Advertisement
Published: August 19th 2015
Edit Blog Post
Come to Hawaii and relax on the beautiful beaches of Waikiki goes the advertising blurb. I have yet to lie on the sand and have swum 3 times only at Waikiki, seems like a waste of a holiday to do just that, there is so much to see and do.
Today's early morning start involved a 7am out of bed, breakfast and catch the green trolley line to the Diamond Head Crater to hike to the summit. Our stop to catch the trolley was opposite the zoo and the beach where we watched one seriously good game of beach volleyball, 2 couples who looked quite professional.
The green trolley takes you up to the gate where you need to pay your $1- to access this national park. It was made a national natural landmark in 1968, and is a volcanic tuff cone. The local name is Le'ahi and it was formed 300,000- years in a brief single eruption. The crater covers 350 acres and is a 1.3 km hike going up 171 metres. Sounds easy but the hike should only be attempted if you are in reasonable health, no little ones under 5 years and anyone over 70
needs to realise that this is a serious 1 hour hike, over uneven terrain. The initial 400 metres is concrete and after that it is a rocky track, quite uneven and also includes over a hundred steep steps and a tunnel. But there are lots of stopping points, there is some shade places, and you can take your time.
Take water, at least 1 litre per person and be prepared to carry the bottle back to the rubbish point. At the entry area there is the usual bubblers, toilet block, food and gift concessions. You can also take TheBus#22, it will drop you off at the very base so you need a little walk before you get to the entry gate.
What a view 360 degree of Waikiki and Honolulu. You can see why the military took up residence here in 1908, lots of evidence still of their gun emplacements and tunnels.
Hawaii was annexed when USA took it over in 1898 and no one is really happy about this at all, either at the time or since. Hawaii was very British oriented prior to this time with the Union Jack still proudly part of its state
flag today. The anti annexation protest of the day collected 37,000 signatures, the Hawaii royalty lead this protest but the USA went ahead due to the strategic value of the islands. The last royal was Princess Berenice Bishop a direct descendant of King Kamehameha I who unified the islands. British missionaries brought quilting to the islands and there is a huge trade in this today. Private schools are set up in the British tradition.
Today was another day to have a protest with us walking right into the middle of a picket line against one of the major hotels on the Waikiki strip. This hotel wants to introduce contract labour hire and the staff were fearing for their job security. A noisy vocal protest of people hitting tin cans, shaking cans filled with stones and shouting made for entertainment whilst we waited for our trolley.
Tonight's teas has been brought to you by $1-00, 14 oz beers ( Bud light) yes you read that right! 2 days before we leave we find this out, what a travesty!!!In the middle of Ala Moana shops near the Macy store, on the 3rd floor is a Japanese and Korean food court,
called Shirokiya. A veritable smorgasbord of food outlets around 40 of them, both hot and cold to eat in or takeaway with $1- beer!!!! Not leaving!!!! Food was a medium bowl of rice topped with tasty tofu and beef sukiyaki for the princely sum of $6-50! Nursing the food, I'm on my 2nd beer, Martin on his third; may not get back to the hostel, come and get us someone.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.076s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 11; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0324s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb