During the night I would wake to waves crashing on the shoreline and couldn’t wait for daylight to show the view. We arrived at our house during the dark and were unable to see much of the landscape on New Year’s Eve. The fireworks had settled down allowing a few hours of nice sleep. Opening my eyes once again, I looked towards the patio door and finally light was beginning to show through the door. I got up, as quietly as I could so others could continue to sleep, and went out on the patio to see waves rolling over the turquoise water. Soon I was joined by my cousin who was with us for this adventure. A few moments later my wife appeared. Happy New Year! we all agreed. It seemed to take a lot of work and effort to get here, but here was the reward.
Within a few minutes I spotted surfers paddling out to these nice waves for their morning ride. We watched as they waited out in the water for a good wave to roll in that they could catch eventually deciding on one they liked. They began to paddle quickly and soon were up on their board surfing the wave into shore and then doing it all over again.
The ocean had called long enough. A few minutes later it was out to the shore taking in the warm morning sun as it continued to rise over the island. I removed my shoes upon reaching the beach and began to feel this tropical place all around me. Bare feet in the sand below and waves continuing to crash on the shore. Are we still asleep and dreaming?
I had hoped to get in the water the night before without success. It was time now to get that first feel of the ocean. Heading towards the shoreline, saltwater eventually surround my feet. Expecting to wince a little at this first cool wave hitting my toes, I was surprised how warm the water felt. There was no shock or getting use to the temperature. I continued to wade in but only a short ways. My stomach was reminding me it was time to eat and I didn’t want to be wet while eating it.
After a few minutes of walking in the water my cousin and I began exploring the shoreline. Much of the shoreline here is volcanic rock with only a few pockets of sand here and there. Looking in each groove and through the tide pools there were many critters moving about. Crabs would quickly seek shelter from our view but occasionally one would pose for a few moments for us to watch. Fish of different sizes and colors were swimming in the tide pools created by this rocky shoreline with the occasional red or black urchin attached to rocks for them to swim around. As we continued to explore, a Sea Turtle surprised me. A trip to Hawaii just would not seem complete with seeing one of these. This beautiful creature of the sea’s came over to wish us a Happy New Year before continuing on in its search for food. We returned the greeting and continued being mesmerized as waves rolled into the shoreline.
Having gotten a taste of this beautiful place, it was time to return to the house for a quick shower and off to find breakfast. I was so grateful to be able to spend this New Year’s Day with my two daughters, wife, and other family members in these incredible surroundings. One last feel of the sand beneath my feet and it was back inside…at least for the moment.
