Great Barrier Reef: Heron Island

Remember when I visited Australia, got halfway through posting photos, then disappeared for awhile all distracted by my full time job working retail over the holidays?  It’s time to get caught up.  Over the next few weeks, every Friday I’ll be sharing the rest of my travel photos from the epic Australian journey.

Heron Island is actually quite difficult to describe.  It’s one of those surreal Discovery Channel beauty type of places that just saying “It was so beautiful” doesn’t even scratch the surface of how I really felt.  The skies are the purest blue of blues and the ocean looks as if a turquoise diamond has melted over the reefs.  This island is located on the Southern end of the Great Barrier Reef so the coral is mostly browns and neutrals with a few great pops of color.  The bright colorful coral is more North where the water is warmer.

One of the fantastically fun things about Heron Island in particular is that during low tide, you can walk a good mile from shore and only be up to thigh deep water.  It’s such a remarkably unique way to visit the reef!  We were able to spot tons of sea life just during these walks alone.  Bright blue starfish, neon lipped clams, sea cucumbers everywhere, and we were even lucky enough to spot a sea turtle both times we did a reef walk.  You’re literally in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, surrounded by wildlife.  From birds to sharks, you’ll have some form of wildlife in sight at all times.

This Island is known for its sea turtle activity.  While we visited in October, the sea turtles were in mating season.  We witnessed quite a bit of sea turtle love and saw evidence of the females coming to shore for a little rest.  Apparently, the males practically drown the females while, you know, getting busy so the ladies need a break.  A sea turtle cigarette so to speak.  At other times during the year, visitors can witness the entire sea turtle life cycle.  I would have died to see the baby turtles!  Next time, I suppose.

 

Fun fact: Heron Island was named after these birds above but they’re actually Egrets!

To plan your visit to Heron Island, click here.

LookBook: Walk Around Heron Island

After arriving on Heron Island by seaplane, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and immediately went for a walk around the island.  It’s such a tiny place you could easily do it in 20 minutes at a brisk pace.  It was amazing to see absolutely no other signs of land from any point.  Just in that short walk, we encountered sting rays, sharks, a couple sea turtles, and lots and lots of birds.  If you’re afraid of birds even a little bit, this island would be your nightmare.  The ocean views were just breathtaking!  We spent a lot of time with our toes in the sand.  Actually, it’s not even the type of sand we are used to on the beach!  Heron Island is a coral cay.  So that means the island is formed by tiny bits of crushed coral.  Such an unique experience!

Romper: Young, Fabulous, and Broke ‘Malik’ (Similar & Similar), Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren (Similar), Sandals: Havaianas

Sunrise Over Tokoriki

The sunrise from the top of Tokoriki Island was hands down one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever experienced.  The orangey-pink skies were some of my favorite colors hovering over my newest favorite place.  It’s really hard to describe the beauty.  The way up there was quite a steep hike and at 5:15 am, it’s somehow even more difficult.  I almost passed up the opportunity to see this for a little extra snooze time but I’m so happy I peeled myself out of bed!  It was just the most stunning and romantic experience!

 

Flowers From My Garden

On my days off work, I love hanging with my flowers in my little garden.  Since I’m just renting and want to take my flowers with me when it’s time to go, it has turned into my little potted piece of paradise.  I’ve been getting lots of bug visitors lately though.  Viva spider season!  I saw this green one catch a fly and a bee out of mid air!  Freaky much?  Um, Yes!

Here’s a little sampling of some of the flowers I’m growing currently.

I Got To Feed A Buffalo – Olympic Game Farm

For all the years I’ve been heading to Washington to visit family, I can’t believe I (the super duper animal lover) was the  only one in my family not to visit the Olympic Game Farm.  Not only is there a pretty incredible variety of animals in this little park, you can feed them while driving your car through it!  Hello!  This is a Chelsea dream come true!  Have you ever gotten to feed a Yak?  Or a buffalo?  How about a BABY buffalo?!  I knew I was in for a treat when the attendant tells you to “just keep moving” when you get to the Elk/Buffalo enclosure.  And let me tell you, those Elk are just as tall as our Suburban!

I had the pleasure of going in the Spring after all sorts of babies had been born.  I mean, come on!  All baby animals are just plain cute.  A lot of these animals are rescued from bad situations which makes me extra happy to see them roaming this beautiful place.  Many of the bears are retired from show business and will sit back and give you a little wave for their treat too.  Talk about cuteness overload!  If only we could hug them…

For more information on this super fun game farm, head on over to their website here.  My only recommendation is… get a car wash soon after.  Hehehe.

Hungry Deer!

I’ve never had a deer so happy to see me!

Bear Yoga

Baby llama sleeping in the grass

Hungry buffalo!! I couldn’t believe they walked right up to our car!

Uh oh. There’s a yak in the road…

Hungry yak! Look at those teeth! He has a bit of an underbite going on there…

Isn’t this the sweetest face?!

This guy trotted after us as we drove away!

Uh oh. Another yak on the road…

Home on the range. Not a bad place to be living.

 

Clam Digging in Washington

That’s right, my friends.  I went digging for clams in Washington.  Over our Thanksgiving trip, Tyler’s family suggested a camping adventure to Pacific Beach to dig for razor clams.  I’m game to try anything once but got a little freaked out after looking at the weather report.  It kept warning of an “Arctic Invasion” (“Killer Snowflakes!”  My mom exclaimed) and the thought of battling almost freezing temperatures with high winds and rain while clomping through the wave edge looking for razor clam holes was not as appealing as I originally thought.  We totally lucked out though.  When the tide was low, the weather broke and we had an absolutely great time.  I was shocked how fun it really was!  That was until we got to the cleaning the clams part…  I’ll spare you the details.

P.S. – I wore this look when I went to get my clamming license at Sportman’s Warehouse.  I don’t think they believed me that I was actually going to use it…

 

 

Hawaiian Sunset Montage

As a finale to my Hawaiian adventure, I’ve compiled all the beautiful sunset/sunrise shots from throughout the trip.  I never really did get used to the time change so I was up by 6 am and usually passed out embarrassingly early every day.  I actually liked it because I got to see both the sunset and sunrise!  I’m everything a morning person is not so I can’t remember the last time I saw a sunrise!  I have to say… I kind of like them!!

Thanks for following me on my Hawaiian Adventure!  We have a few other trips in the works and I can’t wait to share more details with you when everything gets nailed down.  Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@WanderingHeels) for all the details!

 

Resort Review: The Kahala Resort

I don’t even know where to start with The Kahala Resort.  It’s so luxurious and amazing!  Coming here was a total surprise from my honey for our 4 year so as we walked in, I was floored.  Not to mention my eyes welled up with excitement when I saw the dolphins (see my last post for pictures of the happiest girl in the world and her dolphin pal).

We might be the luckiest people to have gotten an upgrade to the 9th floor with views of the ocean and the dolphin lagoon.  We were able to sit on the balcony, enjoy our celebratory mimosas, and watch the dolphins play frisbee with their trainers.  The Kahala is also a hugely popular place for weddings and we saw at least 3 happening daily.

The resort is a place for relaxation and since cabanas come with the room, we spent many hours soaking up some rays, eating lunch in the sand, and snorkeling the reef that starts just feet from the shore.  You can paddle board, kayak, and do yoga classes on a paddle board as well but we decided to be lazy so swimming and snorkeling were our activities of choice.

The Kahala is also home to Aracino, one of the best Italian restaurants we’ve ever been to.  We had the 5 course meal with wine pairing and could hardly believe how delicious everything was.  The service was amazing as well and they were able to answer all Tyler’s questions about the meal (he’s an aspiring chef so there were many questions!).  If you’re on Oahu, I highly recommend coming here for dinner.  It’s one of the top 3 meals I’ve ever had so this is an absolute must-visit in my book.

Overall, The Kahala has everything a relaxing Hawaiian resort should have.  I did not want to go home at all after staying here.  I mean, life is good but there’s just something about a vacation that makes everything even rosier.  5 stars Kahala… 5 stars…

You would have found me in this position often

The Grand Entrance of The Kahala Resort

Super excited about the view for our balcony

I loved watching the sea turtles swim

The view from our balcony

Sunset on the balcony

Sunrise on the balcony

Look at those people doing that exercise thing *sips mimosa*

There’s a gorgeous wall of orchids on the way down to the beach

 

Kilauea Caverns of Fire

We knew this place was going to be amazing when we called and Steve responded with so much enthusiasm about showing us the lava tubes.  Especially when he told us he had already headed home but was “totally cool” with coming back.  Normally I would have just waited until the next day but since we were on our last few last days in Hilo, we took Steve up on his offer.  I’m so happy we did!!  Granted, driving there I was pretty sure we were entering the beginning scene of a scary movie.  You know… the part where the tourists are super stoked to be somewhere remote but there are spooky yellow eyes peeking out from the brush ready to pounce?

We were greeted by Steve’s dog Cinnamon and all the creepy feelings went away.  The lava tubes are absolutely amazing.  There’s a beautiful sparkly bacteria on the ceiling of the entrance that looked like the night sky when you shined your flashlight on it.  Steve knew everything about how these spectacular lava rock formations were formed.  When we were fairly deep into the tube, we all turned out our flashlights to feel true darkness.  You literally can’t see your hand in front of your face!!  It’s such a unique feeling.  I highly recommend a visit to the Kilauea Caverns of Fire on your next visit to The Big Island of Hawaii.  It’s truly a fantastic experience!

This amazing lava rock was formed at the exact moment a rock dropped into hardening lava but was still fluid enough to ripple.

The iron content in the rock is what forms all the different colors of lava rock.

 

 

A Secret Hike in Hilo

After we said our goodbyes to the North Shore, we took an island hopper flight over to The Big Island to stay in Hilo for a few nights.  Originally we were supposed to visit the Volcano National Park but because of the government shutdown we weren’t able to go.  No worries though!  Hilo was full of super fun things for us to do!!

One of my favorite adventures was a totally unplanned stop on our way up to Akaka Falls.  There was a teenie tiny trail head on the side of the road with a stunning view.  So we pulled over to take some shots and decided to head down the trail a bit.  I’m so glad we did!  There were little hidden beaches, mini waterfalls, and plenty of ocean views.  If you’re looking for this secret spot, it’s about 1 mile South of the Hawaiian Botanical Garden entrance.  Just keep your eyes peeled for a small trail head sign just before one of the bigger curves in the road.

Tip:  Do this hike before buying your tickets to the botanical garden.  Once you’re a ticket holder, you can’t do this hike for insurance reasons.  Also, bring some water shoes.  You’ll be walking across a few streams and things you won’t want to miss out on!