Kualoa Ranch

One of my favorite things we did, before we left Hawaii, was go to Kualoa Ranch.  We had planned to go many times over the last 4 years, but it just never really worked out.  They have atv tours, horseback riding tours, and bus tours... since we had to take the kiddos we took the movie bus tour.  The bus takes you on a tour of the breath taking grounds, and the guides give you a brief history of the property, and show you the most popular sites used for movies an television shows.  

Can you guess the one I was most excited about???  Yeppers, Lost!  

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from that day, I took so so many.

I love how Harry always looks away from the camera...

The boys in front of out tour bus.

Harry didn't last very long.  

It was kinda hot on the bus, and he couldn't have cared less about the tour.

Ruins from the old sugar mill that used to run on the property.

We must have driven past this a hundred times, and never really knew what it was.

Doesn't that island out there kinda look like a turtle ;)

Parts of Kualoa Ranch run right along the coast.  It was such a pretty view.

Cool history fact:

During World War II the military built a landing strip on the property, for use in emergency, the trees offered great camouflage from other planes or people on the road.  The also build a couple of gun batteries, and bunkers. (Is gun battery and bunker the same thing???  I have no clue.) This one was called Cooper Battery, and was used as a coastal defense gun battery.   As cool as that is, it's not the reason why we are posing outside for a picture...

They also used this bunker as a Dharma station (The Tempest) on LOST! 

(I was giddy.)

Kualoa Mountain Range

Kualoa means 'long-back' the ranch is chock full of beautiful valleys and mountain peeks.

One of the prettiest places I have ever visited.  I could spend forever here.

This picture tries to show how far back the valley goes, we didn't even see a quarter of it.

Just another view.

They have filmed a lot of movies here: 50 First Dates, Jurassic Park, Windtalkers and Tears of the Sun, just to name a few.  Here is the giant lizard paw print from Godzilla.

Jason was so excited to see the log from Jurassic Park, that the doctor and kids hide behind to get away from the dinos.  He wanted to get out and re-enact the scene, but Harry was asleep and the driver drove past before he could ask.

And last but not least...

Hurley's Golf Course from LOST!

(I wish we could have gone in the 'winter', so the grass would've been green.)

It was such a fun day, and I am so glad we went.  Next time, if we are fortunate enough to go back to Hawaii, I wanna go on the atv tour!

Great memories!!