We actually had to set the alarm today for 6am to make sure we were up and ready for our excursion (since we were sleeping in later)! We woke up for another morning of breakfast on the balcony, watching the cast members prepare the resort for the day and watching the waves slowly roll into the cove. We had our cereal (multi grain cheerios for me, oatmeal for him) and coffee (for me, tea for him) as usual, then put on our bathing suits and sunscreened up.
We met the
Adventures by Disney staff in the lobby at quarter to 8 and he told us we were still waiting on some people. We ended up waiting until around 8:20 (20 mins after we were scheduled to go) and the last family still hadn't shown up (they were later driven to the location by an Aulani van when they did show up). I'm not sure if this actually cut into our surf time or not, but they assured us we would get all of our water time (we ended up back at the hotel at 11:30 instead of 11, so maybe we just got it all pushed back, or maybe we were always supposed to be back at 11:30, even though the info said 11). Anyway, we were met at the resort by a Hawaii Fire van, driver, and translator. We all packed in and on the short ride (about 10 mins from the resort) our
ABD guide told us Disney/Hawaii stories and the Hawaii Fire instructor / translator girl told us about the buildings we were passing (such as the old Air Force Base, which is now used by the coastguard).
We arrived at the beach, which was well off the road (through a wooded camp area) and the other Hawaii Fire guys instructed us to pick a rash guard and pair of water boots from the bags of different sizes they had lined up for us. It was at this point I found out how... unpleasant... the bathrooms were at this little secluded beach! No TP in all but one stall, and only one stall (a different one) actually locked (and I wont go any further into that)!
After changing into rash guards we sat down in beach chairs under a big tent/umbrella and our ABD guide pointed out the landmarks around us (Diamond head and Waikiki could be seen in the distance), then one instructor told us the history of the beach ("Officer's Beach" or "Long Beach" as it's one of the longest beaches in Hawaii).
Then another instructor came and talked safety (don't surf all the way to the sand, bail off if you're aiming towards someone, don't shuffle your feet over the corral) and then the last one came and talked technique (Positioning: making sure you stay on the back 3/4 of your board and keep your weight evenly distributed right/left; Paddling: one arm swim stroke forward, both arms swim back, "windshield wipers" to turn; paddling fast and then leaning up when you are close to white water, and then standing up on the board after the instructor gives you a push and you paddle 4 times).
The Hawaii Fire photographer took some pictures of the groups, then we picked/got matched to boards and practiced standing, and then they told us to strap on the ankle tie and get on out there!
The instructors all went further out on the sandbar, and one stayed behind so we knew how far to walk before getting on our board to then paddle out to the other instructors. When we got to them we turned the board around and they held us in place until a good wave came and then they'd tell us to start paddling, they'd give us a push, and they'd say "Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, now up! All the way up! You can do it!" They were so friendly and encouraging! Then we'd get to where we were supposed to hop off (before the shore) or else fall off, and then we'd turn around, get back to them, and wait our turn to go again! It was exhilarating, but after awhile it was exhausting! DH and I ended up mostly walking back to the instructors because after so long it gets really hard on your arms to keep paddling against the waves and wind lol. The really nice part is that the waves were only 1-2 feet, so it was a great learning environment.
DH and I getting up on our boards
Towards the end (many of our classmates had taken it in already) the instructors told us to look on shore, and a monk seal had made his way up to the beach to sunbathe! They told us it was really rare (as they are critically endangered, with only about 1,000 left in the world) and we should probably get a picture, so we decided to take it in and grab pics of this awesome animal. DH was even lucky to catch a wave on his own (with the instructor only coaching, not pushing too) to take him to shore!
We went to see the seal, and then we went back and turned in our rash guard and boots and the ABD guide (Eki) gave us granola bars and cold water. Hawaii Fire had a photographer that had a slideshow going of all the photos he took (they were all pretty awesome) and they had a CD available or we could go to a website to purchase singles (DH and I got the CD, which they ship for us unless we wanted to stop in their shop in town to pick it up - although one guy had a USB stick and so he got the pics all right there and didn't have to pay for shipping). Then we all packed into the van and headed back to Aulani.
By now DH and I are exhausted, so we took showers and order Private Dining. DH got a salad and fish, which he really enjoyed (big surprise there), and I got the kids meal grilled chicken strips, which (along with the fries that came with it) was so delicious and satisfying (the kiddie Hawaiian chocoalate cake was pretty average, not much special about it, just chocolate cake). I also tried the Mac and Cheese and peas, but it was really plain (not Disney World Mac and Cheese).
Kid's Hawaiian Chocolate Cake, Grilled Fish (salad underneath), Mac and Peas, Grilled Chicken Strips and Fries, Side of Fruit (DH says he still can't believe how good all the fish was!)
DH went to refills our mugs so we can have soda with our lunch. We stay in the hotel room for much of the afternoon, laying and resting after so much activity. I finish "The Help" (awesome book) and we watch "Jessie" on the Disney Channel and then "Extreme Couponing" on whatever channel that comes on. Finally we headed out, and walked around the resort, taking pictures of flowers and menehune.
We visit the 'Olelo room (to learn some Hawaiian words), and then get a wonderful tour of the amazing Aunty's beach house. The workers inside are so happy and friendly and they give us a beautiful tour (they said as members and guests we were able to sign in as visitors and hand in our room keys for visitors badges at the front and walk around ourselves without an official tour). Everyone has to wash their hands when they enter to keep down the spread of germs, and we had to agree not to take pictures of any kids (so for privacy sake we didnt really get any pictures inside to share).
Outside play area
It is a really impressive set up they have in there, I have to say the pics I've seen don't really do it justice. There is so much Disney Magic, and the cast members there were superb. It really looked like one of the places around Aulani that I don't think they could possibly have any more improvements in store for phase 2 or 3 - it looks complete and polished and amazing. One cast member, who was playing the ukelele in the entryway, walked us down the hall and told us about all the pictures and history of Hawaii that was featured in the hall, and then showed us all of Uncle's sitting room, garage, and TV room.
Map in the hallway
He was really awesome, and he went out of his way to give us more suggestions on things to do around the island. On our way out we heard a girl complaining about leaving to her mom, which was so funny because the cast members had told us that often times the parents check in on the kids and the kids don't want to leave! If we had kids in our family to take with us I wouldn't hesitate to leave them in the capable hands of the staff at Aunty's, and I know they would have tons to do because there were just so many games and activities to participate in!
We went to watch the sunset by the firepit (which wasn't going at the time - we had just missed the fireside storytelling). Around 6 live music started to play (sunset was set for 6:15ish that day).
I got some pictures, and we saw a little mongoose (someone called them Hawaiian Squirrels).
We ended up eating at One Paddle, Two Paddle again, but this time we took our food to the room and we watched some TV (Phinneas and Ferb).
We closed out the night watching Up on our balcony from the big screen at the family movie night. We could barely hear the words, but it was pretty cool to see it in the distance. There was also live music playing right below us at the same time. That night we were in for a good nights sleep for sure, after all that paddle and surf action (we crashed by 8:30)!
Up Next: Day Six, Part One: Kualoa Ranch Adventures by Disney Excursion