Very high rock + jumping = bad idea. Hangover + sharks + swimming = bring it on!

What a brilliant weekend- mine and Keiths birthdays are a day apart so we made a whole weekend of activities to celebrate our coming of age in such a special place. .. A great many thanks to Devon, Keith, Luna and the girls, and everyone else involved this weekend for making it such a fantstic and momorable event for me. I am so lucky to have met such wonderful people out here.

Friday afternoon...
After I'd finished a really good morning at work I rushed home (as much as one can rush when relying on the bus service, anyway) to meet our friends, Marisol, Celeste and Luna at our house and then set off for North Shore. Luna and I lead the way in the truck he lives in, and everyone else followed in Celestes big car. Luna is local so was a great guide, and we made frequent stops along the way for mucking about and photo ops. For more en route pics, check out Devon and Keiths blog, www.sunburntinhawaii.blogspot.com I enjoyed the journey alone just as much as every other bit of the weekend! The weather was nicer than it looks, I just wish I'd taken more pictures!!
Here's Keith standing in front of the 'chinaman's hat', traditionally named the poi pounder. The reason it is called the poi pounder is because one day a Hawaiian boy was out on the ocean just off the shore of the island, when a huge tiger shark came and attacked his little boat. The shark and the boy fought bitterly, but the boy escaped by using his poi pounder to beat the shark to death. After that, he put the poi pounder on top of the island- a reminder to all sharks of the event to keep them at bay. A poi pounder is like a pestle, used to ground up taro root to make the traditional food named poi (you may remember this from the waimanalo fair posting).

Dev balancing

Keith, Devon, Marisol and our acting tour guide, Luna

Our last stop before setting up camp was a beach in Haleiwa. Just look at the size of this rock! Marisol and Celeste stayed on the beach and I scrambled up eagerly after Luna, Keith and Devon. Once at the top however, I made a shocking discovery of a fear I never knew I had, and I couldn't jump! Despite everyone's greatest efforts at encouraging me I was frozen to the spot. Now it's bad luck to climb down this rock having gone up, so I had to jump. The sky clouded over, my friends jumped several times, it rained, my friends left the beach, and the sun began to go down. Finally I did it. And a second time (just as scary, still screaming when I surfaced). But not even from the highest point like everyone else! I was furious at myself for being such a girl, and tried my hardest not to faint as I hurried my way back up the beach to catch everyone up. Keith makes the big jump. I went off the next ledge down from the top.

Friday evening...

A gorgeous sunset in paradise

That squiggle is the moon! My pictures were turning out better without flash, so the longer exposure made things all cool and blurry!

We camped the night on the beach. Friends, BBQ, beers, singing and guitar made a perfect end to a brilliant day. Luna even went night diving, speared a fish and brought it back to cook!! His friend Michelle joined us too, and she was very good company.

Saturday morning... (Keiths actual birthday)

Early next morning, me, Devon, Celeste, Marisol and Keith set out for the harbour to do our caged surface shark encounter. Sea sprayed up onto the deck as the little boat sped along, the morning rising up all around us and our excitement!

Check out these hungry sharks!! (not me and Devon, the fish in the pictures below!)Tuna guts? Yes please!

Munch munch! A cheeky sandbar shark takes it's fill.

Saturday Night...
We got back to the house and Devon did the place up and it looked brilliant. We even had a shark-shaped cake! Soon enough all our mates came over and we had a good knees-up, even going boogieboarding in the dark! (see me and Marisol frolicking in the surf, below)
Pic: Celeste, who isn't an intern but came over from South Carolina (Y'all) with her mate Jen. She's planning on staying in Hawaii after we all leave. Check out her top-knot, complete with cocktail umbrella. It was inspired by the mohawked top-knots I did on myself (later garnished with the unbrella out of my beer) and took me a few tries to do on Celeste because I was laughing so much. It was still there in the morning, too (minus umbrella)! Good effort!!

Needless to say, sunday, my actual birthday was spent 'chilling out'! I did not evey the bodies on my living room floor, who had to drag their carcasses into work in the morning!!

Yes, this is me wearing a mask (compliments from Devon) on sunday. For a reason!