From our house on Anini Beach we could see the
Kilauea Point Lighthouse so we decided one day
to take the quick drive over and check it out.
The area is a bird sanctuary and the area surrounding the
lighthouse is just covered with beautiful birds.
A little education along the way is always good.
The lighthouse was originally built in 1913.
And even though we saw a light from our house
every night...it is no longer a
"working lighthouse"
You can still see the big light,
but this little one sitting out front is
what actually lights up the shoreline.
I got a little tickled at Austin, because he was really excited to
see a working lighthouse, but when we got down there and saw
what it was he dropped his shoulders and said
"I feel like I have been robbed"
I guess we need to get on the hunt for an actual
"working lighthouse" and make the trip!
There were several species of birds that make their home on the
side of the cliffs around the lighthouse.
It was really beautiful to see.
A quick family shot...
it was a little windy out on the point.
Working or not
it was beautiful to see.
The ocean was a beautiful blue and we enjoyed watching
the waves crash on the rocks...
And even caught a glimpse of a large sea turtle floating off
the shore... it had to have been big, because we were very far away...
One last photo from the road and we were off...
This little guy hopped down on the ground and looked like
he was posing for a picture. His little red head was beautiful.
Next we were on to our Luau.
Smith's Tropical Paradise.
It was funny to be going to an authentic
Hawaiian Luau with a name like Smith...
but it really was a family affair and they were all
originally from Hawaii.
There were a TON of Peacocks and Peahens on the property
and they were doing their own thing and did not seem to mind
that we were there at all.
We all stopped and took a family photo on this little
red bridge and then headed off to walk around the grounds before dinner.
This little Peacock was looking for a girlfriend and almost would not
let me off the bridge...
Austin really enjoyed watching the Peacocks. He would stand back
and watch the Peacocks follow around a Peahen and try to fan his
feathers and shake them to get their attention.
One Peahen in particular caught his attention.
She would run off any other Peahens that were around this one
certain Peacock, but when she was the only one around and he
would flaunt his feathers for her, she would turn her backside to
him and walk away or act like he was not even there.
Austin watched quietly for a while and from a safe distance
and then turned to Scott and explained what she was doing.
Scott started to laugh, put his arm around Austin's shoulder and said,
"Son...you can learn a lot from a Peacock..."
Austin looked at him a little confused and Scott said,
"It is like that for men and women of all kinds in this world...
we try and try to impress them and they just ignore us..."
So, with that, Austin's first lesson on dating was in the books!
Hopefully, he will have better luck with the ladies than his little
Peacock friend did.
Jackson and Papa enjoyed watching the big fish that were swimming
in the pond.
A view of the lovely lake area.
And more of Aunt Leisa's favorite flowers...
I can smell them now.
Before dinner we enjoyed watching the Imu Ceremony
where they uncovered the yummy little piggy
that had been cooking underground all day.
The Imu is the underground oven where they cook the
Kalua Pork that we ate at our Luau.
They uncovered the underground oven and
removed the leaves and rocks they used to steam
the pig and then we were off to dinner.
Pender...Table for 14...
Here is a shot of our group waiting our turn to go
up and fill our plates up!
Jackson posed for a quick picture with Aunt Leisa and
then we were off to an amazing show that took us
through the cultural history of Hawaii.
It was a wonderful day in the islands...
We still have a few more adventures before we
have to head back home...
come on back and see what fun we find next.
