Hawaiʻi | New Year 2006

12/28 |12/29 | 12/30 | 12/31 | 01/01 | 01/02

***Click on any image to see it full size!***

On the fourth day we got up early so we could get to get to Hanauma Bay in time to go snorkeling, before the crowds became unbearable. After watching the video on how not to destroy the reef (good message, painfully cheesy delivery), we walked down the path to the beach and got a nice view of the reef that we would soon be snorkeling on.

For Christmas, Liz's younger brother's girlfriend gave us a disposable underwater camera. While I struggled with snorkeling equipment and, later, a soggy wallet and cell phone (I forgot they were in my pocket), Liz took full advantage of the underwater camera and snapped a whole roll of film of the fish. Below are some of the best ones.

After the snorkeling adventure, we had lunch and hung out at Sarah and Mike's apartment while getting ready to spend New Year's Eve camping at Melaekehana Beach. On the way to the campsite we drove by more of the ubiquitous beautiful landscape, and also "Chinaman's Hat", one of hundreds of tiny islands in the Hawaiian chain. Also, Dude, "chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature...

After we set up camp, we hung around playing games for a while (top) and watching some of Oahu's ferrel chickens peck around in the grass for food (bottom).

Liz and Mike volunteered to collect firewood for a beach bonfire, and meanwhile Sarah and I decided to go for a walk all the way down the beach.

Along the way, we watched the waves recede through the sand, and observed their effect on the sandpipers and a log getting rolled back and forth.

We also noticed the human influence—in pleasant and not so pleasant respects...

Despite the crab-like bandaid clusters (we saw TWO of these!) we had a very nice walk. Serious and contemplative at first, we started to get a little goofy toward the end.

Back at camp, after sunset, Mike grilled up some veggie burgers and we ate dinner and played Blockus for a while. It was just after sunset in Hawaiʻi, but nearly midnight on the east coast, so I called family to wish them a happy new year, and called my old college roomate to wish him a happy birthday!

To lead up to midnight, we all sat on the beach talking and looking up at the starry sky. We picked out constelations we knew, and made up new ones. Honolulu was on the other side of the mountains, so the light pollution was very minimal. In fact, I could see more stars that night than I ever remember seeing anywhere except once, in rural northern Vermont. Due to our lattitude, Orion was tipped completely on his side, but the head, belt, legs, arms, and bow were all clearly visible! After the stargazing, we built a fire and waited for midnight to arrive.

Little did we know that within ten seconds of the stroke of midnight, as fireworks were being set off at the far end of the beach, 2006 would make its presence and power very well known...

12/28 | 12/29 | 12/30 | 12/31 | 01/01 | 01/02