Snorkeling & Luau

Like always, we started our day with a delicious breakfast. At 8.40 we left in different vans to go snorkeling. We went to a crater that was a volcano that flooded with water. We got our equipment and after the ride, we entered the underwater world. Some saw Hawaii's state fish- e Humuhumunukunukuapua'a- and some even saw some sea turtles. Others used the time to get the perfect tan. We returned back to the hotel around 2 and we had time to get ready for the luau.  A luau is a Hawaiian celebration...

Everybody dressed up and it was a fun and beautiful last evening. We had the change to participate in hula dances or make headbands or bracelets. It all ended with a dinner and a show. After that we took some last pictures with the dancers and drove back to the hotel. Makena explained how the departures are going to be and we are still hanging out in the lobby, not looking forward to tomorrow and all the goodbyes...

Alohaaaaa!!!!

Pearl Harbor!

We started the day a little bit earlier today, because we were going to the famous Pearl Harbor. So at 8. 00 we were all in the bus on our way there. We met our tour guide who gave us some "work" to do, which included "dusting" the halls of the ship Missouri. We saw some pretty cool stuff, like the bunks where the crew used to sleep and the cafeteria where they ate and all that cool stuff. After that we went to a movie theater to watch a documentary about the attack, and then we went on a boat to the memorial of the sunken ship, Arizona. All in all it was a pretty thought-provoking and cool experience! 

When we got back to the hotel, most of the people went to the beach or went shopping for a couple of hours before preparing for dinner at the hotel. When we got up to the 21st floor, where we were eating, we saw the most beautiful view of the city at night. The dinner was good, except for the fact that they ran out of cookies way too fast-- we are all crazy for our desserts!!!

Most of us still had some souvenier shopping to do, so we walked to the market place and bought some cool local stuff before we returned to the meeting at the hotel. We got to chill out until 11.30. 

All in all it was a great day,  which went by way to quickly and I think we all are dreading saying our goodbyes tomorrow! Aloha!!

Marte from Norway (of course)

Hiking, Beach & Shopping

First of all we started the day with a delicious breakfast on the beach with an amazing view. 

 After this refreshment we started to walk to the bottom of our destination, the Diamond Head crater. There, we stretched and warmed up for the walk. The hike to the top was a bit exhausting and sweaty. About 30 minutes later, we reached the breathtaking observation deck.  We took pictures and enjoyed the moment of life on the highest point of the south side of the island. We went back downhill and surprisingly the bus waited for us to take us back. 

We had lunch on our own near the hotel....

In the afternoon we separated. A lot of us wanted to try Paddle-boarding for the first time, a popular sport in Honolulu. Some just went to the closest beach and some went kayaking. All in all, each of us  found something fun to do.  

Afterwards we had time to get ready for dinner at the mall. Exited we jumped into the bus, which brought us to the biggest outdoor mall in the world. We were surprised of the amount of stores and enjoyed the time we had together.

 Later we dined at the Bubba Gump Shrimp where the store manager entertained us with a quiz. We had a big dinner with an delicious desert.

 Tired of all the walking we got on the bus and returned to the hotel.

Lena from Austria

Mountains & Beaches!

Our bloggers have a beautiful view and use their towels as blankets

Swimming in the waves...

Playing soccer...

The beautiful and secluded beach :)

Burying our friends...

Sandy Beach and the Blowhole

Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe...

We started the day with an amazing breakfast at the beach. At 9 o'clock we headed to the Pali, 'cliff' in Hawaiian. There was a lookout there in the passageway from one side of the island to the other.  It was very windy, but the view was amazing! After that our bus driver, Ronda, took us to Kailua to get some lunch to take as a picnic to the beach.

 Then we went to a local beach. The beach was almost empty and we had plenty of space to play volleyball, soccer or to have a Yoga lesson. We fought against strong waves and some played for hours body-surfing, while a lot of us tried to get a beautiful tan. With our own private lifeguard, we were perfectly protected against the currents and the waves. 

On our way back we drove along the coastline and tried to catch a view of the whales. Back at the hotel we had time to take a shower and to treat our sunburns. 

Together we went out for dinner at the unique Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu. We all enjoyed the lively music inside. The day ended with free time-- some shopped at the Hard Rock Cafe, some used it to see the International Market Place and some got a typical Hawaiian Henna Tattoos. We are trying to go to bed early  to be ready for another awesome day!!

Nadine Birkhahn (Germany)

Ameline Lanotte (Belgium)

Our Day in Photos: The North Shore!

I'olani Palace

The queen and her ladies

The king and all the king's men

Surfers :)

Jumping pictures with 50 people don't tend to work very well...

And the wave!

The POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER:

Tasting poi (taro) Hawaii's staple food... It's purple!

Canoe rides with Tongans

Learning to do some poi ball tricks in Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Drinking coconut juice in Samoa

Watching (and learning) tree-climbing

Fijians with our Brazilian girls 

Surfing & Sailing!

The beginning of our catamaran adventure...

We passed by the surfing group :)

Then we got out to Turtle Canyon...

Where we got to swim with sea turtles!

We got back on the boat and did some sailing...

And some sight-seeing...

And just relaxing...

We saw Diamond Head crater (which we will hike on Wednesday)

And we got a beautiful view of the sunset before dinner!

ALOHA!!!

After a delicious breakfast on the beach, we walked to Waikiki beach and split in two groups. While the first group took surf lessons and learned how to surf the Hawaiian waves with the help of the awesome surf teachers, the other group went sailing on the big catamaran. The group who went on the catamaran saw a beautiful view to the Waikiki beach from the deep blue Pacific ocean. We saw sea turtles, different kinds of fish and some of us saw whales. We really enjoyed to jump into the clear mix of dark and light blue ocean water.  The water was warm and we really enjoyed our time on the catamaran just relaxing in the sun and listening to some cool music. After we came back we had some free time and could go eat lunch or just relax on the beach. Some of us played volleyball against some local Hawaiian people, and had so much fun all together.  Of corse we let them win so they wouldn't be sad (cause nobody has a chance against the European stars)! 

After having some rest and free time, we went to a restaurant and ate pizza and celebrated Karen's 17th birthday. The last hours of the day were passed with shopping and free time. 

We had an awesome day that we all enjoyed by learning about each other. This group has just everything. We all have a great time together and we are looking forward for an awesome week with an awesome group of exchange students and really nice staff.

A hui ho! (Until next time)....

Jacqueline (Switzerland) 

Caroline (France)

Aloha!!

Get ready for a week in paradise...the Hawaiian Expedition is here! With its breathtaking natural beauty, its never-ending list of fun and exciting things to do, and its spirit of "aloha," Hawaii is a dream destination for anyone!

We will be staying in beautiful Waikiki on the island of Oahu, and we will spend each day exploring a new and fascinating aspect of Hawaii's unique culture.

Join us as we test our surfing abilities, celebrate in a traditional luau, and hike to one of the island's best-known lookout points. We'll come face-to-face with Hawaii's rich history...and maybe even a sea turtle or two! And along the way, we'll get to know each other, forming friendships to last beyond our week together.

This will be our day-to-day journal... each day, you'll get news, information and pictures from the students. Join us on our adventure!

Have fun!!! MAHALO!