Hawaii - Day 3: Caves and Botanical Gardens

Wednesday was my favorite day on the island. Not only did my mom and Terry get married (more on that and pictures to come), we saw caves and a botanical gardens. It was so beautiful, these pictures don't really do it justice; however, I couldn't refuse sharing them.

We started the day by driving north, up to the Hana Lei Bay and to the end of the road. On the way, we found two caves. We called them the "cave of wonder", from the beloved Aladdin movie. The first cave was small and full of water, so we just stood at the edge and peered in.

It was really neat. I really enjoyed exploring the caves with our kids.

Between caves, Noelle took over picture taking. The next two shots were taken by her. Not too shabby if you ask me.

The second cave was really deep. It seemed like it went on forever. And ground was like the moon... lots of mini "craters". There were "hieroglyphics" on the walls (I'm not sure if they were ancient or recent. Regardless, they added to the aesthetics. We ran into my mom, her best friend, Nancy, and daughter, Brittany while exploring this cave. They were waisting some time until it was time to get ready for the wedding.

So, I was able to get a family shot! (Always nice to get one of those!)

The cliffs were neat. There are plants growing on them, but the roots don't go into the walls of the cliff so much as climb down them into the ground below. It is a neat look.

After checking out the caves, we decided to take a look at the botanical garden. Once again, it was unbelievably amazing. When looking at such beauty, it makes me really appreciate Heavenly Father's creations. I just don't understand how someone could look around and not know there is a loving Father in Heaven that knows them and wants the best for them.

Anyhow, here are the pictures from the gardens.

You start in the lower portion, and then start up the mountain.

I thought this leaf was really neat. It looks like what I imagine the bottom of an octopus looking like.

I want to note that Brandon is such a champ. We put Oliver in this stroller and in the lower portions of this roughly a mile or more loop, it was fine, but there were some areas in which Brandon ended up carrying the entire stroller and son to get him over steps, through tight places, etc. And my wonderful husband never complains. He just does it. He is amazing.

The girls.

And some plants.

A little water feature.

I just love how everything that grows here seems to have a mind of it's own.

It was a wonderful way to spend the morning. After the garden, we headed back to the condo and got the kids down for naps. Then we started wedding preparations. I plan to make the wedding it's own post and will do so as soon as I get some photos from my wonderful cousin, Casey, who took some amazing photos during the wedding.