Waimea Valley in Hawaii

On our first full day in Hawaii, we got up early and visited Waimea Valley.

This park has historic significance, because, according to Wikipedia, it contains several structures erected during the time of the Hawaiian monarchy.

It is also simply a beautiful park that is fun to walk through.  We leisurely walked through the place, seeing the sites and animals until we made it to the waterfall.

There were chickens and a peacock in the parking lot, which seemed unusual.  We would quickly learn that chickens are everywhere.  Literally, they are all over the island and we were constantly seeing them.

We went through the ticket office and bought our tickets, then made or way around.

There are lots of amazing flowers and plants too.  I can't tell you what any of them were though.  We saw several small lizards that I have always called anoles.  I had some as a kid that I bought from the local pet store.  They seemed to be everywhere in Hawaii.

This park has a lot of cultural things going on.  We saw some replica Hawaiian homes.  There was simply a lot to see here!

AND, as we walked, a very pleasant staff person passed us in a golf cart.  She told us that she was about to set up some traditional Hawaiian games that we could play just ahead.  She also said that playing the games might help warm us up!

I found this funny, as this was easily the warmest day I had experienced in months!  Our friends who have now lived on the island for several months let us know that it was a relatively cool day for Oahu.

So, as we walked towards the falls, we saw where our new friend had set up some games.

She enthusiastically explained some games to us.  I forget their names, but the first one was sort of like ski ball but played on dirt with the goal being to throw or roll an object between two wooden pins in the ground.  Heavy rocks or sticks could be used.

This was a very enjoyable game.  We all gave it several tries.  We were even allowed to try the game using some pretty large rocks.

We were then shown a game that was, in many ways very similar to checkers.  It could be played using rocks or shells, and the pieces could actually number in the thousands.  Games could go on for a very long time.  Also, unlike checkers, the winner was determined by whoever made the last jump.  Conflicting leaders might play this game to resolve their disputes.

AND, we were told something that really made this a highlight of our trip.  We were told that these games had been played in the area for many years.  Excavations had been done where we stood, and by playing these games here, we were partaking in a very long and old tradition!

Before we ventured on, our guide told us about the Hawaiian nose flute.  Sure, this might sound like a joke, but this was very cool.  We were told that young men would play this instrument, with their nose, to impress young ladies.  The logic was, your mouth can produce bad things, like lies, so it was played with the nose.  We were then given a very sweet demonstration!

We made our way to the waterfall, which was very attractive, but we had been so impressed with the game and flute demonstration.

They do have a cool set up hear with swimming gear available, and a life guard.  Oh, and you can swim right by the falls!