Well, my time in Hawaii is coming to a rapid end. I would stay if I could but seeing as my Visa expires on the second of February, the US Government isn't so keen on me staying... Bastards! At the moment I am just trying to enjoy my last days. O'ahu is getting cold again but it hasn't stopped us from skating or swimming in waterfalls. The other day Ethan, Nellie myself and Ethan's house mate Keiran headed out to some un known destination for a hike and a swim. We trekked along a dirt path for half an hour or so before reaching the bottom of a massive waterfall. It must have scaled 50 meters at least up the cliff wall. It left a deep swim able pond at the bottom which was packed to the brim with tourists and my all time favourite... Screaming, snotty nosed little children! Love em. Slightly disappointed with the end result Ethan ushered us all into the jungle off the side of the walking track. He lead us up steep muddy banks and eventually to the bottom of a banyan tree which scaled it's way up the cliff side. We climbed and climbed until we reached the top of the tree, stepped back off of it onto the cliff edge and then began climbing the next banyan. Eventually we reached the top of the cliff and were perched on the edge of the very top of the waterfall. At the top there was another pool (this one was obviously empty since life and limb was risked to reach it) and then the waterfall continued up another cliff, this one about 25 meters tall. The view was incredible, it showed the whole valley all the way to the ocean. We swam and then had to scram as it began to rain and climbing down 50 meters of wet, slippery tree did not sound like the ideal situation. If you don't know a banyan tree, google it. They are incredible.

We haven't really been doing much in the downhill skating department. We have been riding our regular backyard pool fairly often and I am happy to focus on that for the moment as each session could be my last. I have plans to come back here in May but the problem with pools is they have a tendency to be demolished or filled in. Gotta make it count while it's there. We have been to a couple of skateparks too. 

It's funny, the definition of lazy changes so much depending on where you are. In Finland, if it was snowing like mad or pouring with rain and freezing cold, lazy would mean leaving the house once to get a coffee from down the road and doing nothing but watching movies all day. I feel like I have been lazy over here for the last couple of weeks but thinking about it now, we have been swimming everyday, skating something everyday, hiking almost everyday. I suppose I'm not that slack after all.

Each day, Nellie heads out for a run up Koko head. I wasn't really sure what a Koko head was so I decided to tag along one morning. Turns out, it's a massive mountain which has old train tracks running straight up the side of it. I don't know if they used to mine something from the top but there are concrete bunkers at the peak which I assume are military (they are ruins now) so perhaps the tracks were used to get supplies up. Either way, it's a hell of a climb! Nellie told me about a friend she took up there who literally crapped her pants half way up!! With that image in my mind, we began the climb up. It' hard walking because you can't just walk normally. The train tracks are surrounded by bush on each side so you have to walk on the wooden beams that support the metal tracks. It is almost vertical in some places. Not only that but it was Martin Luther King day which meant every man and his dog (plus wife, mum, 4 kids and the kitchen sink) were trekking up. Taking children up there is dumb. Nothing short of dumb. In one section the tracks turn into a bridge which has a very substantial drop below it. When I say bridge, I mean they built the tracks over a valley so you still have to walk across while balancing on the wooden beams. It was epic. Really cool though and I am happy that I did it. I made it to the top without pooping my pants which was a plus side for sure! If you are ever in Hawaii and you don't have the kids and kitchen sink with you, climb Koko head! 

Whoah, we had a race too. I forgot about it! Race number 5 I think in the Winter Outlaw Series. Death Slalom! Mackenzie Yoshida who is the man behind all these race (there are 6 races every winter) went all out for this one. It was some form of boardercross. Downhill racing, with slalom cones, kicker ramps and obstacles to ollie. I was still sick so I skated a little but didn't enter the race. I got some filming done and snapped some photos though. The hike up to the road took us past a coconut farm which I hadn't seen before. Suffice to say, within seconds Ethan was up a tree followed by two other locals. The race went smoothly, there was loads of time so mess around on the kicker ramps and get used to them. Ethan's mate Poseidon (yes, he is the God of the sea!) was pulling out 360's, finger flips and I suppose you would call it a finger shove it? He was rad anyway. Not much else I can say about the event, it was awesome, Mackenzie did an amazing job, good times were had, people crashed and people did rad stuff. It was a good day!

That's all that I remember for now. Will probably get one more of these in before I leave. It's looking like my plans have changed and I won't be heading back to Europe just yet. Gonna try and extend this skate trip and make 2013 a year of constant adventure. More on that later, we will see if it happens.  

My time in Hawaii is coming to an end. I have roughly 2 weeks left so I am busy trying to capture all of the footage I should have got 2 months ago. We have been skating and the weather has been pretty good. A few showers here and there but usually followed by sun which dries everything out pretty fast. Last week I headed to the local University/college campus and sold almost everything I have in terms of skate gear. I arrived on campus with Kenny at about 8:30am and left around 3pm with $300 in my pocket. Students love wheels! Doesn't help me when I get back to Europe but at least I can eat for the rest of my time here!

Over the last week we have skated pools, parks, hills and driveways. Jumped off of cliffs into amazing water and collected fruit from people's yards and the jungle. Just a normal week on the Island. We had an epic run on the local mountain over the weekend which left me frothing for 2 days. We had a big group of skaters and a large amount of slow moving tourist vehicles. Wheels were shedded, shoes were burnt and cars were passed. Passing a car on a skateboard has got to be one of the most adrenaline filled things you can do in this world. A lump of wood, no engine and small, urethane wheels smoking a machine that was designed for easy speed. Without a doubt the best downhill run I have had since I have been here and all with rad people who I trust in hectic and tight situations. The way the locals ride and know their roads is next level, good enough to skate them in the pitch black with no lights.

At the risk of losing readers, it has been 3 days since I have pooped. Stomach is sore and my body feels like it weighs a ton. It has been holding me back a little but I am convinced that today will be the day! Yesterday we headed out to China walls which is an amazing swimming spot. You stand above the ocean on a rocky cliff and the only way to get down is to jump. The jump isn't so big and the water is insanely deep so there is no risk but it is getting out which is the tricky part. There are wave sets which travel along the side of the cliff you jump off to get in which means you have to be aware of what's happening as you climb up. The rocks are high enough up that you have to use the waves to lift you up to climbing level but, if the wave is to big you risk being swept off the rocks and potentially smashed right into them. A couple of tourist chicks turned up yesterday and didn't hesitate to jump straight in. The first one managed to climb out fine but the second one who, let's say wasn't as ''fit'' as the other one had a lot of trouble. She would be half way up the rocky shelf and be totally engulfed by a wave, she would disappear from view and re appear some 5 to 10 meters down the rock wall spitting out all the salt water she had just taken in. She made it out eventually though. The first time we took Matt, Dane, Amanda and Ollie there (remember they came for a while and then followed us to Maui for the race) Ollie made the mistake of putting his toe in one of the crevices in the rock which are full of sea urchins. He sliced the side of his toe up good so even the photographer didn't leave without injury! Good times!

  

What can I say, the weather has not been on our side as of late. We have been skating most days, parks and pools which, don't get me wrong is soooo much fun. The mountain hasn't been given a chance to dry out though, there is a constant blanket of black cloud covering it's peaks so riding on the long planks has been postponed. The pool is awesome though, I'm getting beyond stoked on pool skating and may have found another one on the googley maps last night! Hawaii is feeling more and more like home everyday and I am trying to figure ways to move here longer term. If any of you folk make fake Green Cards, hook a brother up!

I am officially broke now. Down to my last $20. It happens every trip so I'm kinda used to it. This time around though I'm determined not to borrow any money. This morning I traded a set of wheels for a new pair of VANS so I am now set for shoes, hopefully they last for my final 3 weeks. Heading back to Finland on the 1st of February and looking for work so keep me in mind Finns! Looking for a couch to rest my head on when I first get back too so hit me up if you have one!

That's it, I'm out of news. Pool skating on the mind, I hit coping in the deep end with my wheel yesterday over the light. Next time I will grind that fucker! Skating transition in the park feels strange after riding pools. It's to easy to pick lines and go fast, the transition is perfect along with the surface... Almost to perfect! 

I will come back and write more when I can think of more things...  

Here we go, check out this sketchy run down the mountain. Sometimes you want some grippy wheels!

The title says it all, it's pissing down here! Has been for the last 3 days, non stop. It's depressing. I'm trapped in the the basement under Ethan's house (that's where I sleep) afraid to go outside. I don't like rain... Especially when I am on holiday in Hawaii!!!!

Trying to think what has happened before it started raining. Nellie, Ethan, myself and a mate named Seth headed out to the West side to surf at a beach. Ethan told me ''if I dropped you on the side of the road out there, you would probably disappear...'' That was his way of telling me that it is ghetto out there and that me being a white tourist (howlie) I was likely to be punched in the face if I looked at anyone. I decided not to surf when we arrived as the place was packed out and I'm not the best surfer in the world. Nellie nicked off straight away to go collect shells, Seth and Ethan headed out to the waves and I went in and started ducking under waves. It was shallow with loads of rocks which were sharp. I was having the time of my life frolicking in the waves on my own when I turned around and realised I was miles away fro the shore. I tried to body surf a few waves in but it was so shallow and rocky all I accomplished was smashing my knee on a rock. I tried swimming againt the current and across it but just kept being pulled further and further out. Eventually I was almost out where all the surfers were cued up to catch the waves. Luckily, I spotted Ethan and gave him a wave. He paddled over with a look on his face which asked ''what the hell are you doing all the way out here?'' I told him I couldn't get back in and he laughed. Bastard. He tried towing me in with me holding his ankle as he paddled but that was not going to work. Eventually I took the board and caught waves in while he body surfed back to shore with rocks right below. I survived! I have never been in a rip or current that I haven't been able to get out of and I hope it doesn't happen again.

After that I was drying off at the car when Nellie came over and told me I had to follow her, she had a surprise for me. I asked if I could eat it, she said maybe so I was in! We walked down the beach for ages, away from all the people until we reached a rocky area at the end. Eventually I spotted it, Nellie had found a Hawaiian Monk seal hauled out and soaking up the sun. For those that don't know, I spent almost 5 years working with seals back in Australia before I moved out to Europe and I am still a big seal fan. The last time I checked, the Hawaiian Monk seal was the second most endangered seal in the world (next to Finlands Saimannorppaa) and seeing one was very high on my to do list. Nellie carried on collecting shells as I sat 5 meters away from this monk seal for about 45 minutes. I know nothing about this type of seal so I am unsure if it was male or female. It had a really amazing green tint to it's body though as if moss were growing on it's fur. Very excited to see one and I hope to get the chance again.

We now have a new house guest named Claudia who comes from Germany and is over here for the same reason I am. She arrived the day the rain began I think so I would think she is a little bummed out at the moment. The rain will pass one day though... It has too.

Yesterday evening we headed out with Ethan's mate Miles who took us to some stair sets at a school with sheltered, out door corridors. I started to think of when I last skated stairs and realised it was when I was 17 years old. I then realised that it has been 8 years since I was 17. It doesn't feel like 8 years ago and I can't get the thought out of my head. I have memories from those days that are as clear as if it were yesterday... The stairs were fun, took a while to get into the swing of things. They weren't huge, I think a 5 stair set was the biggest done that night but not by me. I was happy on the three's although I was getting mega wheel bite on some of my landings. Got a boo boo on my elbow!

Today Ethan and I trekked out to skate a backyard pool. It was dry in the area so we were stoked. When we arrived the pool had loads of water in it from the last 3 days rain so we got to work bailing her out. After 80 buckets we still had atleast another 20 to go and it started pissing with rain again. Super bummed not to be able to skate, at least it lessened the work load for next time!

Think that's it, just sitting out the rain and waiting to be able to skate again.

I had an article posted on All Around Skate today. Check it out, comes with videos and all sorts. Click....H....HER...HE...HERE... Ahh ya got it, well done!