Exploring the North Shore!Someplace Oahu looks like it got stuck in the 80s, not so different than NZ really, just more colourful.Visiting the gardens at the Dole Plantation.Seeing how pineapples grow (for the first time).They’re surprisingly close to the ground, no wonder they need to be extra spikey.The real plantation, far away from where tourists are allowed so nobody gets in touch with machines or nasty chemicals.But there’s an information board where everything is lined out.But at this point we’re even more intrigued by the red soil.And curious looking harvesters.If we had waited 3 hours we could have ridden the pineapple express, but we’re on holidays, no time for standing in a line with no shade for so long!And then theres red pineapples. Never heard of it? Neither have we!But it seems to be a thing.The heat is almost too much, we’re still planning to do the labyrinth and then leave for some food (because everything here is just a big tourist trap and with covid restrictions in place we weren’t even allowed into the visitor centre to use the toilet. This could have ended badly lol.Just some quick pics of greenyellowand red fruit and then off we were! Just Disneyland must be worse!Driving through Haleiwa, looking for a lunch snack.Will it be this one?Or rather some fresh fruit?Giovanni’s, for which we came here in the first place, had a ridiculous line of people waiting, skip.Shave ice, always a good choice.Beachside ‘stall’ selling bric-a-brac at Laniakea.And then we meet this guy, he’s guarding some big green stones with his life.Of course they’re turtles, not stones, but they could be as far as movement counts.This heads up was pure coincidence.Usually they would just beach and then soak in the sun, completely unaware of the people around them.But Hawaiian law states noone can come close, so we unpack the tele (yeah, elegant cheating).And zoooooom they’re super close!I can even tell what they’re dreaming of.That’s the location from above (the street).Stop at the Waimea Valley park.For a decent amount of admission fee we’re allowed in to enjoy the botanical gardens.There is so much cultural information amongst the vast Hawaiian flora.A hawaiian flower?Red lobster claw heliconia.Lotus flower seedpods, a picture that could trigger trypophobia.And then the promised waterfall bath! Like everything else here it’s crowded! We’re happy to watch all the peeps in their cute life vests.So, this was kind of a packed day with lots of driving involved. Oaho might not be big, but streets are narrow and usually just one lane, so we’re glad to be back in the Waikiki nightlife.Grabbing some dinner shooting some pictures and back to the room with us!Only the biker is quicker.
