"Pipeline - Ehukai Beach"
Below are panoramic photos as my wife and I traveled through the North Shore of Oahu. This was a much anticipated part of our trip because we heard it was a great place to relax and see the beautiful waves, wildlife, and various scenery the island had to offer. Again, these photos were taken with my iPhone 5's panoramic option and I hope you enjoy them.
The top three photos were taken at Pipeline. This is a famous surfing spot with great waves. When the waves are forming, it often considered the wave by which all other waves are compared. One of the funny of things I learned about Oahu is that the nice waves usually form during the winter and not during the summer.
The first photo is probably my favorite because after I got the panoramic shot, my wife asked, "where are the waves?" To be honest, I was thinking the same thing. For such a famous spot (wiki here), there wasn't even a ripple in the ocean. In essence, it was a big swimming pool with rocks at the bottom.
The above two photos were taken at Turtle Bay. This is a nice place to snorkel since the bay is home to many types of fish and wildlife. The beach is actually located on a resort site that is open to the public and reminded me of the season finale of Duck Dynasty. Unfortunately, even with a name like Turtle Bay, I was informed there are no sea turtles actually in the area.
Pupukea beach.
This is a photo of Waimea Bay. Like Pipeline, this beach is famous for its big waves. Despite the off season, this is still a really beautiful place because of the surrounding mountains and hills that can provide for a great view of the bay.
Kuliouou Beach. I can only describe this part of our trip as "exploration." We just drove around and enjoyed God's creation. Yes, we were the Asian-touristy-tourist people who drove slow, looked around, got googly eyed, and joked about how we could one day live in a place like this.
Pali lookout.
Above is a shot of Lani Kai Beach. Aka, close to where the Obamas vacation and also to be remembered as the place I swam with a sea turtle. Unfortunately, that experience was not as I expected. It didn't cross my mind that wild animals could get big. The sea turtle swimming next to me was big. It was beautiful and frightening at the same time. I freaked. I swallowed sea water. And, I started flailing my arms and legs. I probably killed some sea anemone. Sorry. So, when I calmed down, the turtle was gone.
The last set of photos is from our Makapuu Hike. During our hike, the sun was just peaking through the clouds, and a ray of sunlight would momentarily cast a radiant spotlight on the surrounding trees and shrubberies. It felt like a scene right out of Lord of the Rings minus Frodo and Sam.
With that, visiting Oahu was fun. We weren't able to do everything we planned and not everything we planned went as smoothly as we wanted, but that is life. My wife and I made the best of our situation whether it is what we expected or not, good or bad, rain or shine. More importantly, I am glad to have share these experiences with her as we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.
I hope you enjoyed these photos and as I stated last time...
As beautiful as these places are, I can’t help but think they are just a shadow of God’s majesty and glory. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever…
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1
