Waimanalo Country Farms: Pumpkin Patch & Sunflower Fields

This weekend I went to the Pumpkin Patch and Sunflower Fields with my sister-in-law and my adorable (and silly) nephew and niece.

Every October, Waimanalo Country Farms open its doors for its Pumpkin Patch. There is also another one in Kapolei. I’ve only been to the Kapolei patch a few years back so I wanted to check out Waimanalo’s.

It takes about 30-45 minutes from Honolulu to get to Waimanalo Country Farms depending on traffic. Their hours are 9 am – 5 pm. We got there around 10 am, and parking was already almost full so make sure you get there early on time.

Entrance Fee to the Pumpkin Patch: free
Parking: free

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You can pick your own pumpkin and purchase it at the end of your visit. They have other activities (for purchase at a very reasonable price) so you’re able to stay there the whole day if you wanted to. Most of the activities were $3 and they do have a wristband for purchase if you wanted to do everything.

For the kids, we rode the cow ride (golf carts painted like a cow, and there are kiddie cow cars at the end). It goes around and you’ll pass through the pumpkin patch.

In addition, they also have the sunflower field open. It costs $3 to enter. If you have the wristband, I believe it’s included.

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The Pumpkin Patch is open throughout October. I know that October is ending in 2 days, but who knows maybe they’ll extend their business until November. The Sunflower Field is also open in the summer in July so make sure you check them out at that time!

TIPS:

• Wear light clothes and sunscreen – Hawaii sun is no joke, you will sweat (unless you don’t sweat then you’re lucky)
• Wear sunglasses!
• Bring water – avoid being dehydrated. If not, they also have lemonade (and water) for purchase.
• Bring cash/credit card to purchase activities, sunflower(s) *cash only*, and pumpkins.
• Get there around 9 AM if you want to avoid burning sunlight at noon.
• Bring a wagon! Very useful if you have kids and/or buying pumpkins.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it!

Birthday Weekend in Maui, Hawaii

Hi everyone! I spent my birthday weekend in Maui.

I stayed at Maui Beach Resort in Kihei. It was great! It had a separate spacious bedroom, the bathroom (of course), a kitchen, and a living room. It was like living in an apartment I wish I had. I could definitely imagine my apartment (in the future) to look a little something like it.

SATURDAY

I flew from Oahu at 5 AM and got to Maui before 5:30 AM. The pilot promised a 20 minute flight. It was way too early so the plane hardly had any passengers. The seat next to me and the row across were completely empty.

Our first stop was breakfast at Kula Lodge. It’s actually a tradition for us now to eat at Kula Lodge for our first breakfast. Well, we just decided that morning that it was going to be tradition. They have really great breakfast.

I’ve visited Maui a few times. Read about my previous adventure here.

We ordered a ham, mushroom, & cheese omelette, and ham and portuguese sausage on the side. We only ordered one plate (to save money just kidding lol). I wouldn’t have been able to finish half the plate so we decided to share.

We were one of the early birds so we sat by the window. It was such a beautiful view! They also have a garden out back. It was way too cold to be outside so no photos of that.

On our way back to town, we dropped by a catholic church.

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We spoke to a representative of the Pacific Whale Foundation for our reservation and rescheduled to the following day. Luckily, my flight home was at 10 pm!

We ate dinner at a Korean restaurant and returned to the hotel. We celebrated my birthday with mini cakes from Whole Foods. It was sweet. Literally and figuratively. I turned 23 and I’m not sure how I feel about it. No lengthy paragraph about how much I’ve grown the past year whatsoever. I can do that when I turn 25 haha.

SUNDAY

We woke up early! Surprisingly. We made breakfast: fried eggs, french toast, coffee, portuguese sausage, and ham. And of course, our scones too!

We forgot to take some pictures of the view outside our hotel so we spent 5 minutes doing that. It was check out time by then so we couldn’t take as much. See first photo above. I played around with my camera prior and forgot to switch the settings back so the photos turned out blurry except for that.

We visited St. Theresa first as it was Sunday. The church was beautiful!

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We then drove over to Lahaina where the correct reservation is so we won’t be late. We stopped by the beach to enjoy the view (and to take pictures).

We stopped by Whalers to grab some finger food.

The photo on the left is an actual skeleton of a whale and the biggest caught on the island from many years ago. They have display boxes to learn more about whales, which I didn’t get the chance to read.

There’s a beach within walking distance. It was such a tourist area.

We finally made it to our dinner (and we were early). It was a little gloomy, but luckily it didn’t rain. It was way too windy and I should have brought a thicker sweater (or even a jacket). I WAS FREEZING. So a little tip is to wear something warm!

Regardless, dinner was amazing! I had baked chicken and it came with baked sweet potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. Everywhere I looked was such beauty! Especially the man in front of me.We also had the chance to see whales up close as it’s whale season. We also watched the sunset.

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  Can you see the whale?

Did I mention that the Pacific Whale Foundation had a great cause? The funds support the organization’s purpose for research and conservation of the ocean. So basically, it’s a win-win situation because you’re presented with a delicious meal, great views, and healthy air to breathe while helping the marine life! Did I also mention, I had really great company? 🙂

There were so little passengers that our side of the boat was empty! Well it might have been the weather or the timing because the boat prior to ours was packed. Anyway, I highly recommend doing your dinner boat reservations with the Pacific Whale Foundation.

Unfortunately, I had to return back to Oahu because I worked the following day. We picked up Krispy Kreme donuts (sadly it wasn’t for me)and went to the airport.

‘Til next time! -Amy

Labor Day in Maui, Hawaii

A long weekend means… traveling! Just kidding. I was fortunate to have an extra day off, which I spent time with Jayson and friends in the Island of Maui. I packed my backpack and my camera, and the exploring began.

Day 1: Iao Valley State Monument and Karaoke with friends

Iao Valley is located in Wailuku, Maui. It was beautiful! Living in Honolulu, surrounded by tall buildings, traffic, and noise, the green scenery and the fresh air was what I enjoyed the most. There is a parking fee, but if you are a Hawaii resident, it’s free!

The history of the valley has great historical significance. A battle occurred here where King Kamehameha I defeated Maui’s army in his quest to unite the islands. The Iao Needle served as a lookout point.

I was mostly fascinated by the clear, cold water that flowed down through the river.

Jayson and I went to the river to feel the water (and to take some photos). We saw a girl in her bathing suit in the river laying with her eyes closed enjoying the moment, and we thought, why not dip our legs in? Well, we got carried away and ended up doing the same.  Noticed how I was only wearing a shirt in the photo above? I didn’t plan on fully getting in the water. It was freezing, but worth it! We didn’t want to leave.

After our relaxing river adventure, we bought some good Filipino plate lunch and took it to the beach.  We laid under the shade, talked stories, and watched people fish and kite surf (a lady kept falling into the water, but never gave up! So amazing.) Around 4 pm, we did our own fishing! We fished for Oama. If you know me personally, you know that I never get in the ocean or do fishing – but I wanted to try new things! Plus, the fish was close to the shore so it wasn’t that scary for me.  Jayson and I caught 54 Oamas (I caught the first one by the way). Unfortunately, I was unable to take photos of us fishing, but just trust me when I say I had fun.

In the evening, I spent some time with friends singing karaoke.  Time passed and it was time to go. As we said our goodbyes, we all decided to drive up to Haleakala together. We took our chances with the little time left to get ready and drive up. Thus, Day 2 began (I haven’t slept yet).

Day 2: Haleakala National Park and Lahaina

It was past midnight when Jayson & I said bye to our friends. We planned to go to Haleakala for sunrise and invited the rest of our friends. To my surprise, they came! What was crazy was we only had two hours left to get up to the first gate of Haleakala. BUT, we had to head back to Kihei, which was 20 minutes one way, to get ready for the freezing weather up the mountain leaving us with only 10-15 minutes to dress and pack our stuff. We packed a mat, a blanket, some food, coffee, additional warm clothes (“just in case” that I actually did need), and a pillow.

Sunrise was at 6 AM and we were there around 3 AM. Six people packed in a car seemed uncomfortable so three stayed in the car and three went up to the shed/lookout (I was one of them).  Jayson & I tried to take a nap, but the floor was too cold. Despite my four-layered top and three-layered bottoms, it was still freezing. Like little children, we pointed out the shape of the clouds. There were dragons, pigs, etc… The sunrise was definitely beautiful! I unfortunately forgot to bring my camera.  The little ball of sun slowly creeped its way out of the clouds to the sky.  Then we ate at Kula Lodge. I highly recommend their Loco Moco!

In the evening, I took a stroll at Lahaina with Jayson’s family.  Jayson & I planned to watch the sunset at Haleakala, but after the morning event and the lack of sleep, we decided to opt out of it. We watched the sunset at Lahaina instead.  No regrets.

Day 3: Beach hopping! 

My last day in Maui had to be relaxing.  Jayson & I ate at Kihei Cafe (highly recommend) and began our beach hopping.

First, we went to Makena Landing. Jayson said this spot is great for snorkeling. We took a short hike closer to the edge of the water above a cliff  It was worth the rocky walk as we saw three turtles swimming back and forth! I couldn’t take a photo of them as my phone couldn’t take a quick photo of them poking their heads above water. One day I’ll be able to swim next to them.

Then, we visited Big Beach at Makena. The waves were terrifying – definitely not for me (I’m not a swimmer), but the sand was fine and the water was clear and blue.  The photo on the left may seem like the beach was calm, but trust me, it wasn’t.

We took another short hike up a hill to go to Little Beach.  The photo above was taken shortly after the hike up where you can see an amazing view of Big Beach. Little Beach was shocking… A LOT of naked adults in real life. Just like the ones you see in movies. I didn’t know such a beach existed. Once again, not my type of beach, but the water was as blue as Big Beach.

We bought lunch at Tamura’s for kimchee tako and ahi.  We then headed to Baby Beach at Paia. With the few hours left before my flight, we relaxed.  Jayson & I (mostly Jayson, but I helped!) set up two hammocks.

We stayed there for a little more than an hour waiting for the sun to lighten up a bit. Then we swam for an hour and a half. By “swam” I meant, floating with a body board and attempting to swim. As stated above, I’m not a swimmer, but I am trying to be one.

Three days went by fast. Three days felt like one day because I spent it with amazing people with lots and lots of laughters.

This was my third trip to Maui and I’m sure I haven’t seen it all! Let me know if you have any suggestions on where to go in Maui. I’d love to visit more!