Hawaii - Oahu Part 2

Saturday morning we took a trip to the top of Diamond Head. The hike was about 1 mile and featured a change of over 500 feet in elevation but provided beautiful panoramic views of Oahu.

We took it easy the rest of the day, this is vacation and we had a busy day planned for Sunday but our day concluded with a sunset cruise on the Star of Honolulu

This provided some great views of Oahu as well including Diamond Head:

Waikiki Beach:

Pacific Ocean and Sunset:

Sunday morning at 4:45 a.m. I awoke with my nephews for the surfing lesson. Again, unfortunately I don’t have any pictures but it was a great way to spend 2 hours and learn the sport of Hawaii. Our next stop was an Atlantis submarine tour to get to see some of Hawaii’s marine life up close

The submarine was not luxurious

but it did provide some great pictures of man made reefs at the bottom of the ocean. My favorite is this one. It is an old airplane that used to shuttle passengers between islands.

On Sunday night we stopped at a traditional Hawaiian luau. Well, as traditional as a hotel can put on. We headed towards the western side of the island and went to Paradise Cove. The event provided an insight into old Hawaiian games and activities including canoeing

fishing

hula dancing

a firedancer

and of course, a dead pig

My trip to Oahu has been a fascinating trip into paradise and it hasn’t disappointed. Today we are spending the morning in Oahu – and then I am off to the Big Island.

Hawaii - Oahu Part 1

Editor’s Note: Our hero apologizes for not updating his blog every day during this trip. This entry will encompass our hero’s first 5 days on the island of Oahu.

Growing up, I thought of Hawaii as paradise. It was this obscure place in the South Pacific where people went to get married, newlyweds went to celebrate their marriage and surfers dominated the waters. As a single man who had never surfed before – I wasn’t quite sure what I would do in “paradise.” In my first 5 days on Oahu – the island that is home to Honolulu, I found many different adventures to explore.

After a 9 hour flight from Chicago, we arrived in Honolulu. Our hotel was on Waikiki, a beach region east of Honolulu. It provided a beautiful view of downtown Honolulu at sunset.

Our first order of business was to take a walk down to Waikiki beach. Once there we stopped to take a picture in front of a statue of Duke Kahanamoku.

Duke is a local surfing legend here in Oahu, known for his swimming prowess where he won 5 Olympic medals in 3 different Olympics and as a surfer who dominated the beaches of Waikiki. August 24th was also Duke's 116th birthday. Duke fest was rampant on the beaches of Waikiki.

Thursday provided us the opportunity to visit the USS Arizona memorial. This ship was sunk at Pearl Harbror on December 7th, 1941.

It serves as the final resting place for over 1,100 bodies.

As I visited, I could only imagine what happened in this place over 55 years ago and it was very eerie to be standing over the final resting place for so many men.

Our next stop was the punchbowl, which is another graveyard. The most common translation of the Punchbowl's Hawaiian name, "Puowaina," is "Hill of Sacrifice." This translation closely relates to the history of the crater. The first known use was as an altar where Hawaiians offered human sacrifices to pagan gods and killed violators of the many taboos. Now, it is the National Cemetery of the Pacific. This memorial has the names of thousands of soldiers who were lost at sea during World War II, Vietnam and Korea.

It is a very peaceful place where the trees leaves are shaped liked halos.

It also provided a beautiful view of Diamond Head.

After such a long day of travel and a full day of activities – we spent the rest of the day at the pool.

Friday morning, my nephews, my mom and I went snorkeling in Hanamura Bay. Unfortunately, I didn’t take my camera so I don’t have any pictures but it was a wonderful place to snorkel even for a beginner.

After our snorkeling adventure we headed towards the North Shore

the island and stopped at the Dole Plantation, home to Dole pineapples

and the world’s largest maze as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records

The soggy conditions did not deter my nephews who completed the maze in 23 minutes, just 16 minutes behind the world record holder. The trip provided us the opportunity to eat a pineapple split, a enormous desert served in a half of a pineapple that featured pineapple whip, chocolate sauce, carmel sauce and crushed pineapples. It also provides us a beautiful sunset on Hawaii’s north shore.