Date Night & Gunstock Ranch

On our last night and last day in Oahu, we experienced some of the natural beauty the island has to offer by a date night hike and a wonderful horseback ride! Along with the Polynesian Cultural Center, these planned activities were my favorite of the whole trip!

Date Hike
In a lesser-known area of the island, requiring parking almost 1/2 mile away from the trail head, a special permit, and walking through an area where every turn off had an array of "keep-out" signs, we found a wonderful spot for a hike. The foliage seemed to change drastically every 20 minutes or so, presenting many terrains we did not expect. From pine forest complete with needle carpet, to desert, to grassland, to lush mountainous canopy, we found quite the adventure in our hike!

 

Following our fabulous hike, we enjoyed some quality story time with our Munchkin!

Gunstock Ranch
The next morning, mere hours before we had to return to the airport for our homeward-bound flight, the Mr. and I headed out for another solo activity. Since horseback riding is one of my favorite activities, I was really looking forward to this while in Hawaii. Through some research, we actually found a ranch that allowed more that nose-to-tail slow walks up a trail. Gunstock Ranch offered advanced versions of their trail rides as well as an option that turned out perfect for us - the Advanced Sweetheart Tour. With just us two and the guide, we were able to trot and canter all the way up the trail as well as back down! The thrill was truly enjoyable and we both absolutely LOVED it!

 The view at the top was pristine and we also found a nice picnic spot for a private lunch before traveling back down the trail. In addition, our tour guide was fantastic! She even went the extra mile to make our vacation a great one and went out of the way to let us try fresh guava - which I loved - and fresh passionfruit (which the Mr. loved). This was definitely a memorable and worthwhile vacation activity and we both highly recommend Gunstock Ranch if you're ever in the area.