Hawaii- Hana

Sometimes people save the best for last, but I'm going to do the opposite.

Our trip to Hawaii was nothing short of amazing. It was way better than we even expected, and we canNOT wait to go back! We fell in LOVE with Maui, and we can't imagine wanting to go anywhere else ever again for a tropical vacation. All other beaches will forever be a disappointment!

We did all kinds of fun things while we were there, but our favorite day hands down was Saturday. We left early and hit the road for Hana. My aunt (Doris) and uncle (Denny) have lived in Hana for a number of years now, and I never imagined that I would actually be able to visit them. 

Let me back up... this family is awesome. Uncle Denny is my mom's big brother, in the truest sense of the word. Their dad died when my mom (the youngest of the six Buckley kids) was six, so she looks up to Denny a whole lot. D&D have done a lot of sailing over the years, and my mom even sailed with them a bit (we heard stories, mom :))! In 1993, Denny, Doris, Sarah (17), Jed (15) and Eliza (12) sailed away from California to begin a new adventure in the Pacific. For the next six years, the Buckleys lived on-and-off the boat while they explored the Polynesian islands and settled in New Zealand. Holy cow, right?! The best part (for us)? My aunt journaled a lot of their travels, and then typed and bound the book for the rest of our family to enjoy. As soon as we got back in town this week, my mom let me borrow the book and I have devoured it. Their story is one of adventure and drama, and it is all true.

Hana Highway is pretty renown. There are 59 bridges, 46 of which are one-lane and there are about 620 curves in the road. It is also insanely gorgeous. Often, one side of the road overlooks the ocean and the other side looks at beautiful waterfalls or lush a rain forest. It was pretty rainy or overcast for the majority of our drive, but that didn't diminish the view one bit!

When we pulled into "town", we couldn't get in touch with Denny & Doris so we did some exploring. We quickly found Hana Bay, and had a blast on the beach. By this time, the rain had subsided and we got the best gift: the most amazing rainbow I have ever seen! Every time I see a rainbow it makes me think of the song I walked down the aisle to ("make us a rainbow, Lord please make us one"). These pictures really do not do it justice.

After walking around for a bit, we decided to just try to find Aunt Doris. She mentioned that she was going to a health fair, so we drove around until we saw a sign advertising it! We asked someone to point us in the right direction, we found the old school and we found Doris! It was so fun.

on our walk through Hana

We spent most of our day just sitting and talking with Denny and Doris. It was so wonderful. Since I have lived so far away from this family (and most of my extended family), these trips have been like getting to know people for the very first time. It is so special to do that one-on-one and in their homes.

Uncle Denny got a coconut straight from a tree in their yard for us to try!

Hamoa Beach is 222 steps from the Buckley's front door! 

James A. Michener wrote, Paradoxically, the only beach I have ever seen that looks like the South Pacific was in the North Pacific. Hamoa Beach on Maui Island in Hawai'i; a beach so perfectly formed that I wonder at its comparative obscurity. Formed into the shape of a half moon, it is rimmed by boulders of lava and guarded by tall volcanic needles. Pandanus [Hala] trees line the shore, which offers a crescent of black and silver sand.

We each pulled up a beach chair, watched while Denny went for a (long, incredibly arduous) swim in the ocean, and chatted the daylight away. I LOVE that I am a part of a family that knows no secrets. I asked question after question to get to know them better and learn more about my mom and her family. Denny and Doris met in high school, so because of the age difference between Denny and my mom (13 years?), Doris is as much a sister as her other 3. I didn't know my grandmother well (she lived in California most of my life), and like I said, my grandfather passed away when my mom was young. However, hearing Denny talk about them made me feel so much of a connection to my family. There is so much love and respect in the (entire) Buckley family, and Uncle Denny really has been the patriarch. I am so thankful to know and appreciate him this much more.

We absolutely LOVED our time in Hana. I can't even put into words (which is ironic because this is a really long post) how special it was for us to be there. We can't wait to go back!