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Published: December 2nd 2005
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Dear All,
Arriving in Hawaii in the dark, was a little like having to wait to open a birthday present, as it was only the next day that were able to see the island of Oahu in all its glory. The only hint that we were much further South, was the fact that it was about 25 deg. (C) at 10pm!!!! The next morning we were not disappointed, Hawaii truely is paradise on earth. (Apologies to all those currently in the grip of a Northern Winter)
On the first day, we ventured out of our hostel and on to the famous Waikiki beach. We were a block from the beach and staying in a real surfer establishment, which was actually perfectly in keeping with our time in Hawaii. Our first goal was to find a place to rent a car and luckily enough, we found the local Alamo car office (the same people who gave us such a great deal on the mainland). We duly booked a pick up for the next morning and returned to Waikiki to take in some of the sights. Honolulu is the main tourist town, with Waikiki being their most famous (and popular) beach.
Thus, the Hawaiian government have taken real care to make the place as attractive as possible. Palm trees line the promenade, tidal pools have been created for the nervous swimmer and flaming gas torches flood the place with light in the evening. Even the dip pools where you can rinse your feet have been made into little waterfalls with shallow stairs. There is also an historical walk that goes along the promenade, commenting on points of interest and explaining the meaning behing some of the statues. As the day turned into evening, we were blessed with a real tropical sunset.
Early the next morning, we picked up our car. This turned out to be a Jeep, which again made Al very happy. From there we headed straight out of Honolulu and up to the North Shore. Luckily, we managd to pick up the OP Pro Surfing Contest on Haleiwa Beach. This is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Surfing, which finishes up at Pipeline. The waves were already pretty sizeable and we got to see a few of the big names in surfing, such as Sunny Garcia, Andy Irons and the rest of the gang. The day
turned into a real pearler and it was sunshine all the way. Later on in the afternoon, we headed back south to the hostel. We showered, inspected our new tans and then headed out to the International Market on the Waikiki Promenade. This is a large flea market-type set up, with hundreds of stalls selling all manner of curios, and other Hawaiian goods. What made it really special is that it all takes place under a canopy created by some of the largest mangrove trees I have ever seen. Unfortunately, we did get caught in a tropical rainstorm. However, these aren't too bad as it lasts for about 15 minutes and the temperature never really drops.
The following morning, we decided to climb Diamond Head. This is one of Hawaii's most famous land marks, it is a dormant volcano crater and the views from the top were reported to be amazing. The climb was steep, to say the least, and the summit required a bit of scrambling. The view was breath taking, with the Pacific Ocean glistening below we almost felt like we were on the top of the world. After the obligatory photo shoot, it was back down
again. We had been watching a weather front come in across the ocean and it did catch us half way down but it was actually a welcome relief as the rain cooled us down beautifully. That afternoon we headed to the Hawaii Museum of Seafaring History. This is located on the Honolulu Harbour, under the shadow of the Aloha Tower. The harbour was the scene of the arrival and departure of the first cruise liners that brought the tourists to Hawaii. The museum offered a great insight into the origins of Hawaii and how it has changed over the last millenia.
The next day happened to be Thanksgiving, but we headed for the beach and a really great surfing lesson. Our instructor was Uncle Gill, a real old Hawaiian man of the sea. We were more than a little tired, but chuffed that we had long-boarded at the famous Waikiki. The rest of the day was spent exploring the east coast of the island. This side of the island is sparsely populated, with only a few locals. The scenery is extremely dramatic, with steep mountain ranges that drop into the ocean. It is so green and the foliage so
dense that it often turned into a bit of a sensory over load. This was where a great deal of Jurassic Park was shot, it looks exactly like that. We couldn't get enough, thank goodness for digital cameras!
The next day we headed back north again, this time looking for the O'Neil Pro World Cup of Surfing on Sunset Beach. This had not begun yet as the surf was too flat so we went to the Audubon Center in the Waimea Valley. This is a small nature reserve that has taken great pains to conserve the Valley as it would have been before the arrival of white settlers. Their only concession is allowing people to swim in the large pool at the foot of the waterfall further up the valley. The waterfall is pretty impressive, but due to natural run off can get a little murky but is actually perfectly clean. After a quick dip it was back down the Valley and back on the road home. We decided to pop in at Pearl Harbour to take a look at the Arizona Memorial. This is the sunken wreck of the largest of the fleet, The Arizona, where a floationg
memorial has been created for the bodies of the sailors that were never recovered. We arrived a little late to do this but managed to take a look at the excellent museum they have there and generally get a feel for that infamous day when the Japanese bombed the American fleet. On that note, there is still a large military presence in Hawaii, with large parts of Oahu being made inaccessable as they are US Govt. Property. I suppose the up side of this is that at least these vast tracts of land are being conserved. For example, they found the original breed of Hibiscus, originally thought extinct, on one of these military reserves. After a busy day, we were pretty bushed and headed home.
Sunday dawned bright and clear and as it was our last day, we decided to spend it relaxing on the beach. Al spent hours snorkelling and I also took a turn. The ocean is teeming with tropical fish, it is like swimming in a big aquarium. That evening we finished up a few bits and bobs and then treated ourselves to a really good meal at The Cheesecake Factory. Not exactly Hawaiin we know, but we had missed this on the mainland and so took the opportunity whilst it was still there. And we were not disappointed, the food was amazing! Then it was off to return the rental car and checki infor our flight to New Zealand.
We were very sad to say goodbye to Hawaii and all of its Aloha spirit. Hawaii and the rest of the Pacific islands will definitely be somewhere that we would like to come back to and explore further.
Until New Zealand........
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Alison Campbell
non-member comment
NZ
HI Catherine and Alun, Lovely to read and see where you've been. Updare me on NZ as I'll be there on 11th Dec and I can't wait! I presume that we will miss each other? Take care. Alison