Kualoa Ranch

On our way to Kualoa Ranch for few really cool tours we will go on an Ocean Adventure, Horseback Riding and on a Movie Tour.  We have left the resort super early to assure our on-time arrival at the ranch.  

couple of neat pictures of the fog in the mountains on our way.

We have arrived and even had time to stop and get a gas station breakfast and coffee before we got here.

We have learned a lot about the ranch today it is considered one of the most sacred places in Oahu.  It was the residence of Kings a sort of sanctuary for them.  They would go there and learn the arts of war, history and social traditions.  King Kamehameha III sold the land for $1300 to Dr. Judd who was a missionary and personal advisor to the king.  He and his wife help translate medical books to the Hawaiian language.  The original purchase was for 622 acres and the island Mokoli'i which is now referred to as "chinaman's hat".  Later the Hakipu'u and Ka'a'awa valleys were purchased by Dr. Judd's son which increased the size of their estate to 4000 acres which it is still owned by descendants of Dr. Judd today.  It received it name of Kualoa Ranch in 1927.  Kualoa means long back and it refers to the long back of the mountains that stretch through the estate.

We signed in and got scheduled for our tours for the day and then walk around the grounds taking pictures.

Our first tour of the morning will be the ocean adventure. We will go on a catamaran tour of Oahu's windward side in the Kaneohe Bay.

Island of Mokoli'i - "Chinaman's hat"

Mokolii Island is a 12.5 acre island off the shor of Kualo Point, It was once connected to Oahu before erosion separated the two.  the island is referred to as "Chinaman's Hat" due to its resemblance to the straw hats worn by Chinese immigrants.

Pictured below is the restaurant Hukilau Cafe from the movie 50 first dates with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. 

50 First Dates

Movie (2004) 

This is us standing at the window that Drew Barrymore is sitting in front of in the scene above.

Below are a few of the shows filmed at this location.

Tears of the Sun

Movie (2003)

Off the Map

TV Series (2010-2011)

Jurrasic World
Movie (2015)

Soul Surfer

Movie (2011)

Lost

TV Series (2004-2010)

These are sets recently rehabbed for an upcoming shoot.

Now time for our Horseback Adventure into the Ko'olau mountains on the Southern half of the ranch.

below are a few pics we got to take during our horseback ride.  Not many taken though.  We were told not to let the horses eat while on the ride.  They told us the grasses and weeds out there were sugary goodness to the horses and they did not need it.  Wouldn't you know our horses were like fat kids in a candy shop.  They wanted to eat non-stop so we got to spend most of our time telling the horses no and constantly pulling on their reigns to keep them from eating.

In the pic below is what we laughed at most of the ride.  The poor man on the horse to the left finally gave up on getting his horse to not eat the sugary goodness.  He ended up just letting the horse go everywhere,  He would be behind us sometimes and others times we would see him up on the hillside.

There you have it all 15 pics from our  horse ride, but the joys of this ride did not end when we got off of the horses.  Oooooh Nooo!  We got the joys of  hip pain and sore asses that we got to take as a souvenier to enjoy for the next couple of days.  The ride was fun and pretty but I do believe that someone will have to pay us to ride another horse in our lives.

Next up the movie Tour

First place we come to is a World War II bunker that was built shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  It was built into the rock face at the Ranch.  The ranch also was a temporary airstrip and the monkey pod trees on the land made excellent natural hangars for the small planes.

The owners of the Kualoa Ranch maintain the bunker and now use it to display WWII artifacts and as a museum to all of the movies filmed on the ranch. Over the years over 50 movies have been filmed here.

Here are just a few of the movies filmed here at the ranch

                                  

                                2004                                1986                                  1998

                    

                                   2001                                  1996                                  1955

                    

                                                                            1966

This is the road that Drew Barrymore drives home everyday in the movie 50 First Dates.  This is where Adam's truck  "breaks down" also where the penguin crosses the road.

This is a footprint from Godzilla

The island on the left of the "chinamans's hat" is supposed to be Coconut Island, this is where the opening scenes for the popular TV show Gilligan's Island was filmed.

You decide.  I think it kinda looks like it myself.