Kahe Point - Electric Beach

Electric Beach is one of the best snorkeling sites on the island. It's nickname comes from the not-so-scenic electric company next to the beach. However, thanks to the power company, warm water is piped out into the ocean and where the pipes come out there is an abundance of fish. It's a bit of a swim, but worth it! We also saw a few turtles and there is supposedly a pod of dolphins that frequents this spot.

The beach is nice for the kids to play on, although there is little shade. The water is clear, but the break is too strong for little ones to swim in (although someone was boogie boarding). Plus, the restrooms are shuttered, so you're limited to the porta-potty. We found a more family-friendly spot (although not quite as many fish), that I'll share about next time.

North end of the beach

What's behind the fence

Next time we'll bring the underwater camera so we can post pictures of the fish!

Mahalo Nui Loa! - Thank you very much!

You would not believe it, but we moved to O‘ahu one year ago today!

There have been many ups and downs, but mostly we are thankful. Some of these things we owe to just moving in general, but most are to our family, friends and the people and state of Hawai‘i. We are still missing many people, but are thankful for those that keep in contact and that we have those visits to look forward to and appreciate them even more.

Moving has allowed us to slow down the pace of life, partially because of the island attitude, but also by stripping us of all the additional commitments. We are enjoying this time with our family as we readjust to a new place and are able to slowly incorporate activities. Grow a lot as we are forced out of our comfort zone in meeting new people and trying lots of new things.

Mahalo nui loa:

Our family and friends in Michigan - the endless hours you donated to helping us pack, watching our children, cleaning, sharing garage sales and mom-to-mom sales. And for letting us leave, but still keeping in touch.

Mighty Moms Bible study - for answering my constant questions about where to go, what to do, what is that and all the valuable cultural inside information. And for being a solid rock to stand on in a time of much uncertainty.

Our neighbors - answering more silly questions about home improvement, plants and native bug species, bringing over cookies, being quiet and kind and having a playmate for our kids!

The state of Hawai‘i - For having islands with distinct personalities, for your awesome beauty, moderate temps and cool tradewinds. For being "half way" to Japan to visit our friends. For being so diverse so we and our children can make friends with people from a much broader group of cultures. Which also means many new foods to try!

The random people of O‘ahu - friendly drivers letting me cut in, helpful store clerks asking if I need help, social Pizza Hut workers complementing our pizza choice and inquiring about our plans with said pizza.

And mahalo to you for reading! I have really enjoyed this endeavor and will continue to blog about our adventures and will hopefully have many more to share!

Mahalo from Perrydise!

Haukōhi - Shave Ice

One of our favorite treats is shave ice. It's not a sno-cone. And it's not "shaved ice." (I'm not trying to be picky, but helpful). It's the perfect treat after a hot day on the beach. Or after a long drive. Or after dinner. Okay, anytime!

Sooo ono!

In Hawai‘i, shave ice is made - not surprisingly - by shaving a block of ice. The places that offer it vary because of their shave machine. I never knew that ice could be so different. It can be grainy, fluffy, smooth or kind of crunchy. Always delicious though!

The Hawaiian, haukōhi, gives a pretty accurate description, since "hau" means snow, and "kōhi" gather. Apparently, shave ice came here from Japan (although many cultures have something similar). The rich people wanted a cold treat, so they'd send their servants to the mountains to get ice. Someone figured out it was a good idea to flavor it, and for that, I am thankful.


I thought this was funny:

As Japanese immigrated to Hawaii, they brought this tradition with them. Like Rome and Japan, in Hawaii warm areas are close enough to snow capped mountains that snow can be brought into the warm areas without melting - Wikipedia

In Hawaii, there's only one snow-capped mountain, and it's not snow-capped all the time. And it's only on one island... Who knew that Wikipedia could be inaccurate?

Our newest find: Angel's in Lāʻie

I am not joking in that it's one of our favorite treats - I had to comb through over 80 pictures of shave ice to choose the ones you see here! So we have tried quite a few different places and have our favorites. In Hale‘iwa on the North Shore, Matsumoto is good, but it's the most common in guidebooks, so the line is always out the door. Nearby is Aoki's which is not nearly as busy, but we'd rather go to the other side of Hale‘iwa town to the Aloha General Store. Ample parking and seating, and last time they were playing music so the kids were dancing and entertaining the other patrons.

The North Shore might be the popular spot for shave ice, but you can find it all over the island, even on trucks!

Boy, were we excited to see this pull up to the playground!

When you're planning your trip to Hawai‘i, you need to seriously consider what flavors of shave ice you'll try. You can go with classics: grape, lime, cherry, orange. Or tropical: mango, pineapple, coconut, lilikoi. Or try them all. Each place usually has their own special flavors too.


What makes it even more awesome is getting ice cream on the bottom and a "snow cap" on top (aka sweetened condensed milk).

With whipped cream and a cherry on top

No matter what you try, if you eat with our family, you'll have to eat it quickly or it'll be all gone!







*Another blog, Oahu mom, had an entry about shave ice, so I waited to post so it didn't look like I was copying - but she and her readers suggest other places to try so check it out!