house and let the kids swim in the pool and just took it easy the rest of the evening.

Waimea Falls Link: Waimea Falls

Link to North Shore Beach/Hiking Location: North Shore Beach Hike