THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
O'AHU
Day 1
Since part of the Hawaiian Adventure originally included my running the Honolulu Marathon, we booked our flight into Honolulu. As mentioned here previously, injury precluded my running the marathon. However, we did want to visit O'ahu, plus it was a direct flight from Phoenix on Hawaiian Airlines.
Our flight was without incident, and we took the Enterprise shuttle at Honolulu International to pick up our rental car. It was all looking good until the rental agent put Ron's driver's license into their machine as a confirmation...LICENSE EXPIRED???? Yep, on his birthday, October 16. We did a double-take, used my (valid) driver's license, and successfully rented the car. Of course, neither of us had any illusions about my doing the driving for the next 13 days, so after leaving the rental lot and making the first of numerous unintentional wandering explorations of Honolulu, Ron took over the driving for the bulk of the trip, expired license and all. Ron = Driver. Alice = Navigator.
Though our motel was only 10 minutes from the airport, it took us a ridiculous amount of time to find it, which included driving by it and not seeing it at least once. However, once located and settled in, we had our no-frills home base for O'ahu.
Neither of us have ever been to a China Town, so we chose to visit the one in Honolulu.
It was very ethnic, which ended up making both of us somewhat uncomfortable. The store-front shops were filled with unfamiliar goods and foods. We did a bit of walking and stopped for lunch at on of the little eateries. Ron asked if there was a restroom-yep, down the way somewhere. The young cook & cashier asked me in Chinese, English and sign language if I would watch the shop while she showed Ron to the restroom? Sure!!! Why not?? No one, Chinese or English-speaking, came in during the 5 minutes she was gone.
We made a wise decision as we parked our car, which looked like any other of dozens of cars: I took a picture of the car and the license plate. We ended up doing this throughout the trip, and quickly accustomed ourselves to looking for our license plate to identify our car.
We next made our way to a Shinto mission in downtown Honolulu.
It was a beautiful and respectful place, with these instructions in place:
Our plan for the next day was to visit Pearl Harbor. We were becoming experienced with the various difficulties in trying to find our way in Honolulu, so Ron decided to locate Pearl Harbor to cut down on our search time in the morning. After that, we went back to our room for a good night's sleep.
Day 2
Despite our scouting trip the previous day, this freeway turned into that freeway and it took us an hour to make the 15-minute drive to Pearl Harbor. No matter; it was worth it. Pearl Harbor is a place of overpowering historical significance to this country and the world. The Pearl Harbor National Park has done a beautiful job of clearly explaining the events leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in a balanced way. Unlike the European Theater, which had the pure evil of Naziism, the Pacific Theater was driven primarily by economics (read: oil). Then, like now, the hand of the United States was firmly in that glove. The USS Arizona National Monument was one of the most emotionally moving places I've ever been. Despite the political and economic basis of war, always it comes down to the ultimate sacrifice individual men and women are willing to make to keep our country what it is, strengths and flaws alike. That sacrifice lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor for us to contemplate, honor, and respect.
The list of names of those who went down with the USS Arizona.
Survivors of the USS Arizona can request to be buried at sea with their shipmates, and this description intensified an already emotional experience. (Double click on the photo to read the text.)
Visits to the USS Arizona Memorial are free. There are three war ships available to visit in the area for a fee; we chose to visit only the battleship USS Missouri, the "Mighty Mo".
The Missouri was the last US battleship ever built, and was still under construction in New York when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Though the Pearl Harbor bombing effectively made battleship war obsolete, the Missouri was active in WWII and the Korean War. She was mothballed in 1955, then updated and reactivated in 1984 to be part of the Persian Gulf War. She was decommissioned in 1992 and donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association to become a museum ship at Pearl Harbor. Our first visit to such a ship, we were overwhelmed with her sheer size. Then were overwhelmed with the firepower of the ship. Then to imagine a fleet of such ships.....well, I couldn't. Besides her battle service, The Missouri was chosen as the ship on which the Japanese formally surrendered to the Allies in 1945. Yep, we stood where history was made.
We took a short guided tour, followed by a self-guided tour. It's amazing to see first-hand what it takes to run a battleship-food, sleeping quarters, payroll, post office, chain of command. It was essentially a self-contained branch of the US Navy.
With enough war history under our belts to satisfy us, we drove through Honolulu to find the Wahiawa Botanical Garden, the first of many botanical gardens we visited.
What was nice about this one was it was in the middle of a residential neighborhood in a Honolulu suburb, making it a nice reminder that we really were in a tropical jungle as well as a concrete jungle.
On to the Dole Pineapple Plantation
While once an active pineapple plantation, it's now strictly for tourists . We enjoyed a pineapple cutting & tasting demonstration, and a walk in the gardens.
Back to our motel for the evening. Our return included taking the correct turns and exits, our first so far in Honolulu. Ron made the wry comment that even a stopped clock is right twice a day! We also finally realized a consistency with Honolulu drivers that held true on all the islands: unlike driving in Phoenix and even Flagstaff, where drivers take what they think is theirs, drivers in Hawai'i give you the right of way. If you turn on your blinker, there's a space for you to change lanes, even on the busy freeways. In the smaller towns, drivers would stop for pedestrians waiting to cross the street even if there was no crosswalk! Though Ron is a good driver, we were still tourists in a strange place. This courtesy was remarkable and welcome to us.
Day 3
Diamond Head was our first destination today. We got there as the sunrise crowds were coming down. Lots of them were dressed in running gear, doing their pre-marathon hike in preparation for the Honolulu Marathon the next day. Yep, I got a little twinge of regret and jealousy.
The trail is only .08 miles one way, from the crater floor to the summit. It was originally part of the US Army coastal defense system, and remnants of that installation are evident. As seen on the map above, that "only" .08 miles includes a 74-step stairway,
and a 99-step stairway.
Even at about 800 feet above sea level, it'll make you huff and puff.
The view at the top is outstanding. Here's Honolulu, with Diamond Head's shadow in the foreground.
The way down afforded us this view of the crater:
On to Pali Lookout.
This lookout had a great view.
What's not evident in pictures is that this is a pass that funnels the trade winds. The wind blows so hard you literally can't keep your feet. We stayed only long enough for a few pictures.
The area has an interesting and violent history. This from Wikipedia:
"The Nuʻuanu Pali was the site of the Battle of Nuʻuanu, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oʻahu, bringing it under his rule. In 1795 Kamehameha I sailed from his home island of Hawaiʻi with an army of 10,000 warriors, including a handful of non-Hawaiian foreigners. After conquering the islands of Maui and Molokaʻi, he moved on to Oʻahu. The pivotal battle for the island occurred in Nuʻuanu Valley, where the defenders of Oʻahu, led by Kalanikūpule, were driven back up into the valley where they were trapped above the cliff. More than 400 of Kalanikūpule's soldiers were driven off the edge of the cliff to their deaths 1,000 feet below."
Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden was our choice for today's exploration.
This garden is planted with trees and shrubs from rainforests. Unable to identify anything, we enjoyed the drive, the view, and a trail to a small lake.
When we arrived back at the parking lot, we were interested to see emergency vehicles on scene. Turned out it was a common enough occurrence.
Even experienced hikers make mistakes hiking on the islands, and often go places they can't get back or down from. These hikers were rescued by helicopter from the mountains in the background.
Day 4
Our ultimate destination this day was the North Shore of O'ahu, which is known for its world-class surfing. We hoped to see the Banzai Pipeline, which is an area of particularly spectacular surf breaks. Our first destination was the Valley of the Temples. Among its attractions is a Memorial Park, which is an active cemetery known for its beautiful views.
The outstanding attraction is the Byod-in Buddhist Temple.
The grounds are lush, beautiful and quiet in a respectful way. It was dedicated in 1968 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawai'i. It is a replica of a famous and historical temple in Japan.
Before entering the temple, this bell is rung.
The Buddha housed inside is stunning.
The Koi Pond is well populated, and since the koi are often fed by visitors, a mass like this follows you as you walk along the waterway.
Our journey continued to the North Shore in search of Big Waves. In Hawai'i, there are no private beaches; all beaches are public. However, private residences and resorts are built continuously along the beaches. The solution: a right of way for beach access is mandatory. As we got closer to the area of the Banzai Pipeline, traffic increased dramatically. We saw our first of several beach accesses, which was a small pathway between houses. Parking involved finding a spot to pull off beside the road and walking to the nearest access. After miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic, we chose with no regret to give up the Banzai Pipeline. Though we thought it was heavy weekend traffic, we found out later they were having the Billabong Pipe Masters surfing competition.
Instead, we pulled off at a much quieter area and enjoyed this beach and Small Waves.
After a bit more sightseeing, we turned around and headed back to Honolulu. This was our last day on O'ahu, and we were very pleased with what we'd seen and done.
It was a beautiful and respectful place, with these instructions in place:
Our plan for the next day was to visit Pearl Harbor. We were becoming experienced with the various difficulties in trying to find our way in Honolulu, so Ron decided to locate Pearl Harbor to cut down on our search time in the morning. After that, we went back to our room for a good night's sleep.
Day 2
Despite our scouting trip the previous day, this freeway turned into that freeway and it took us an hour to make the 15-minute drive to Pearl Harbor. No matter; it was worth it. Pearl Harbor is a place of overpowering historical significance to this country and the world. The Pearl Harbor National Park has done a beautiful job of clearly explaining the events leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in a balanced way. Unlike the European Theater, which had the pure evil of Naziism, the Pacific Theater was driven primarily by economics (read: oil). Then, like now, the hand of the United States was firmly in that glove. The USS Arizona National Monument was one of the most emotionally moving places I've ever been. Despite the political and economic basis of war, always it comes down to the ultimate sacrifice individual men and women are willing to make to keep our country what it is, strengths and flaws alike. That sacrifice lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor for us to contemplate, honor, and respect.
Survivors of the USS Arizona can request to be buried at sea with their shipmates, and this description intensified an already emotional experience. (Double click on the photo to read the text.)
Visits to the USS Arizona Memorial are free. There are three war ships available to visit in the area for a fee; we chose to visit only the battleship USS Missouri, the "Mighty Mo".
The Missouri was the last US battleship ever built, and was still under construction in New York when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Though the Pearl Harbor bombing effectively made battleship war obsolete, the Missouri was active in WWII and the Korean War. She was mothballed in 1955, then updated and reactivated in 1984 to be part of the Persian Gulf War. She was decommissioned in 1992 and donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association to become a museum ship at Pearl Harbor. Our first visit to such a ship, we were overwhelmed with her sheer size. Then were overwhelmed with the firepower of the ship. Then to imagine a fleet of such ships.....well, I couldn't. Besides her battle service, The Missouri was chosen as the ship on which the Japanese formally surrendered to the Allies in 1945. Yep, we stood where history was made.
With enough war history under our belts to satisfy us, we drove through Honolulu to find the Wahiawa Botanical Garden, the first of many botanical gardens we visited.
What was nice about this one was it was in the middle of a residential neighborhood in a Honolulu suburb, making it a nice reminder that we really were in a tropical jungle as well as a concrete jungle.
On to the Dole Pineapple Plantation
While once an active pineapple plantation, it's now strictly for tourists . We enjoyed a pineapple cutting & tasting demonstration, and a walk in the gardens.
Back to our motel for the evening. Our return included taking the correct turns and exits, our first so far in Honolulu. Ron made the wry comment that even a stopped clock is right twice a day! We also finally realized a consistency with Honolulu drivers that held true on all the islands: unlike driving in Phoenix and even Flagstaff, where drivers take what they think is theirs, drivers in Hawai'i give you the right of way. If you turn on your blinker, there's a space for you to change lanes, even on the busy freeways. In the smaller towns, drivers would stop for pedestrians waiting to cross the street even if there was no crosswalk! Though Ron is a good driver, we were still tourists in a strange place. This courtesy was remarkable and welcome to us.
Day 3
Diamond Head was our first destination today. We got there as the sunrise crowds were coming down. Lots of them were dressed in running gear, doing their pre-marathon hike in preparation for the Honolulu Marathon the next day. Yep, I got a little twinge of regret and jealousy.
The trail is only .08 miles one way, from the crater floor to the summit. It was originally part of the US Army coastal defense system, and remnants of that installation are evident. As seen on the map above, that "only" .08 miles includes a 74-step stairway,
and a 99-step stairway.
Even at about 800 feet above sea level, it'll make you huff and puff.
The view at the top is outstanding. Here's Honolulu, with Diamond Head's shadow in the foreground.
The way down afforded us this view of the crater:
On to Pali Lookout.
This lookout had a great view.
What's not evident in pictures is that this is a pass that funnels the trade winds. The wind blows so hard you literally can't keep your feet. We stayed only long enough for a few pictures.
The area has an interesting and violent history. This from Wikipedia:
"The Nuʻuanu Pali was the site of the Battle of Nuʻuanu, one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oʻahu, bringing it under his rule. In 1795 Kamehameha I sailed from his home island of Hawaiʻi with an army of 10,000 warriors, including a handful of non-Hawaiian foreigners. After conquering the islands of Maui and Molokaʻi, he moved on to Oʻahu. The pivotal battle for the island occurred in Nuʻuanu Valley, where the defenders of Oʻahu, led by Kalanikūpule, were driven back up into the valley where they were trapped above the cliff. More than 400 of Kalanikūpule's soldiers were driven off the edge of the cliff to their deaths 1,000 feet below."
Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden was our choice for today's exploration.
This garden is planted with trees and shrubs from rainforests. Unable to identify anything, we enjoyed the drive, the view, and a trail to a small lake.
When we arrived back at the parking lot, we were interested to see emergency vehicles on scene. Turned out it was a common enough occurrence.
Even experienced hikers make mistakes hiking on the islands, and often go places they can't get back or down from. These hikers were rescued by helicopter from the mountains in the background.
Day 4
Our ultimate destination this day was the North Shore of O'ahu, which is known for its world-class surfing. We hoped to see the Banzai Pipeline, which is an area of particularly spectacular surf breaks. Our first destination was the Valley of the Temples. Among its attractions is a Memorial Park, which is an active cemetery known for its beautiful views.
The outstanding attraction is the Byod-in Buddhist Temple.
The grounds are lush, beautiful and quiet in a respectful way. It was dedicated in 1968 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawai'i. It is a replica of a famous and historical temple in Japan.
Before entering the temple, this bell is rung.
The Buddha housed inside is stunning.
The Koi Pond is well populated, and since the koi are often fed by visitors, a mass like this follows you as you walk along the waterway.
Our journey continued to the North Shore in search of Big Waves. In Hawai'i, there are no private beaches; all beaches are public. However, private residences and resorts are built continuously along the beaches. The solution: a right of way for beach access is mandatory. As we got closer to the area of the Banzai Pipeline, traffic increased dramatically. We saw our first of several beach accesses, which was a small pathway between houses. Parking involved finding a spot to pull off beside the road and walking to the nearest access. After miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic, we chose with no regret to give up the Banzai Pipeline. Though we thought it was heavy weekend traffic, we found out later they were having the Billabong Pipe Masters surfing competition.
Instead, we pulled off at a much quieter area and enjoyed this beach and Small Waves.
After a bit more sightseeing, we turned around and headed back to Honolulu. This was our last day on O'ahu, and we were very pleased with what we'd seen and done.
