Round up

So, as most of you know we are back in NC.  It's been a challenge adjusting to mainland life :) but we've got a lot to do, so that's okay.

Here are some photos from the last few days of the trip, some of our favorite days, by the way.

HANA HIGHWAY

Secret waterfall #1, yes please.  

(Ryan jumped in, of course) This 39-mile stretch has about 600 hairpin turns (no joke!) and takes a minimum of 3 hours to drive. Tropical jungle and waterfalls along the thundering north shore of Maui are the reward.

Bagras, or Painted Gum tree from indonesia.  A type of eucalyptus tree.  Looks like something Dr. Seuss  would have come up with.  

Black Sand Beach and lava rocks

The other side of 10,000-foot Mt. Haleakala volcano, where the Hana Highway turns into the Piilani Hwy.  A rough stretch of road that some people told us not to drive on. Glad it was a rental car! Incredibly beautiful drive with less traffic. It was a much different glimpse of Maui, far from the touristy towns. There's a lot of pasture land, grazing cattle and men in big, hefty trucks on Haleakala's
 southern slope. 

SAILING WITH WHALES- MAUI

"And I'm sailin'..." And we saw lots of whales! Many mothers with their calves, flipping their fins and breaching. Awesome!

The sailing crew

One day in Maui

Whirlwind couple of days.  After arriving in Maui and getting to our cliffside b&b (www.cliffsedge.com) we got up at 2:30am to make check in for our sunrise bike trip down Haleakala, Maui's giant 10,000 foot inactive volcano. Yes, we stood outside in the freezing cold for an hour, watched a giant sunrise over a martian-like terrain, and then biked down the side of it (yes, we were on the road that leads up to the summit. It wasn't a train ride like Ryan had hoped, but still a lot of fun)

Then, we took a nap

Then, we recovered for a few hours at our amazing Cliff's Edge King Suite, along with complimentary croissants, bananas, papaya, kiwi, and coffee.  Ahhh!

In case you're wondering yes, we could see whales.

Then we went to Mama's Fish House for our first Honeymoon sunset dinner.  

Expensive, but well worth it!

Ono (a type of wahoo) marinated in lime and coconut milk (Tahitian Ceviche) in a fresh coconut

Papa's Three Fish Sashimi- Onaga with coconut-chili and Molokai pink sea salt, Salmon with pineapple-pomegranate and Hawaii Island black sea salt, Ahi with star anise-daikon and kukui nut salt

Mama's Stuffed Mahimahi caught offshore from Hana by Greg Lind- Stuffed with Tristan lobster, crab and Maui onion, baked in a macadamia nut crust.  

phenomenal.

(thanks Bill and Molly for chipping in on the dinner!)

Na Pali Coast

Whew! This is quite a trip. 

The day after the day after our wedding we saw the Na Pali coast by foot and by helicopter 

(thanks Mom and Dad Reardon for that!)

Here are a few photos

The copter also flew over the Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"

It's hard to keep up a blog when you're in paradise!!!

So, we'll jump ahead a little bit.

Here is the view from our place in Maui.  

Cliff's Edge

Holy Matrimony

In all honesty, our wedding yesterday (Feb. 6) was probably less holy and more Hawaiian. We married at sunset on Hanalei Bay, out on the beach in front of the very swanky St. Regis hotel, which is where we had dinner after the ceremony. The whole day was just beautiful. It started with yummy homemade pineapple banana smoothies (Ryan feeds me so well!), and snorkeling at Anini Beach (we saw some giant sea turtles!), before I got my hair done. I picked up some pretty orchids for a bouquet I pulled together. But the moment I put on my dress and walked out from the bedroom was when it became very real, and emotional, for us both!

                                           Anini Beach

We arrived at the hotel in style in our red hot sports car (the honeymooners free upgrade at the car rental place!). The St. Regis is so swanky; it's valet only. And while walking on clouds through the hotel making our way to the beach, we received a lot of congratulations and well wishes.

                                           Traveling in Style

The ceremony was majestically beautiful, with Hanalei Bay and the spiky cliffs of Bali Hai (famous from the movie South Pacific) as the backdrop. The ceremony had traditional components as well as Hawaiian ones. We exchanged leis (a symbol of love), as well as rings, and learned about the true meaning of aloha. We worked with a great photographer, Penny Dinn, (here's a sneak peak), and dinner at the hotel terrace overlooking the ocean was sublime (here's a quick sample- hamachi tartare, seared prawns, glazed sea bass, kampachi, maui gold pineapple clouds)

And thank God the weather was nice for our ceremony because it has since turned south. It rains, at least a little, most days in Hawaii; and especially on the North Shore of Kauai—one of the wettest places on earth. Makes for a lush tropical landscape and plentiful rainbows. Today our helicopter flight was cancelled and our hiking plans for the Napali Coast spoiled due to a storm. But I could think of worse places than a tropical paradise to be. We anticipate it will let up tomorrow and are gung ho to tackle the trek and flight before our plane leaves for Maui tomorrow evening. So now, we're enjoying some relaxation in our incredibly nice condo (courtesy of my parents!) and we picked up some fresh marlin and escolar, wine, and nibbles for a quiet night in. Ryan and I are both pretty eager adventure seekers, so we have to remind ourselves that relaxation is a necessary part of a vacation too.

Aloha,
Love, Ryan & Melissa Reardon!!!!!!!!

Top of Oahu, Top of the World

Gonna make this brief. 

We went on a dizzying hike yesterday in Oahu. Took lots of photos, some are below. BOTH sides of the island were visable.  Good thing we got an early start 'cause the clouds starting rolling in when we were on top.  Five miles, steep, exposed ridgelines, guava trees, sore thighs, and lots of "wows."

These photos barely do it justice (we have better ones) so we took video, too.  We'll share that with you later!  

Now, off to Kaua'i to get married!!!!