Oahu, Day 4

Oahu, Day 4 (6/25/09): Sadly, our trip comes to an end on the 25th, but with the stark reality of returning to real life hitting us squarely in the face like the ocean breeze, we went out with a bang. The morning started with a 2 mile run for me (preparing for the 4th of July 5 K) and then we took one last stroll along the Waikiki beach front. We waded in the waters, saw some schools of interesting marine life, and had a nice breakfast.

After shooting some pictures off the lanai (balcony), we walked to the Waikiki Acquarium. This turned out to be a facinating collection of coral reefs and marine life not available for viewing anywhere else in the world. The acquarium was actually small, but was interesting in its diverse representation of marine life. As a joint venture with the University of Hawai'i, there were some cool audio tours to go along with the walk. Outside of the building, the WWI memorial can be seen, but we went on to other events, namely lunch, at the Cheeseburger in Paradise. This establishment truly serves a "five napkin" cheesburger!

We then ventured to the Bishop Museum, which is an interesting collection of early Polynesian arts, crafts, tools, and so forth. This turned out to be a special visit because we finally found some Hawian quilting patterns for Sheila, as well as a chance view a quilt that was on display in the museum. We learned a lot about the telescopes on Mauna Kea, and why they are placed there. It turns out that Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain from the sea floor in the world (note: not from sea level--that is Mount Everest). The sky is also close to the equator and is relatively clear on most nights due to the geographical position of the mountain/volcano. The artwork was the most interesting to me, however, as it captured a lot of early historical sites we visited like the volcano, Diamondhead, and Waikiki.

After Bishop Museum, we then went off to Manoa Falls (http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/hiking/manoa_falls_trail.html). This was a beautiful hike, but much more challenging than we expected. With limited time, we had to leave a little early, but still got some great views of the falls and the Ko'oaus Mountains. The area was also great for seeing rain forest plants and trees and a lot of the birds from Hawai'i (though very hard to catch with a camera).

After a nice dinner, we headed off to the airport and said. "Aloha! and Maholo!" to the islands. We are already planning the next trip.

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