Get ready for a rawrsome adventure! I’m taking a break from my daily life in Texas, for the lush landscapes of Maui, Hawaii! This is my first trip off the continent, and I can’t wait to relax in the sun, explore new and fun places, and document my journey while sharing it with you! This blog post, and its subsequent pages, will be my trip journal, with lots of photos and memories to be made! Certain pictures with other family members will be kept private, of course.
While I prepare for this rawrsome trip, here’s a sneak peek at what I have planned!
- Stepping into Jurassic Park!
- This is a tour of the Kualoa Ranch. An iconic filming location for the original 1993 Jurassic Park saga!
- Get ready for lots of pictures of that trip, along with me hopefully avoiding being Rexy’s lunch!
- Dive into the Wonders of the Deep!
- We’re hoping to squeeze in a visit to the Maui Ocean Center, where I’ll come hand-to-fin with amazing marine wildlife!
- Keep an eye out for a blog page with the trip to the aquarium!
This is just the beginning, dinoLong form: Dinosaurs More friends! Stay tuned as I update this blog daily, starting April 15th! Until then, this post will be not updated too much except if we add more fun things to do on the trip!
Leaving Soon for Hawaii!
I’m leaving for my trip in less than TWO WEEKS! I am very hyped for this trip, especially taking that Jurassic Park tour at the Kualoa Ranch, where they filmed actual scenes from multiple movies! I will be sure to update you all via an Announcement a day or so before I leave for the trip, to remind everyone that week’s stream will be canceled!
Update 4/13/2024: I am now beginning the draft of my “Pre-trip” page, which will be published tomorrow night sometime!
Update 4/22/2024: Jurassic Adventure Tour page up!
Day “Zero” – Pre-Trip
Today is Sunday, the day before my long 10-hour flight to Maui, Hawaii! Today, we’re staying in a hotel in San Antonio, since my flight is before 9 am. We plan to arrive in Hawaii sometime around 1-2 pm Hawaii time since they are 4 hours behind us here in Texas. At least for the first few days, my body will be used to Texas time, so I should have minimal to no issues waking up early for the Jurassic Park tour on the 18th! I am very much looking forward to that tour, even though it’s 2.5 hours long! I will be taking my phone, a battery pack, and taking as many photos and videos as I can! Since I likely will never be taking this tour again.
Waiting On My Ride
It is now 3:30, and I am currently waiting for my ride to arrive, then my HAWAII TRIP officially starts! This page will be updated once or twice tonight after I eat dinner and get to the hotel! Keep an eye on this page for updates tonight, and my long day starts tomorrow, with over 9 hours of flying!
Arrived in San Antonio just fine, and got to the hotel safely. Watched random TV shows for a few hours, then we went to bed around 10:30 PM.
The Next Morning
It is early Monday morning, 6:45 as of the time of writing this. We ordered Cracker Barrel for breakfast since the one in our hometown is pretty good. We were NOT impressed with the food at this Cracker Barrel though. 3 out of 5 stars. They didn’t give us any silverware, we almost had to eat the eggs, hashbrowns, and grits with our hands. Thankfully the hotel had some for us. Also, the grits were pretty bland, as well as the eggs. I should’ve gotten cheese melted into the eggs in hindsight. Oh well. The bacon wasn’t too bad though. I hope the rating isn’t for the driver but for the restaurant!
We are now waiting for the shuttle to arrive to take us to the airport, where our first flight to LAX will start around 9 am. Then we have a 1-hour layover between flights, so I can update and start the next page at the airport. Hopefully, LAX’s wifi is decent!
Day 1 – Flying Into Maui!
Today was the longest day of our trip. I am writing this on Tuesday. We were so tired after flying for nearly 10 hours and being stuck in an airport for another 2 or 3. By the time we got to the condo, after shopping at Walmart, we were wiped, and I went to sleep at 830 pm or so Hawaii time. Slept until 730 or so the following morning. We didn’t get much done today, so there isn’t much to talk about.
I did find someone who was almost on our flight who works for AppSumoAn amazing service that gives you deals on software! More. Also met a kid at the hotel before we left that is learning to play the guitar. They said after only 3 or so days, they’re learning some songs. Takes a lot of talent to pick up an instrument that fast, I would say.
I don’t have any pictures to share of this day, since it was mostly private to friends and family. But on Tuesday, we had some more fun things to do. Read on to find out what we do today!
Day 2 – Beach and Food
Today, we spent a little bit of time at the beach, since it is a 5-minute walk (or less) from our condo. We will be heading to an authentic Hawaiian food truck to get some food shortly, I wonder what they’ll have. Since I’m not big on coconuts, I definitely won’t be having a Pina Colada. I am looking forward to tomorrow when we fly to Oahu for our Jurassic Park tour on Thursday!
Here are two pictures I’m comfortable with sharing since it does not show any of my family members in them. I want to keep their privacy intact as much as I can! I am now just waiting on the rest to get back to the condo, they are still at the beach, so we can head to the food cart and try some of that authentic Hawaiian food!
Day 3 – Flight to Honolulu & Prep for Jurassic Park Tour!
Today is the night before the Jurassic Park tour at the same ranch that the first movie, and parts of the other movies, were filmed on!
Today we flew from Maui to Oahu, and are staying on the 20th floor of a Hilton hotel. We enjoyed some time at the International Market across the street and got dinner there as well. We finished our night by watching Jurassic Park 1993, to prepare for the JP tour tomorrow! I wonder if I’ll recognize any other locations besides the log. I sure hope they’ll stop the bus and let me take a picture of myself by the log. That would make for an amazing thumbnail replacement for this blog series!
We’ll have to see though, if they do this. I read that the bus does not stop, but on the website, it shows people getting a picture taken in front of the log. They could’ve stopped doing it, but I am hoping that it was temporary and they are back to doing it again. It would not feel like a complete tour for me, without getting a chance to get a couple of pictures in front of that famous log where they hid from the Gallimimus in the movie, and where Rexy ate one of them on-screen.
I am winding down, and preparing to sleep now since it is 9 pm Hawaii time, which is technically 2 am Texas time, which is when I normally go to bed. Take care, everyone! I will be taking as many pictures and videos on the tour tomorrow as I can, and making it a special album here on Mesozoic Haven.
GOOD NIGHT, fellow dinosLong form: Dinosaurs More!
Day 4 – Jurassic Adventure Tour
Yesterday we took the Jurassic Adventure Tour, and man . . . it was WELL WORTH IT! Want to know more? Read on to find out!
Shuttle To Jurassic Park
Our shuttle to the Kualoa Ranch took about an hour, and even then, we arrived 2 hours early! There were a couple of quick pics I snapped, but other than that, the shuttle wasn’t that interesting. We figured out it might’ve been a bit cheaper or quicker to grab an Uber both ways instead. In hindsight though, if I ever can make it back to Hawaii in the future, to take the Hollywood Movie sites tour, we may take that method instead.
Waiting … For Two Hours
Once we arrived at Kualoa Ranch, we had to wait at least two hours before our tour took off. It felt longer, though. But my mother and grandfather joined me on the tour, which made the wait more bearable! For privacy reasons, I am keeping their names and pictures out of this blog post. To any family reading this, I will have a private album I can share with you all in the future.
They also offered horseback tours, e-bike tours, and ATV tours. If I come in the future, I may take a bundle deal with 3 tours and a lunch buffet for the same price as the Jurassic Adventure Tour. Since I’ve done that tour, I can do the others next, since there won’t be anything new on the Jurassic Adventure Tour unless the rumored Jurassic World 4 films some stuff at the ranch. But what’s cool about this is I can now officially say “I’ve been there!” whenever I rewatch the Jurassic movies!
The Tour Begins!
Our tour guide was very friendly and professional. His name is Zach, and I will give more info in a later part of this post. Our tour lasted just about 2.5 hours, as the website said. We had 6 stops along the tour, including the log from Jurassic Park 1993, and the hill they run from the Gallimimus on as well. Some other stops included the Gyrosphere building from Jurassic World (they took out the movie-specific stuff, but the structure was there).
Another stop was an unused, behind-the-scenes look at the first building they designed for the Baryonyx scene in Jurassic World, but they also had the actual building that they ended up using. Unfortunately, our bus didn’t stop at the one they used in the film, so I have no pictures of the “real” Baryonyx building. Though, for some odd reason, they have a statue of a Tyrannosaurus RexLinks to Tyrannosaurus Rex blog post. More coming out of the entrance, not a Baryonyx, I am not sure why that is the case.
Our First Half
The first half of the tour went well. The guide told us some of the history of Kualoa Ranch, as well as a bunker that was used in one of the World Wars (I can’t recall which one, though). They had turned that bunker into an area to show props from various movies that were filmed either in part or most of it, on the ranch.
Our Second Half
The second half of the tour, on the other hand, was wet. It rained for a few seconds here and there. We were in an open-air tour truck, so we got wet and rained on. It mostly started while we were at one of the stops we got out of the vehicle for, so by the time we got back into the truck, our seats were not just misted or lightly wet, but enough that our butts got soaked, as well! We saw both the actual Baryonyx building that they used in the final cut of JW: Fallen Kingdom, but the bus didn’t stop there for some reason. We kept going, and the next stop was from an earlier version of the Baryonyx building that they ended up not using in the film.
Very Professional Tour Guide
Our tour guide, Zach, was extremely professional. He also went above and beyond what a Tour Guide is required to do. Told us all about the history of the ranch, since he grew up nearby, so he had a lot of knowledge about the area. He also helped us locate my grandfather’s phone. He lost it somewhere, and he was willing to go back to the last couple of stops to check for it. Considering it’s a 2.5-hour tour, that tells us a lot. If any of the Kualoa Ranch staff are reading this, give Zach a bonus to his pay this month, or a raise. He went above and beyond the duties of a Tour guide.
Overall Thoughts on Jurassic Adventure Tour
I was very happy with the tour. Even the parts where we got wet due to the rain. Would I go again? Yes. I would do this tour again, but after I try the other tours like the Hollywood movie sites tour. From the friendly staff in the gift shop, the lobby/waiting area, and our Tour Guide, Zach, I would say that this was the #1 best tour I’ve ever taken in my entire life. I would love to try the triple package with the Hollywood movie sites and 2 other tours combined with a buffet in the future. I of course, would write a blog post about each of those tours, as well!
Thanks to all the super kind and friendly Kualoa Ranch staff, for allowing me to have one of the best days of my life at your ranch! If you’re reading this, I would love to work out a date and time to come back, and experience the other tours, like the Hollywood movie sites trio tour, and the ATV tour! Feel free to get a hold of me if you’re interested via the Contact Us link in our footer!
Well, we’re headed back to Maui tonight!
Day 5 – Maui Aquarium
I don’t remember much about this day outside of the Aquarium visit. We went in the morning, spent a few hours there until mid-afternoon, then headed back to the condo. We went through the entire aquarium except the fancy sit-down restaurant, since it would’ve been expensive.
One of the first things I saw was a tide pool, shown below:
Soon after, I saw this weird seahorse-looking thing that wasn’t a seahorse, but related:
Can you find the Frogfish? Took me a couple of minutes to find it at first.
This was one of my favorite signs in the entire aquarium. Lots of info about SHARKS! Please protect sharks, they are essential to the ecosystems and health of the oceans!
Sharks are essential to the ecosystem. STOP killing them!
Shortly after, we saw the Sea Turtles. Here’s a couple of pics of one I saw swimming, along with the underside of a turtle shell:
Then there’s the shark tank where they had a … animatronic? human? diver. Some of the kids at the demonstration learned something since I asked a couple of questions I already knew the answers to. “How many shark species are there?” “How many are dangerous to humans?” to which the answer to the latter is only 10-12 or so of the 400+ species of sharks found.
Day 6+ | Relaxing Until Going Home
Day 6 and later didn’t have much going on. We mostly sat around the condo, relaxing, like going to the beach a few times, checking out more local food trucks or farmers markets, etc. All-in-all, Day 6 through 10 weren’t that exciting, not enough to write about.
This is the end of the blog series. I hope you enjoyed it! Have a rawrsome day! I already miss Maui, and Hawaii! I would love to go again.
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We don’t bite … much!
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I have read a lot of great things about Hawaii, and while I have not been there, I guess it was an experience that you really enjoyed? I mean the culture, the people and the environment is quite peaceful for someone to come and have a good time.
Oh yea, my best vacation ever! I would love to go back, but it would be very expensive, unfortunately.
I never been to Hawaii before, but I’m not a fan of the hot weather. It’s really cool you got to take a tour and see some of the filming locations of Jurassic Park! I love Jurassic Park, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time! It stinks that… Read more »
Yea, that Cracker Barrel bit was the worst of the trip, probably. The rest of it was amazing, and I would do it again in a few years if I could join family to save costs on a room.