Today we are leaving Phoenix for an extended weekend in Hawaii. This is our second trip to Hawaii with the first trip taking in Big Island and Maui over the course of two weeks. This time we are planning to visit Oahu only as we have only limited time. Hawaii is nice also because there are direct flights from Phoenix directly to the islands and so there is no need to change planes on the way.
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| Leaving Phoenix.. | ...surprisingly cloudy |
The flight is uneventful and we soon arrive in Oahu and after a short ride are at the car rental station. It has an automated kiosk that we use for the check in but then still have to wait outside for half an hour for the car. It even starts raining which makes it difficult for our GPS to find the satellites so we get turn around a bit but finally find the correct route. The streets are busy especially in Waikiki but finally we find our hotel and find out how to access the parking lot. Checking in we are happy that we get a room on a high floor (30something) - we hope that the view is great and that there will be no sound from the street.
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| Hotel room | Relatively small bath |
It is late already so we exit in the evening to find a place for dinner, this is more difficult than anticipated. Besides from some mild rain from time to time the restaurants are packed and those that aren't are not that attractive (McDonalds is not why we came to Hawaii:)). Finally we find one that is ok even though it has loud live music but the food is acceptable and at least mimics traditional Hawaiian one and in addition we can also get a pina colada in a pineapple which is kitschy, cool and good. After this we return to the hotel to rest, tomorrow is a full day.
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| Traditional Hawaiian food | Pork BBQ in leaves |
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| A coconut filled with alcohol | That is how they did it |
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| View from Makapu'U Point |
We wake up early as we are not adjusted to the time difference yet. The sunrise from our balcony is impressive as well as the overall views, we are happy that we got a such a high floor room. The balcony is also a great place to have breakfast which we do from the stuff we bought a day earlier in a nearby supermarket.
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| Sunrise from hotel window | Waikiki view |
In the morning our plan is to visit Waikiki and go to the beach for a few hours. As we exit we have the first chance to view the hotel from the outside in the light - it is impressive but many buildings in Waikiki are.
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| Our hotel from afar | A bit closer - we were in a high floor room |
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| Interesting welcome | Fish in the pond in front of the hotel |
There are also lots of birds on the way but mostly the ones we know like zebra doves. minas and of course pigeons.
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| Nicely maintained | Pigeons are everywhere |
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| Zebra dove | Proud mina bird |
We visit a few stores and then pass through an open air mall which has some nice landscaped gardens (and we keep in mind for possible lunch) before finally reaching the sea.
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| Landscaped garden on our way to the beach | Feels like we are in Japan |
When we reach the sea we are surprised that we do not see the beach but are on a promenade on the shore of the sea. But following the promenade we reach the beach soon and while it is not wide it is long and we walk for some time on the shore in the waves enjoying the sun (from time to time) and looking at the surfers and swimmers in the wave.
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| Ok - where is the world renowned Waikiki beach? | There it is - much narrower than expected |
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| Royal Hawaiian Hotel | Beach in front |
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| You can go out with boats | Or just to surf |
We finally find a spot to stop and while there are some signs of rain including a beautiful rainbow we are mostly spared from the rain and enjoy the tame pigeons who seem to mob almost everyone in our vicinity.
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| Beach where we stopped | Beautiful rainbow |
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| Pigeons are quite tame here | They were trying to get food from us |
We also try our luck with finding fish in the water. There is a break in the water that keeps the waves out and there we find a few interesting fish including a big red one (Hawaiian Bigeye?) that seems mad at our intrusion.
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| Yellowstrip goatfish in the water | Moorish Idol |
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| Convict Tang | Hawaiian Bigeye |
Finally we decide to return to the hotel on a slightly different way to take our beach stuff back before eating lunch. On the way we take a look at the statues of Hawaiian royalty on the beachside and follow the Heritage Trail a bit to learn more about the different monuments and places along the way.
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| Prince Kuhio Statue | Heritage Trail marker |
We return along the Ala Wai Canal that we can see from our window it is less busy and we can see quite a few birds but nothing exceptional, mostly doves and pigeons.
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| Ala Wai Canal promenade | There are few waterbirds but used for watersports |
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| Zebra dove on the promenade | Relaxing near the canal |
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| View of the hotel from the back | Nicely painted hotel |
After leaving the beach stuff at the hotel we need some lunch so we go back at the mall from the morning to find something to eat. We settle on a Japanese restaurant which has Okonomiyaki which is very good and filling, we can barely move when we leave the restaurant.
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| Searching for lunch in a mall | Okonomiyaki - very good |
In fact the whole area seems to cater a lot to Japanese tourists and they are in majority something it feels we are back in Japan. Even many of the buses have inscriptions only in Japanese and look transplanted from Japan with cute logos and mascots.
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| Sometimes it feels we are in Japan.. | ...especially when we look at the buses |
In the afternoon we plan to go along the east coast to visit a few tourist destinations. The first one is the Halona blowhole which is quite popular and we barely find a parking spot. We go to the viewpoint and wait until the seawater hits the hole just right and you can see the water jet - it is fun even though we have seen this before.
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| Lots of people are looking at the Halona Blowhole | Few are looking back at the mountains |
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| Dangerous beach nearby | Where is the blowhole? |
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| There it is starting up | Maximum height |
Last visit for the day is the Makapu'u Trail which looked interesting as it afforded us an opportunity to do some hiking. As most places in Oahu it is busy but not prohibitively so which means we find a parking lot :). The trail is paved which we initially don't like but when we try to go on a different non paved trail we give up soon due to the mud - we suddenly like the pavement.
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| Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail parking | The trail seems recently paved |
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| Skeleton beside the road | The trail climbs quite a bit |
The trail climbs quite a bit towards the lighthouse but the views as we approach the lighthouse are breathtaking. Supposedly you can see whales from time to time also but no luck for us today.
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| View from the top | Islands off Oahu viewed from the top |
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| Soooo green near the trail | Great color combination |
You cannot get close to the lighthouse but there is a viewpoint overlooking it. It is suprisingly small compared to the ones we have seen - of course it sits at the top of the cliff so no need for height. THere are also remnants of WWII bunkers and other buildings as the US was preparing to defend against an Japan invasion.
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| The lighthouse from a distance | Close up of the lighthouse |
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| Ruins from World War II | Lots of ruins on the cliffs |
The top overlook is under repairs so we start our descend with all great views and a sunset right in front of our eyes. We cannot stop taking pictures of the sunset as the sun plays hide and seek behind a mountain - it is beautiful.
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| Rebuilding the overlook | Sun is starting to set |
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| Such a great view | Unreal colors |
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| Soo beautiful | Sun setting behind mountain |
Returning to the hotel we enjoy our balcony and the nightview of Waikiki a bit before going out for dinner.
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| Waikiki at night from room | Honolulu at night |
Dinner is at a nearby restaurant and while not as good as the lunch it is good enough to end the day on a high note as we return to the hotel for the night.
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| Pho soup at dinner | Steak |
We start in the morning with a breakfast on the balcony enjoying the views before driving to downtown Honolulu. Today we plan to visit Honolulu with a focus on Iolani Palace, the palace of the Hawaiian kings and queens. Hawaii was a kingdom from 1795 to 1893 when the monarchy was overthrown by US citizens with US military support and after that in a few years Hawaii was annexed by the US.
Finding a parking space is a bit difficult as many parking garages are closed in the weekend but we find one open and walk to Iolani Palace. The Iolani Palace was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) and after that was used as the capitol building for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaiʻi until 1969. It is now a museum that we intend to visit but we want to wait for the self guided tours which are in the afternoon so even though we put ourselves on the list for the first available tour we have two hours to spend in the downtown area before it. The Palace, the only royal residence on US soil, is impressive from the outside and we can't wait to see how the inside looks like.
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| Iolani Palace from a distance | Closer view of palace |
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| View from the side | Iolani Palace Coronation Pavilion |
We have now two hours to walk through downtown Honolulu and we start with the administrative area of Hawaii - the state legislature and other government buildings. Some of them are interesting especially the legislature building which you can walk through as it is open air. The offices and rooms are at a higher floor and accessed through elevators in the pillars supporting the structure. There are a few interesting statues - one of Father Damien in front and one of Queen Liliuokalani in the back - is there any symbolism in this?! Who knows.
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| Official building in downtown Honolulu | State of Hawaii Legislature |
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| You can walk beneath the legislature | The seal of Hawaii |
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| Father Damien in front of the legislature | Queen Liliuokalani is still revered |
There are a surprising number of birds in the parks surrounding the official buildings including some we have not seen before like the red crested cardinal or the Java finch. The Java finch especially are quite rambunctious as they play around in the grass and are fun to watch.
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| Mina in the park | Sandpiper watching us |
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| Red crested cardinal | Java finch |
We continue our exploration and stop at Kawaiaha'o Church one of the oldest standing Christian places of worship in Hawaiʻi which today has an art sale in the garden so we wander through it a bit. In the church cemetery we observe from a distance the Lunalilo Mauaoleum where Lunalilo the shortest reigning monarch of Hawaii is interred.
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| Kawaiaha'o Church | Lunalilo Mausoleum |
Leaving from the church we start back towards Iolani Palace passing Aliiolani Hale the former seat of government for the Kingdom of Hawaii. It is a very ornate building and in front is the well known statue of the founder of the Kingdom of Hawaii, King Kamehameha I.
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| Aliiolani Hale | King Kamehameha I |
Iolani Palace is right next to Aliiolani Hale and after getting our tickets we enter the exhibit in the cellar which can be entered even before the tour starts. The exhibit is initially focused on the kitchen and pantry but also has many of the medals and honors that were bestowed by the Hawaiian Kingdom as well as swords and other interesting items.
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| Iolani Palace - kitchen below the palace | This is how the pantry looked like |
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| Original parts from the palace | Original furniture found in private hands |
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| Royal Order of Kamehameha I and other insignia | Royal scepter |
After the downstairs exhibit we go to the meeting point for the tour. We are given audio devices that will give us context regarding what we visit and foot booties and then we have to wait for the last guided walk to exit and a few stragglers. It would be boring if we didn't notice the parrots in the nearby tree playing around through the leaves.
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| Parrot near the palace | Decoration at the entrance |
After entering we are left to visit as we want but most follow the headphone guide so we stay on a as a group especially in the beginning. We start with the central hall which has a large wooden staircase going to the second floor as the main attraction. The walls are covered with portraits of the kings and queens of Hawaii.
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| Luxurious interior staircase | Another view of the staircase |
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| Paintings of kings are on the wall | Glasswork at the entrance door |
The tour continues through the Blue Room which was used for informal audiences and smaller receptions and it is called this way because most of the furniture is blue. The next and adjoining room is the dining room which has the table set as for a banquet - here is where the royalty where entertaining large groups of visitors.
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| Iolani Blue Room | Chairs in Blue Room |
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| Dining room | Table is set |
The last room at the lower level, the throne room. cannot be entered as the last group didn't exit it yet so we use the elevator to go to the second floor (the stairs cannot be used). The hall where the stairs are arriving is large and has multiple rooms at the edge including the king and queen bedrooms.
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| Top of stairs | View from the top |
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| You can see the stairs from above | Chandelier |
We continue into the king bedroom which is flush with period furnishings some salvaged from that period and some bought in actions or found in yard sales. We find the leopard/tiger skin impressive everything looks like the bedroom of European royalty that the Hawaiian kings were emulating.
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| King bedroom | The bed |
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| Beautiful coffee table | Not from Hawaii...we hope:) |
The office room is very official with even a phone that was used by the king between other things to turn the electric lights on and off . In fact the palace was quite forward looking with phones, electricity (earlier than both the White House and Buckingham Palace) and even flush toilets.
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| King's office | Phone in the palace - progressive |
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| It has even flush toilets | In multiple places even |
The last rooms that we visit at the second floor are the music room, which was a private place for the family and friends, and the queen's room. Here in this area the last queen of Hawaii was forced first to abdicate and after a failed revolt was held captive for 10 months. During that period she crafted an interesting quilt that is displayed in one of the rooms.
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| Music Room | Musst have been expensive |
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| Queen room | Queen's bed |
After this we return to the ground floor and we enter the throne room which is now open and our first impression is that it could have been called the Red Room. It looks like throne rooms that we saw previously in Europe which shows the lengths the Hawaiian monarchs went to appear modern and equal to European royalty. In fact it feels we are in Europe and the crown and scepter displayed only reinforce that feeling.
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| Throne room | The accoutrements of royalty |
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| Chairs for courtiers | The thrones |
We exit the completely worthwhile tour of the palace and start our walk towards Chinatown. We are hungry so we go relatively straight in that direction however we still have to stop when we see some of the more impressive buildings on the way like the territorial building or the gas/electricity company building. As we approach Chinatown we pass near a throng of homeless people in a park near the lions marking the entrance to Chinatown which makes as feel a bit unsafe and unsure whether we should continue or not.
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| Downtown Honolulu building | Former territorial building |
WE do and while Chinatown is better it is not that much better. We expected the streets to be full of visitors or locals but this is not true - it might be because it is the weekend or maybe the area is not really a big attraction anymore. We wander in a few stores but mostly we search for a Chinese restaurant - it proves a surprisingly difficult task with many vietnamese restaurant that we don't want because we ate vietnamese for dinner.
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| Chinatown - not very busy | Stall in Chinatown |
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| Interesting hidden spot | Relaxing |
Finally we find an open restaurant and the food is very good and plentiful - so much in effect that we have to take some home with us and basically carry it with us for most of the reminder of the day.
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| Crab rangoon | Very good beef |
We have a map of the area and continue meandering through the streets to some of the attractions in the area. Both are near the channel that is one of the boundaries of Chinatown, the Japanese temple on one side and the Lum Sai Ho Tong Temple on top of a store on the other one. We are surprised however that there is also a large homeless town on one side of the river with things thrown haphazardly on the street - it actually looks like a dangerous area to be at night and even during the day we decide to move faster when an obviously unhinged woman starts shouting randomly and loudly at a park entrance.
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| Sun Yat Sen statue | Temple on top of a store |
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| Japanese style temple | Purifying fountain at temple |
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| Weird area.. | ..with homeless camp on the other side |
Before returning in the main area of Honolulu we pass through a few more shopping centers but unusually we don't find anything interesting to buy or to try out so we get back to the car to leave the food before continuing to explore downtown Honolulu.
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| Shopping mall in Chinatown | You can buy them on the streets |
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| Old house in Chinatown | Corner house |
We start with the Hawaii State Art Museum that we notice as we pass by as the building is impressive and decide to enter. We have about one hour till closing time but they let us in - the entrance is free even.
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| Hawaii State Art Museum | Fountain in front |
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| Art exhibit | Art in one of the rooms |
There is a mix of art but mostly it is art done by local artists. Some of the pieces are quite beautiful especially the landscape and sea paintings. There is a room dedicated to Polynesian ships with only paintings of various ships.
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| This looks beautiful | Another great landscape painting |
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| Ships of all shapes | Even a model one |
However the most impressive things are the necklaces made of bird feathers. They are colorful and quite big - initially we didn't even notice they are made of real bird feathers. There is also a part with more modern art which we always enjoy so overall we are happy that we decided to enter the museum.
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| Made of bird feathers - impressive | Also out of feathers |
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| Looking at each other | Out of beehives |
We have one more hour to walk through the city and so we explore a few more of the landmarks, the cathedral of St Andrew and the Hawaiian Mission Historic Houses being two that we wanted to see. The one that impressed us most however is the building for the Honolulu Mayor's Office of Culture and Arts because it is unexpected and quite beautiful. We even think it is a museum and walk to the entrance before finding out what it is.
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| Cathedral of St Andrew | Honolulu Mayor's Office of Culture and Arts |
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| Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic site | Another of the preserved mission houses |
Returning towards Waikiki we plan one more stop at Leonard's bakery. It is a famous bakery that bakes only malasadas a Portuguese inspired spherical donut, It is so famous in fact that we do not find a parking spot so while one of us goes in to buy them the other one takes the car on a tour of the neighborhood until the malasadas are ready. We take the malasadas home and eat a couple on our balcony as the sun sets - they are heavenly.
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| Leonard's Bakery - highly recommended | Our loot |
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| Hotel room view | The usual clouds over Honolulu |
In the evening we go on a walk through the Waikiki downtown area looking for souvenirs and exploring side streets that we didn't see before. We even find a museum dedicated to the Kings' Guard, an award-winning exhibition drill team that seized to exist, which is free to enter in one of the shopping malls. We also walk along the promenade looking at the statues some of which are lighted by torches. But in the end we tire and return back to the hotel for the night as the next day will be a long one.
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| King's Guard Museum | One of many shops |
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| Very busy downtown | Statue with friend |
We wake up in the morning and eat the rest of the malasadas on the balcony enjoying the view before starting on our "long" drive for the day.
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| The usual morning view | Waikiki in the morning |
Today we plan to go up to the north shore to test a few snorkeling spots but before going there we want to stop for a rainforest hike. We plan to go for a couple hours on the Keaiwa Heiau Loop Trail and are surprised initially how few cars are at the trailhead. We think it is because the trailhead is difficult to find but as soon as we start we find the real reason - the trail is very very muddy and slippery and soon we have fallen a couple times and are much more careful with our step (and very dirty of course).
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| Today we are going hiking | Really? This looks...muddy |
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| Some areas are closed | View of Honolulu |
The trail of course is not all muddy and there are places where it is quite nice and overall we have fun exploring the jungle jumping over small creeks and big trees. But soon our hour is up and we have to return to the trailhead so we have enough time for our drive to the northern coast.
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| Trail goes through the jungle | It is also mostly shady |
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| Yes you pass it somehow | Berries by the side of the trail |
Of course during our trek through the jungle we heard many birds however seeing them was much harder. In fact we saw a few only at the edges of the forested area, a bulbul and a few hens.
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| Red vented Bulbul | What could this be:)? |
Right before the north shore we stop at a shrimp truck for lunch. The shrimp trucks here are well known and while the food was good we didn't feel like it was that different from shrimp we have eaten in other places. However the begging hens make up for it as we enjoy playing and feeding them.
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| Parking lot for shrimp truck | There is the truck |
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| Our lunch | Begging hens |
After reaching the north shore the going is slow because of traffic it seems that beside the normal traffic there is also a world surfing competition going on. Needless to say but if the surfing, that needs high waves, is good then snorkeling, which needs no waves, is not so good. Also most parking lots are choke full. So we decide to go first to a historical site that we wanted to see - a heiau similar in function to an ahu in Easter Island. It is quite impressive even without the moai especially due to its size but initially we cannot explore due to a few bouts of rain. After they pass we start along the perimeter, it is a long walk along a well maintained trail.
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| Visiting one of the many Heiau | This is a Heiau/ceremonial platform |
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| View from near the Heiau | Quite large |
The trail decays about halfway to the end of the heiau at it becomes a jungle trail, wet now after the rain. As such we soon are quite wet again as the grasses are touching us quite frequently as the trail becomes narrower. However it is all worth it when we arrive at a beautiful overlook of the valley below from which we climbed to the heiau. It is very likely the heiau was constructed here in order to make use of the view of the valley below.
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| Paved trail end | Beautiful trail |
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| View from above | One of the well known surfing spots |
We continue our way around the heiau and arrive at an area of offerings - in fact the whole wall seems to be used for minor offerings but the majority of them are close to the parking lot. As they are mostly food some of them are starting to smell so after taking some pictures we return to the car just as the rain starts again and continue on our way.
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| Lots of offering at the Heiau | Some a bit smelly |
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| Offerings are all around the heiau | Surprised at the number of them |
The last hope for snorkeling today is the beach at Turtle Bay Resort - Kulima Cove can supposedly be calm even if the water outside is quite agitated. And even today it is so - we have finally found our snorkeling area. Unfortunately it is getting late and it is cloudy so we enter only for a limited time but still see quite a few fish. Even more interesting we find on the beach a sleeping Hawaiian monk seal, initially we don't even know whether it is alive but looking more closely we see it is breathing. Overall it was a lot of fun but with the sun setting we must return to the car and then on a slightly different way we return to Waikiki.
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| Turtle Bay Resort - Kuilima Cove | Water is calm in the cove |
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| But quite agitated outside | Even the Hawaiian monk seal seems exhausted |
We arrive around 10:30pm at the hotel so we decide to do one more try to eat at Marukame Udon one of the famous Japanese restaurants in Waikiki. Every day we passed it by and every day the queues are hour long. Today there is no queue and we enter and eat some of the famous noodles - they are quite good but not an hour and a half waiting time good in our opinion. After that we return to the hotel tired and full and go to sleep.
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| Finally got into Marukame Udon | The famous Udon |
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| Setting sun in Waikiki |
Today we have to leave the hotel but our plane leaves only in the evening so we still have a full day of Oahu in front of us. We enjoy for the last time the view of Waikiki then check out and are on our way.
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| Last time to see the view... | ...and Waikiki from above |
Our major goal for the day is the Bishop Museum which was founded in 1889 and is the largest museum in Hawai'i and has the world's largest collection of Polynesian cultural artifacts and natural history specimens. The building itself is very impressive and when built was intended to house family heirlooms passed down to Charles Reed Bishop through the royal lineage of his wife.
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| Bishop Museum - what a building | Very impressive |
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| Egret resting | Java finch on the lawn |
The main exhibit hall is quite large and extends over several floors - in fact there are two big rooms one dedicated to Hawaiian history and one to Polynesian history and a few smaller rooms with one of them dedicated to surfing given that Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing.
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| Easter Island head - unexpected | Surfing is very important in Hawaii |
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| Inside the museum looks impressive | Creation story |
The Hawaii hall is focused on a few reconstructions of heiaus and villages in the center of the room and two huge tiki guarding all of them. One of the tiki is covered supposedly they represent the seasons and if not in season it is supposed to be covered (which means that we can't see it).
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| Old village diorama | Old wooden fish |
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| Tiki in season - uncovered | Not in season - covered |
There are also exhibits with weapons and tools and of course boats - given how important boats and fishing were for the Polynesian people that is not really surprising.
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| Saw/weapon with shark tooth | Shell garment |
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| Supposedly tough to move | Wall of faces |
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| Model boat | So different from island to island |
As we go up there is an interesting exhibit with clothing both feather headdresses and shell skirts. We learn that so many feathers were used that one of the birds went extinct - we thought that after getting the feathers the birds were released back but it seems that was not the case. Another interesting tidbit is that some jewelry especially for the royalty was made of human hair, curious how they found the raw material, was it donated, bought or worse?
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| Feather headdress | Shell skirt |
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| So many feathers used that birds went extinct | Very impressive out of feathers |
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| Hawaiian jewelry | Made out of human hair |
After finishing the Hawaiian side of the exhibit we return to the main building to find the restaurant and buy some food. It is surprisingly affordable and good and there are few other visitors which is surprising.
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| Traditional food at museum restaurant | Beef stew |
After lunch we return to the main exhibit hall and enter a small side room which houses the Royal collection of Kahili. Kahili are feathered standards used by Hawaiian royalty to signify power from the gods on important dates (for example birthdays, weddings and funerals). They are quite big and kings and queens could have many of them out on different occasions which must have been impressive.
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| Kahili/feathered standard room | Quite a few of them |
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| Close up with paintings of royalty in the back | So many shapes and lengths |
We continue to the Polynesian part of the exhibit which is divided by island groups. There are quite a few interesting exhibits and a lot of different tikis and we can see how the individual island cultures are both similar and also quite different.
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| Different boats of Polynesians | Close up of boat |
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| Statues were popular | Weird pottery |
What we learn is that one common thread across all Polynesian cultures is the love of tattoos - we have seen them on Easter Island and in photos and sculptures here in the Polynesian section of the museum. However the most interesting thing that we see is a Rongo Rongo tablet with the msyterious Easter Island script that we wanted to see since we were on Easter Island.
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| Tattoos are quite common | Pottery less so |
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| Wooden bird - almost modern looking | Rongo Rongo tablet - finally saw one |
Before exiting we visit quickly also a more modern room with photos of Hawaii in the eary 20th century that you can see by pressing the lever of a machine - they are quite interesting especially the ones showing places that we went too during our visit.
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| More modern part of museum | You can look at old photos with the machine |
Next we go to the temporary exhibit building which houses the world of wearable art exhibition. We are not sure what to expect but it is very interesting with clothes made of different unexpected materials and in quite weird shapes.
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| WoW means something else for me:) | Many garments to look at |
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| The dresses are very weird... | ...and interesting |
We are not even sure somebody can wear them but there is a short movie showing a mode show where the different clothes are worn so yes they can be worn obviously. The forms and functionality continue to amaze us as we pass through the two rooms - it is a really special exhibit.
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| Wonder who wears this | Or this |
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| Very colorful | Pumpkin like |
Lastly we go to the science center where most of the exhibits are non functioning with the major exceptions of a "volcano" that erupts every few minutes. We go and position ourselves right next to the top of the volcano to see the eruption before exiting the museum to return to Waikiki. Overall it was a very interesting and enlightening visit and we enjoyed it a lot.
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| Volcano is preparing to erupt | Eruption! - where should be hide? |
We have a couple more hours of daylight to spend in Waikiki and we decide to walk along the promenade further away from central Waikiki. We are rewarded with some great views and we even find a kiosk to buy some shaved ice, a Hawaiian specialty. While it isn't anything special it allows us to sit down by the beach and people watch including a wedding party that is walking to different pictoresque spots to find just the right one for a picture.
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| Waikiki view from promenade | Promenade |
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| Close up of Waikiki | Shaved ice - had to try |
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| People on the dock | Wedding on the beach |
And we also catch the sunset which today is spectacular. It is the perfect end for our vacation - eating shaved ice on the beach chilling out and watching the sun fall into the ocean. And taking lots of pictures of course. As it gets dark we have to return to the car that we then have to return to the car rental company after finding a gas station (not as easy as expected) and then wait for our plane which takes us safely back to Arizona from our great vacation.
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| Sun is setting | Going down |
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| This looks idyllic | Very appropriate ending of our trip |
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