Honolulu and our first whale

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Honolulu 31st January

We arrived into Honolulu slightly later than scheduled.

Why? Because for the previous two days we had been buffeted by the storms that have been affecting the Pacific and seem to be following us on this cruise.



As we came through the channels to the harbour we were greeted by pods of dolphins and a single humpback whale, they appeared just off the port bow.

No matter how many times we see these creatures it is still a thrill!!



Oahu has a lot to offer the tourists, from the emotional sights of the memorial of Pearl Harbour, especially the wreck of the Arizona to the Punchbowl crater, an extinct volcano which gives a view of the city and where the National Memorial Cemetery for Pacific War Dead is sited.

Then there are the famous beaches and in particular Waikiki, famed for its surfboarding, the rollers stretch a mile out to sea.

We were off the ship early enough to have a leisurely walk to Waikiki Beach. After being rocked for a couple of days it was good to stretch our legs.
Initially, you have to walk from the berth along the very busy Ala Moana Boulevard until you get to Fishermans Wharf. Kewalo Basin is where all the boats go out for deep sea fishing and scuba diving trips, so very busy as we passed through and cut through to the Ala Moana Beach Park.

One of the main problems on Oahu is the unemployment and in this area there were groups of guys gathered along with a number of obviously homeless people.

There was no threat but it was where locals gathered rather than visitors for swim.

At the end of the park is the very exclusive Waikiki Yacht Club before heading on towards the beach.
I think we were both quite disappointed with Waikiki beach itself, the hotels that are here, the Sheraton, the Royal Hawaiian and the Hyatt all seem to merge into one huge shopping centre and it as you would expect very touristy!!!!

Lunch was on the beach, an offshoot of the hotels, The Edge which didn't seem to belong to any particular hotel (you could charge to any one of 4 hotels) served pretty standard fare but was expensive. The Royal Hawaiian seemed to be where the majority of American holiday makers were and judging by the size of them, they must have eaten all the pies, particularly the women!!!

After LJ's Blue Hawaiian cocktail, we took the leisurely walk back, finding a local who gave us directions for a short cut passed the Army Museum and through the Yacht harbour.

In all an 11 mile walk (there and back), so a deserved cup of tea on our return.

Late evening Sailaway, before heading out to the rock and rolling of the not too peaceful Pacific!!!!

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Comments

[David tinto]

Ashore again
Eleven mile walk ! Well done. Pictures are great.