A 10-Year Anniversary in Hawaii

B.E Away

Sep 1

A 10-Year Anniversary Trip to Hawaii on Film

In August of 2019, my husband Andrew and I ventured to the Big Island of Hawaii to celebrate our tenth anniversary. We ended up staying there for one week—a few days into our trip we joined a few other couples to take a tour around the entire island. We experienced an authentic Hawaiian Luau, took a hike to a remote beach, experienced a drive touring the town of Hilo, visited the City of Refuge, and celebrated my 29th birthday on a beach in Kona. I photographed the trip on my Pentax 645N with Kodak Portra 400.

Story and Photos by Sammi of Splendid Musings

What made you choose Hawaii for your anniversary?

When Andrew and I first got married, our dream was to visit Hawaii for our honeymoon. We ended up not getting the chance to visit, so when our ten year anniversary rolled around, we knew we wanted to do something special. We ended up deciding to visit the big island of Hawaii—my aunt and uncle had spent their first anniversary there and gave us some amazing ideas and tips. We even ended up staying at the same resort that they did over twenty years ago!

Picture your favorite moment of the entire trip. If you were to take me there, what would I see, hear, smell, feel, and taste?

Hands down my absolute favorite moment of our trip was hiking to Makalawena Beach. You have to travel over a rocky terrain of lava rocks but once you get to the secluded beach you are blessed with the most beautiful view. Because it's so remote, there was no one else around and all we could hear was the peaceful sound of the crashing waves from the crystal clear blue water and smell the saltwater in the air. We brought our snorkeling gear so when we weren't lounging on the quiet beach we were in the water, swimming alongside tropical fish and sea turtles. It was one of the most magical and relaxing parts of our trip.

What do you enjoy about traveling with your spouse?

One of my favorite things about traveling with Andrew is being able to experience new things with him. He's so adventurous and willing to try new things and see new places. I am typically an anxious person and I don't like to get out of my comfort zone very often but when I travel, Andrew always has a way of getting me out of my bubbles so I can experience the world and all it has to offer.

What do you enjoy about taking photos film-only during travels?

Film photography has such a wonderful way of documenting the world. I have shot film on almost every single travel that we've taken in the past and being able to look back on all the film images I have taken allows me to remember all the amazing things that happened. Nothing about traveling is perfect and there will always be hiccups on our journey's but with film, it captures the world in a way that when I look back I am only ever reminded of the amazing and positive things that happen.

Editor’s Note || I asked if Sammi and Andrew would provide a photo of the two of them so we could see who is behind the lens. Thank you for obliging and Happy Anniversary you two!