Hawaii 2026

 Hawaii 2026

4/5 Sunday

All of us landed in Oahu around 3:00PM on Sunday and we immediately start heading to the airbnb. It's been a while since I've seen my family so it was so nice just to be together! Once we checked into our airbnb we instantly went to get shaved ice (Clayton's request every day this week) for a snack. This shaved ice honestly wasn't great but we had many more great ones later. 

We spent this evening walking around Wakiki looking at the beach, walking around the shops at the international market place which was so cool. The beach was so much more cool than I remembered it being. We had dinner at Duke's and we had to wait like 2 hours which sucked but luckily every other night was not this way. 

The airbnb had a nice balcony that we spent time on every evening where we could enjoy the city views and the warm weather when we were settled down for the night. The time on the balcony was a part of the trip I unexpectedly really enjoyed. 

4/6 Monday

This day we got breakfast and then headed off to the northshore. This was probably the part of the island that I was most looking forward to before I got to Oahu. We went to these beaches and tidepools and it was so fun! I was regretting not bringing water shoes because I just wanted to walk all over the rocks to see the fish and the water. 

After the day at the beaches, we went to get lunch at these taco trucks and got some more shaved ice (this place was better). The sweet pork tacos at this place were life changing and we did indeed go back to this taco truck later on this trip. 

Later in the evening we had our Luau that we booked. This was so much fun, I really enjoyed it. They first had different stations where you can learn about how to make hawaiian crowns out of leaves, free tropical drinks to try, breaking open and drinking coconuts, learning dances, authentic outdoor cooking, someone even climbed a coconut tree just for our entertainment. Then they gave us dinner and a show where they were teaching us about the cultures and different dances which was really cool. 

4/7 Tuesday

This morning we had our skydiving booked and we waited hours until it was eventually canceled. The weather had taken a turn and started raining and there were lots of clouds rolling in. We were geared up, waiting right outside of the plane to go up but they canceled last minute. We were disappointed but rescheduled it for the next morning so we were hopeful. 

After this we went to a hawaiian restaurant because I was craving some good chicken katsu and we found a place. It was so good but the portions were insane. We then went to another northshore beach and stumbled upon some souvenir shops on the side of the road. 

We then made our way to the LDS temple and it was beautiful. It was pouring rain but it was beautiful just walking around the grounds. We then went to BYU Hawaii to see where Jordan used to live and the rest of the campus. We then made a stop at the shops at the polynesian culture center which were so cute. 

4/8 Wednesday

This morning we went to the Dole plantation on the way to our rescheduled skydiving. We saw some cute kitties walking around, fed the fish in the pond, and ate the best dole whip ever. Just as good as I remembered! 

We went to go skydive and since they canceled for the day on Tuesday, there were so many people they were trying to fit into this morning. It was so overbooked that we ended up being one of the last groups to be able to get scheduled. We AGAIN had our session canceled right before we got onto the plane. I can not explain how frustrated and annoyed I felt. We eventually got a refund and I am still so sad about it. 

We then pivoted our plans and made our way to Waimea Valley which was beautiful! There was a short hike that lead to a waterfall that we could swim in and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. 

 Also this picture is so funny to me lol.

After this we got a snack and went to Matsumotos for some more shaved ice. This was by far the best shaved ice on the trip. So so good. 

For the evening we went to sunset beach which was beautiful. It was still a little rainy so we didn't swim but we just sat and chatted which was nice. 

4/9 Thursday

This morning for breakfast we stopped at 7/11. I had seen all over my tiktok that the 7/11s in Hawaii are different and have really good Hawaiian snacks. We finally went and Clayton and I loved the spam musubis. Since then we have gotten them basically every morning for the rest of the trip. 

We then drove towards Koko head which was so beautiful. We saw some pretty views of the mountains and we saw these cool rocks with waves crashing over them. We initially were just going to drive through this section but I'm so glad we stopped. 

We did the lighthouse trail hike which was fun. The actual views were kind of underwhelming but the hike itself was fun. It was one of those hikes where there were viewpoints and places to stop all throughout it which I like. 

After the hike we got some Hawaiian food and ate it at a nearby beach which was so relaxing. I got some teriyaki chicken and it was the best most juicy teriyaki chicken I've ever had. 

Then we went to my mom's favorite beach which is called Lanikai. The weather was better this day so we were able to swim and really enjoy the weather today. We even made Clayton into a beautiful mermaid. 

This evening we finally took advantage of the air bnb pool and hot tub. Summer had really been looking forward to the pool so Summer and I spent some time swimming before dinner. 

4/10 Friday

Of course we started our morning with a 7/11 run and headed off to Kualoa ranch. Sadly it was very rainy this day but the ranch was still very cool. We had a movie sites tour first (since there are a lot of movies filmed on this ranch) then a free hawaiian lunch, and then a catamaran tour to see the nature. 

This evening we went to Waikiki for dinner and then for fireworks. It was raining a little bit but we were hopeful but then they were cancelled. So we spent the evening going to the ABC stores and getting any souvenirs we wanted to get before we went home. 

4/11 Saturday

My parents left for the airport this morning but Clayton and I had an extra day on our own in Hawaii before heading home. We decided to rent mopeds so that we can get around the island and explore for the final time. We had so much fun riding around and going all over the island. 

We then did a pillbox hike that overlooked the city which was so cool. The first little section was so muddy and Clayton and I were not prepared so I was nervous because the hike was steep throughout the entire thing. But luckily the rest of it was not slippery and the views were amazing. 

4/12 Sunday

We went back to our favorite spots one last time before heading to the airport ourseleves. Our flights home were through the night, ended up being 3 flights that lasted over 12 hours, with a 6 hour time change. 

Overall we had some bad luck with the weather on this trip but it was still amazing and so so so much fun.