april-2013

It was June in Melbourne, and
we were seriously yearning
for the sun. For us, that would
normally mean somewhere in South-
East Asia. But this time my husband
and I were travelling with our three
eldest children – who are 5, 7 and
8 – so for peace of mind, we sought
out a destination guaranteeing firstworld
comforts like potable tap water
alongside the usual room service
and white towels.
So we decided on Hawaii, and
the island of Oahu. North Shore
came first – it was semi-rural, as we
discovered when we hired a car and
set off on our many day trips. There
were shrimp farms everywhere, and
we bought lunch from food trucks
parked at the side of the road. We
embarked on a quest to find the
38
takeoff » parents only
ya-hoo, oahu!
There’s nothing better than a family holiday, says
Nova 100’s breakfast show co-host Kate Langbroek –
providing it comes with cocktails and reading time
most deserted
beaches, and one
day went swimming
in a tiny little cove.
If there is one way to
improve paradise for me, it’s
with shopping. So our subsequent
move, an hour or so down the
highway to Waikiki and its strip of
American enticements (Victoria’s
Secret, anybody?!), couldn’t have
worked out better. Not only that, but
our hotel – a time-honoured beauty
known as The Royal Hawaiian –
shared an enormous waterslide with
the property next door, which the
children adored.
The significance of this cannot be
overstated for the parents of little
people: this meant we actually got
to read. Books! By the pool! While
If there is one
way to improve
paradise for
me, it’s
with shopping
drinking cocktails!
Specifically, I fell
for a dangerously
delicious concoction
called a Lava Flow. It
was coconut-ty, sweet and
irresistible, just like Hawaii itself:
a mix of heady, tropical, wild
and commercial. It was all quite
intoxicating (pun intended).
Maybe that’s why I agreed to go
swimming with dolphins. Or let the
kids have pancakes with bacon and
maple syrup EVERY morning. I even
talked my husband into changing
our flights and staying three extra
days – and he agreed. Who, after all,
is in a hurry to leave paradise?
You can listen to Kate Langbroek
on the Hughesy & Kate breakfast
show on Nova 100, Nova FM
Illustration: Mary Sarpong at IlluStratIonrooM.coM.au