Hawaii: Day 6

The next day we returned to the Honolulu area to hike up Diamond Head. This is an extinct volcano with a relatively easy but extremely steep hike. We received a lot of comments about how brave we were to take the boys but Tyler was able to handle the climb to the top without complaining once. Dylan didn't complain either, but he was being carried on our hips the entire time. Although the heat was getting to us, and Dylan's 27 pounds seemed to get heavier and heavier, the view at the top was amazing and I am glad we didn't miss it.


After the hike, we drove out to the Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe to visit the Byodo-In Temple. It is a beautiful replica of a 950 year old temple located outside of Kyoto, Japan. It was built in the 1960's to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the arrival of Japan Immigrants to Hawaii to work in the sugar fields. We loved the peace and beauty. Tyler loved being able to ring the bell and Dylan loved the Koi fish, peacocks, and swans.

After a busy morning, the boys instantly fell asleep in the car. So, we took advantage of this quiet time to take a scenic drive around the southeastern shores of Oahu. We didn't dare risk waking the kids by stopping the car, so we took pictures from inside our car instead. The pictures just don't do it justice, but watching the waves crash against the rocks and driving next to the steep mountains have become great memories.

Only 2 more days to cover, so come back again for the final vacation report!