Dutch Dutch Goose

Every time I post photos from Queen's Bath, someone asks me the same question:

"Okay, but how do you actually get out there?"

So I finally put together a complete guide.

We rented a kayak, paddled out to the Mokes, spotted sea turtles the entire way, met a monk seal on the beach, floated in Queen's Bath, snorkeled off Lanikai, and somehow still had time for sandwiches in Kailua afterward.

The post covers:
✓ Permits
✓ Kayak rentals
✓ Where to launch
✓ What the paddle is really like
✓ How to find Queen's Bath
✓ Snorkeling spots
✓ What to pack
✓ A few favorite Kailua stops afterward

If this adventure has been sitting on your Oʻahu bucket list, hopefully this makes planning it a little easier.

Kayaking to the Mokes: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting Queen's Bath | Dutch Dutch Goose Learn how to kayak to the Mokes, secure a landing permit for Moku Nui, swim in Queen's Bath, snorkel off Lanikai Beach, and plan the perfect adventure-filled day in Kailua.

Birthday sunset perfection!

I can’t believe how lucky I to have this amazing life on this incredible planet.

To everyone who has made me feel loved this year - thank you! No matter if we have been friends for many years, just met, or are Para social podcast friends please know I’m thankful for you and you made me smile this year.

xoxo
Elizabeth

More of this please!

Turns out I love outrigger canoe surfing. Nothing like paddling out and getting to ride the waves back in. We chat, count and dig in. Turtles pop up next to the boat. Sometimes I get really emotional seeing the land from the water.

Thankful for our steersmen who spend time teaching us the sport and putting us perfectly into the waves.

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May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi 🌺

Lei are a way of showing love, respect, and connection. Worn for celebrations, welcomes, and goodbyes…and sometimes just because. Leis are about offering your time and attention.

Today we made our own haku lei, learning as we went. It was way harder than it looks, but once I got into it was almost meditational. It’s a beautiful way to connect with Hawai’i and with each other.

Have you ever made one?

Had the opportunity to participate in a double hulled canoe race at Rainbow Bay Marina. Unbelievably our boat won. These are the traditional canoes of the Polynesian Islands. Canoeing with them is all about paddling as one. When the whole boat paddles together you glide through the water. It’s an incredible experience. We had a lot of laughs too and now some very sore shoulders!

Sometimes a little get away is all you need to reset. We are so lucky to be able to get away to Kauai for two nights and enjoy this gorgeous view.

We had a question on the podcast about loosing yourself to motherhood, partially in those early years. (That episode will be out on Monday.) This post is a reminder that seasons change.

Pool day.
Book club book.
Dress my mom brought back for me from India.

One of the incredible parts of living in Hawaii has been having my worldview expanded. I just didn’t learn much about Hawai’i, and honestly didn’t give it much thought. Now that we live here everyday I’m learning and growing.

This weekend we were invited to the premier of a symphony written about this moment history that led to a resurgence of claiming the Hawaiian culture and ensuring it never faded again. The sailing of an ancestral double hulled canoe from Hawai’I to Tahiti using only ancestral navigation techniques - Hōkūleʻa Rising!