Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

---

11^th February Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii



Honolulu is the state capital of Hawaii and is situated on the island of Oahu. It is known worldwide as a major tourist destination and is a major hub for business and has a huge military presence.



Hawaii was forged by volcanoes and is part of the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, so the approach to the harbour produces a dramatic backdrop to the city of Honolulu.



We berthed at Pier 10/11, the Cunard berth which is on the edge of the business and shopping areas. Another beautiful South Pacific day. Another cruise ship (same one as San Francisco) had berthed before us but on the industrial side of the docks.



Our trip today was to take us to Pearl Harbour and then on a tour of some highlights of the island.



On the way to Pearl Harbour (meaning sheltered bay or place of shelter) it was apparent how much of the area is dedicated to the military including their own golf course (Obama plays here regularly); it lies 7 miles west of Honolulu.



Pearl Harbour is a lagoon harbour on the island, much of the harbour is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet.



The reason for the tour was to visit the centre which commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbour by the Empire of Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941 which brought the United States into World War II.



Obviously it was going to be busy and it was!!



However, the National Park Services have got it down a fine art. We had nearly three hours here which included a tour out to the USS Arizona memorial.



Before starting the tour we were able to walk the harbour area which outlined how the attack unfolded, and showed how complacent the navy and the air force had become. That is, all the battleships were lined up (two abreast in some cases) in ‘Battleship Row’ and out a t the airfield he planes were wing tip to wingtip sitting there unarmed.



A short film took you through a documentary of the build up to the attack on Pearl Harbour from both sides and the aftermath which was as most people know brought the United States into the war. However balanced it might try to make it, the loss of life and destruction of the fleet was difficult to comprehend.



There was a short boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial. The Arizona exploded where she lay with catastrophic loss of life. It is designated war grave with some 1700 seamen entombed within. The list of names on the memorial included fathers and sons and brothers. All carved in white marble.



Only 15 minutes on site but very, very emotional. It was very humbling.



Other attractions included the submarine exhibits which also had large losses of life during WWII and the USS Missouri.



The rest of the Pearl Harbour area is still the base for the Pacific Fleet.



Back on the coach and we had two other sights to see.



We travelled high up past the Pali Golf Course (must look it up) to the Nuuanu Pali, a 1200ft cliff at the end of Nuuanu road. We had great views of the windward side of the island down to the coast and military airfield. It overlooks the valley which in 1795 Kamehameha I drove the Oahaans over the cliff and thereby added the islands to his kingdom. High on the Pali you can see the’Upside-Down Falls’ a phenomenon caused by the up-draught of the constant wind tunneled between the mountains. Guess what today there was no constant wind so no ‘Upside-Down Falls’.



Our final part of the tour took us to the Punchbowl crater. It is an extinct crater in which is sited the National Memorial Cemetery for Pacific War Dead. Unfortunately you are not allowed to get off the coach so we had a slow drive by. The numbers of war dead must be staggering.



Coming down from the crater gave us great views of downtown Honolulu and we travelled back to the ship.



Sail away was not until 11.30pm so we had plenty of time to do some shopping and as the Queen Elizabeth’s berth was so close no worries about missing the boat.



A lovely warm Sail away on the top deck with a glass of red wine, a beautiful end to a sobering day.



Next stop Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

---