Turtles and whales

The view from Kaena Pt to the other side, the north side

Notice Susie's hands-on-the-hips-'cause-there's-no-room-on-my-belly stance?

Watching for spouts

Watching for tails

Hiwa hiwa and me!  On the beach together!

Walking to the north shore Sunset Beach to see the  Epic Big Waves!

Luckily TBTE knows us and that we would be MOST excited to see animals, so on Boxing Day, we drove to Turtle Beach, which has an official Hawaiian name that starts with an 'L' and has lots of vowels in it, but I don't remember it.  We had already seen a turtle or two pop their heads up and smile at us at the day before in the Ko'Olina lagoons, but Susie wanted a close encounter of the third kind for us.  There were still vestiges of the storm causing big waves, but the sky was blue and the drive through the pineapple fields was peaceful.  There is a point where you come over the hill and spot water and think, yay, there's the ocean again, I haven't seen it for 15 minutes and it is back!  Hiwa hiwa. a 200+ pound honu (green sea turtle) was resting quietly on the beach.  I know her name because the Honu guardians were out and they know the turtles by name.  This one had a tracking device attached to her shell and so they know that at one time she dove as deep at 570 feet!  Wow!   Susie talked to the garrulous man for quite a while and got all the info on how to become a guardian herself.  They are volunteers who keep tourists from doing stupid things like trying to push the turtles back into the water or sit on the turtles.  But it was ok to take pictures...just not too close (hence the red rope you see). http://malamanahonu.org/
Now.  Whales.  Our last morning in Hawaii, and TBTE didn't have anything planned for us, so I asked if we could make one last trip up to Kaena Pt to look for whales and TBTE were happy to oblige my last request.  Driving up, we once again spotted the mysterious albino mongoose and having seen it twice now, had to name it.  Haole.  (look it up). Joe dodged lots of the dumb little chicken-like birds called Franklins (odd name.  I don't think it is a Hawaiian word...).  At the top we watched for  a while and my heart was sinking in disappointment and Susie said, "Well, I think whale watching is a bust today" when what to my wondering eyes should appear but A Spout.  And I SAW it!  Joe had binoculars (TBTE remember) which he let me use and I watched as not one, not two, not three, but FOUR or FIVE whales played in the water.  Breeches, tails, flippers, spouts...we saw it all.  Finally.  Not only whales, but a huge, beautiful Albatross flew by.  It was a good last morning.  I can't wait to go back!