Solve the Room Hawaii

Are you up for the challenge?

When Hawaii Mom Blog was invited to try out Hawaii's newest escape room, Solve the Room Hawaii, I was totally up for the challenge.  I have participated in escape rooms twice before and really enjoyed it...even when I didn't escape. There are 5 different themed rooms at Solve the Room and up to 6 people can play.  I like their 6 maximum players policy because from experience I know that too many players is not always helpful. 

Solve the Room is conveniently located in the R&C tours building at 1722 Kalakaua Ave with FREE parking in their lot and are open Sunday through Saturday from 9am to 11:45pm.  Booking online is a breeze and they are currently offering promotions on their website!

Solve the Room is a great team building activity for corporate teams or just for fun with friends.  I think it would also be great for middle school and high school students as it would teach them problem solving, leadership, team work, and communication skills in a fun way. 

My friends and I attempted the Black Site Prison Cell which has a 40% success rate and was very different from my other two escape room experiences.  Even though we work great together, it was a very challenging experience for us.  We had a great game-master that was very helpful when we needed a clue and we have to credit her for our last minute escape! 

Thank you Solve the Room for such a fun time and the brain exercise!    

Lots to keep you busy at Solve the Room! 

This way to the prison cell escape room.

Feeling super smart!

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Aqueous at Kapolei Commons Open through December 31

Last night I took the kids to preview Aqueous at Kapolei Commons, an interactive art installation by Hawaii-raised artist Jen Lewin.

The kids sure had a lot of fun running around and getting the pieces to light up in different colors! Even the adults had to join in on the fun! Although the art piece is open from 6am to 10pm daily, I highly recommend going during the evening or night, when you can see the brilliant display of lights!

More information can be found in the press below.

Kapolei Commons, West Oahu’s premier shopping center owned by local partners The MacNaughton Group, Kobayashi Group and California-based Craig Realty Group, today announced a first-to-Hawai`i interactive art installation with Hawai`i raised artist Jen Lewin. Lewin’s interactive art installation “Aqueous” will be displayed on The Lawn – Kapolei Commons’ community event space - daily from November 16 through December 31 for the community to experience. There is no fee to interact with the art and the community is welcome on property from 6am – 10pm. Food trucks and souvenir vendors will complement the art installation nightly from 5pm – 9pm.

Aqueous, conceived by Hawai`i raised artist Jen Lewin, has been displayed at well-known events including Burning Man in Nevada and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and epitomizes the colorful, interactive experience Hawai`i is known for worldwide. This large-scale interactive art installation features meandering pathways of light. During the day, Aqueous will shift in color and reflection, mirroring the sky within a walkable dichroic surface. At night, Aqueous will flow and glow in full illuminated interactivity, engaging large groups in collaborative play. Aqueous was built and fabricated in 2017 in Lewin’s studio located in Brooklyn, New York. Aqueous is the most recent addition to Lewin’s “Have Art, Will Travel” program, a series of interactive sculptures that travel the globe for short-term and long-term exhibitions.

“Wherever we have taken it — and we've been to really different cultures — it's immediately liked by babies up to grandparents,” said Lewin, who has also installed the work at events in Singapore and Australia. “There's a quality of delight and playfulness that people really respond to.”

“We are honored to present Aqueous to the Hawai`i community,” said Ian MacNaughton, Chief Executive Officer at The MacNaughton Group. “Public art is a celebration of quality of life, beauty and community interaction. It offers something for everyone to experience and draw their own personal takeaways and we are thrilled to bring Jen Lewin’s art to Hawai`i for the first time ever.”

Jen Lewin grew up on Maui in up country Kula. She attended Kula Elementary and Kalama Intermediate. She moved to Oahu with her family at age thirteen to attend Punahou where she graduated in 1992. On Oahu Lewin danced with The Hawaii State Ballet, and Ballet Hawaii training under Charlys Ing and was featured in the Honolulu Advertiser several times for her performance work.

When speaking about her interactive public sculpture, Lewin often starts with slides of Hawaii, taken nearby her childhood home in Keokea. These slides show light streaming through clouds over reflective water. Lewin was inspired by these natural moments as a child in Hawaii, and often returns to these memories when creating her work.
The Aqueous art installation joins a robust roster of free community events at Kapolei Commons including outdoor movie nights, food truck events, pop-up gift markets, art exhibits and unique dance and entertainment experiences. For more information and schedules for Kapolei Commons’ monthly events, follow @kapoleicommons on Facebook or Instagram or visit www.thekapoleicommons.com.

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Road to Hana with Awapuhi Adventures

Mahalo to Awapuhi Adventures for providing us with a media rate.  All gratuities were paid on our own.  All opinions are entirely my own. 

The Road to Hana has been on my bucket list for a while now mostly because I was worried that I would get car sick during the curvy 52 mile drive from Kahului to Hana.  I had heard many not-good stories of the narrow and twisty road that passes over 59 bridges – the majority of them one lane wide.  But talk of the lush tropical rainforest, incredible waterfalls, yummy banana bread, and beautiful beaches kept me intrigued. 

Ultimately, I decided the best way to enjoy the Road to Hana would be to find a tour company and let someone else do the driving.  But after doing some research and reading many customer reviews, it sounded like most of the sightseeing was from the bus.  That was not for me.  I wanted to be able to do some hiking and take my time exploring the many scenic points along the way.

By chance, I came upon Awapuhi Adventures on Trip Advisor and immediately knew this was the way I wanted to see the Road to Hana.  Review after review, guests raved about their experiences.  What makes Awapuhi Adventures unique is that they customize a private adventure specifically to your interests and fitness level.  If you want a leisurely general sight-seeing tour, they can do it.  If you’re more adventurous and are interested in hiking and swimming, they can also do it.  If you want to go looking for hidden waterfalls and jump off cliffs, you do not need to look elsewhere because they do it.  

Since we were only on Maui for the day, our guide Matt picked us up from the airport and we were off on our adventure!  We didn’t need to bring our own water because he had water bottles ready in the van which I thought was super convenient.  He also provided hand wipes, towels, ponchos, umbrellas, hiking poles, and a full picnic lunch.  After he gave some history of the area, he asked us what we wanted to see.  I told him we were up for anything, but wanted to do some hiking, see some waterfalls, and eat the best banana bread on the Road to Hana.   Over the course of ten hours, we did all that and much more!      

Stopped for a short hike in a bamboo forest.

It was nice to get out of the car and enjoy the fresh air.  I loved how quiet and peaceful it was.

The hike led to a gushing waterfall!



I am amazed by black sand beaches so Awapuhi Adventures made sure we stopped at Honomanu Bay.


This black sand beach also had green sand!  

There are so many great banana bread stands along the Road to Hana, but I hear Aunty Sandy's is the best so I had to have it!  Absolutely delicious and still warm when we ate it! 

I loved the amount of hiking we got in this day!  Another short hike to see these beautiful waterfalls.  It started to rain, but Awapuhi Adventures had umbrellas ready for us! 

There's no way we would have done this on our own.  Glad Awapuhi Adventures showed us the way through a lava tube and provided us with flashlights too!  They think of everything so you don't have to.

There are so many waterfalls that are visible from Hana Highway and our guide knew just when they were coming up!

One of the many one-lane bridges.

Awapuhi Adventures knows all the places to go.  We stopped for delicious homemade dairy free coconut ice cream! 

This black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park was crowded, but the views were well worth it!

The state park also has fresh water caves, a natural stone arch, sea stacks, and blow holes.

Here's Matt, Awapuhi Adventure's lead guide, preparing us a very delicious lunch complete with fresh pineapple and chocolate macadamia nuts!

How awesome is our lunch view?

We made it to Hana!  This was one of my favorite spots on the entire tour.  The red sand beach was breathtaking.

Kaihalulu beach has a protected cove that is perfect for swimming.

The many gorgeous waterfalls along the Road to Hana make the highway one of the most scenic in the world.  

After exploring Hana town, we made our way towards upcountry Maui.  Hello, gorgeous mountain views!

Our final stop of the tour was at Maui Wine.  The perfect ending to an amazing day filled with adventure.  We enjoyed our wines as we reflected on our fun day. 

A beautiful rainbow greeted us on the drive back to Kahului. 

As you can see it was full day for us and by the end, Gem and I were pretty tired and definitely thankful someone else was driving.  For us, this was the best way to see the Road to Hana.  If you are thinking of using a tour company or not, I highly recommend using Awapuhi Adventures.  I think it is especially convenient for families.  Chances are, you may only do the Road to Hana once so do it the right way and remove the stress of driving and navigating so you can relax and enjoy quality time as a family.  Awapuhi Adventures offers other tours as well:  Halfway to Hana, West Maui Adventure, Custom Maui Hiking, and Maui Farm tours.

Thank you again to Awapuhi Adventures for making this bucket list item so memorable!       

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Friendship Garden

When Gem first blogged about the Friendship Garden in 2015, I had no idea it existed, even though it's a hop and a skip from where I live. I finally decided to check it out for myself since it's a short hike with sweeping views of Kaneohe Bay.

The start of the trail is marked by these stairs - look carefully as you can easily walk right past it.

A few yards up from the start of the trail you'll come across some reading material. Be sure to read the rules of the trail before you proceed.

Most of the trail looks like this - well maintained and clearly marked.

As you make your way up the trail you get peek-a-boo views of the Bay.

In no time, you'll reach the Lookout with breathtaking views of the windward side. Unfortunately it was a bit overcast on this day, but I still enjoyed the view.

Coming back down is not that steep but be careful especially after the rain, as the stones and roots can get slippery.

 I regret waiting so long to check out this trail for myself. Next time I'm bringing my boys!

Note: if you are planning to check out this trail, please read this first.

Friendship Garden
Kokokahi Place
Kaneohe, HI  96744
Website: http://friendshipgarden.org/

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Waimea Valley

Beautiful Waimea Falls

If you are looking for some family friendly adventure that is both fun and safe, look no further than a day at Waimea Valley!  Located in Hale'iwa, Waimea Valley's mission is to preserve and perpetuate the human, cultural and natural resources of Waimea for generations through education and stewardship.  Waimea Valley has been home to a long line of Hawaiian Chiefs and High Priests and is also a popular destination for visitors wishing to explore their world class botanical gardens and hike to the majestic Waimea Falls.

My kids and I arrived on a Sunday morning a little after opening so the first parking lot was already full, but there was still plenty of space in the second parking lot.  When we called in the morning for waterfall swimming status, the recording stated the waterfall was flowing and there would be regular swim.  The natural rain fed 45 foot waterfall cascades into the 30 foot deep pond and swimming at the waterfall is allowed, but the status of swimming changes throughout the day depending on the weather.  Unfortunately, when we got to the admissions counter, swimming had just been cancelled due to the low flow of the waterfall.  

The kids are excited to spend the day at Waimea Valley!

We didn't let this bother us since we were excited to see the botanical gardens and historical sites along the main pathway.  Although it is a paved path and mostly stroller and wheelchair friendly, there are shuttle rides available from Hale Ho'ike to the Wailele waterfall turn around area available for purchase at the ticket booth.  The hike to the waterfall is about .75 miles.  Make sure you bring water, sunblock, and bug spray because there is little shade and both my son and I got a couple of mosquito bites. 



The kids enjoyed exploring the gardens of many rare and endangered plants.  Waimea's World Class Botanical Garden features 41 well defined zones, representing 5,000 different types of plants from all around the world!

One of their favorites of the day was visiting the Kauhale - ancient Hawaiian living site. 




That tiny dot is Cade!

Enjoying the view of the waterfall with an ice cream sandwich followed by an afternoon bite to eat - complete with a visit from a peacock!

When we reached the waterfall, we took a break to enjoy the view.  The kids had a great time skipping small stones.  If there had been swimming that day, guests would be required to wear a provided life vest.  There are changing rooms nearby and also a snack bar (cash only) that offers drinks, snacks, shave ice, and ice cream sandwiches.

On the way back, we took the stairs down to a short path along the Kamananui Stream.  The kids really enjoyed exploring this shady area.  We ended our visit with a quick bite to eat and a visit from a peacock!

Waimea Valley is open daily 7 days a week.  They offer venues for special events and weddings.  They are also home to a farmer's market every Thursday and hold special events like moon walks and special occasion dinners and brunches.
 
For families, they host Lā ‘Ohana days on every 3rd Sunday of the month and offer 50% off general admission for kama'aina (Hawaii residents) and military families!  On Keiki Wednesdays, it is Free admission for kama'aina and military children ages 4-12.  They even have $10 wagon rentals for ease of navigating your family throughout the valley.    

Thank you to Waimea Valley for hosting our visit! 

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