Nicnjules on the Road: Kailua and Lanikai

Monday, December 29, 2008

Kailua and Lanikai

The weekend of December 7th we had decided to rent a scooter and take a trip around the windward side of the island. Unfortunately, the place we went didn’t have any available on Saturday morning and the guy told us that we would have to rent two scooters anyway as you aren’t allowed two people on one in Hawaii. Not sure what the reasoning is for that…turns out it’s cheaper to rent a car.

Sunday morning outrigger canoe race off of Lanikai beach

So after accomplishing very little on Saturday, we decided to take the bus and head out to Kailua and Lanikai on Sunday. The weather hasn’t been great recently and Sunday morning wasn’t an exception. We ended up walking through a very light drizzle over to Lanikai beach as we had heard it was the loveliest beach on Oahu.

The end of Lanikai Beach

After seeing them both, I still think I prefer Kailua, but they are right next to each other, and are both lovely so it’s easy to go backwards and forwards – and the islands off of Lanikai do add another dimension.

Imagine how it would have looked if the sun was shining…

This is Kailua beach (were the Obama family spent Christmas!)

This is the hill that splits Lanikai and Kailua beaches - I just saw the same photo in a tourist advertising magazine...except the sun was shining - it was lovely! You can see the islands in the background

Coming back to Honolulu, we decided to take the longer route around Makapu’u Point. You can catch a bus from Kailua down to Sea Life Park, and then wait for the connecting bus 22 which takes you back to Waikiki via Hanauma Bay. It was a lovely drive and we were able to see more of the island that we hadn’t seen before.

We want to go back and visit the Bellows Beach Park. During the week it’s an army base, but they open up the beach at the weekend, so we are hoping to get back there soon. When the weather improves!