Hanauma Bay

Matt and I went to Hanauma Bay the first two mornings I was there. The first morning, we tried to get there in time for sunrise, but between leaving a bit late and traffic, we didn’t quite make it. The view from the overlook was still spectacular, regardless of the time.


Hanauma is a protected marine life conservation area. The bay floor is actually the crater of an ancient volcano that flooded when the exterior wall collapsed and the ocean rushed in. A large coral reef covers a fair portion of the bay, and extends throughout the cove into deeper water. The bay is perfect for snorkeling, since its protected from big ocean waves. The first trip there, we didn’t have any cameras with us. That turned out to not be a problem, since the water was a bit cloudy.


On the second day, we made it to the park before it opened, ensuring that we would be able to see the sun rise. It was beautiful, just like I expected it to be.


We also had four disposable underwater cameras with us, so we were able to get some pictures of the fish we saw. When I was first looking through the prints from the snorkeling, I noticed that Matt managed to get several pictures of the not-so-elusive Thumbfish. Thankfully, we also got several good pictures of real fish...





Probably the most interesting critter I saw on the island – and other than the wild chickens, I didn’t see many critters – is what I’ve been calling the “squeasel”, something that looks like a cross between a squirrel and a weasel. It looks a lot like a ferret, but I didn’t like the name “squerret”. I need to find out what this really is.

Honolulu

My last morning in Hawaii, we went into Honolulu to do some sightseeing. After the normal hassle of trying to find a place to park at 8:30am on a workday in a city, we managed to get lucky and find an open meter not far from where I wanted to be.

Our first stop was the court house to see the statue of Kamehameha I. He is the chief who united all of the warring Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom at the turn of the 18th century.


Next was the Iolani Palace. The palace is the only official state residence of royalty in the United States, and was the official residence of the Hawaiian Kingdom's last two monarchs - King Kalakaua, who built the Palace in 1882, and his sister and successor, Queen Lili`uokalani. The original structure was built in 1845 by King Kamehameha III. It housed five Hawaiian kings before it was demolished in 1874 and replaced by the larger and more modern palace. After the royal government was overthrown, most of the items inside the palace were removed. Slowly, though, some of the items are finding their way back to the palace. Some of the crown jewels are kept in the galleries below the building, along with clothing and other artifacts. Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed inside the palace or galleries. This little tidbit almost started a riot in my tour group, as several people were upset. Normally, even places that don’t allow flash photos will allow non-flash photos. But not at the Iolani Palace.


On the palace grounds are the barracks, coronation pavilion, and crypt.

Iolani Barracks, originally completed in 1871, was designed by architect Theodore Heuck to house the Royal Guard. This coral block structure contains an open courtyard surrounded by rooms once used by the guards as a mess hall, kitchen, dispensary, berth room, and lockup. Following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the disbanding of the Royal Guard, Iolani Barracks was used at different times as headquarters for the National Guard of Hawaii, temporary shelter for refugees of the 1899 Chinatown fire, a service club, a government office building, and a storage facility. The Barracks was originally located on what are now the grounds of the Hawaii State Capitol. After being dismantled block by block, Iolani Barracks was moved and reconstructed at its present location in 1965.


The Coronation Pavilion was built for the February 12, 1883 coronation of King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi`olani. It was moved from its original site near the King Street steps. The Coronation Pavilion has also been used for the inauguration of the Governors of the State of Hawaii.


In 1825, a royal tomb of white-washed coral block was constructed to house the remains of Kamehameha II and his consort, Queen Kamamalu. Both had died of measles while on a journey to England the year before. For the next forty years, this royal tomb and the land immediately surrounding it became the final resting place for the kings of Hawaii, their consorts, and important chiefs of the kingdom. In 1865, eighteen coffins were removed from this site and transferred in a torchlight procession at night to a new Royal Mausoleum in Nu`uanu Valley. The royal tomb area is marked by a fenced-in mound area out of respect for Hawaiian chiefs who may still be buried there.


The next stop of the morning was the state capitol building, to see the state seal and a statue of Queen Lili`uokalani.



Our final sightseeing stop for the morning was the Kawaiaha’o Chuch, the Westminster Abbey of Hawaii. We couldn’t go in, as a wedding ceremony was occurring and another was either finishing up or getting ready to start, but we did get to wander around the grounds a bit.

The first Christian Church in Hawaii, it was built between 1836 and 1842. Fourteen thousand coral slabs comprise the main structure. These slabs were quarried from under water and transported, and each weighed more than 1,000 pounds. Natives dove 10 to 20 feet to hand-chisel these pieces from the reef, then raised them to the surface, loaded them into canoes, and ferried them to shore. Wood for the interior of the structure was cut from the Ko'olau Mountains.


This is the mausoleum of King Lunalilo, the first elected monarch of Hawaii. He wanted to be buried in the Church cemetery rather than in the Royal Mausoleums.

Nu’uanu Pali Lookout

The Nu’uanu Pali Lookout overlooks the 985 foot cliffs of the Ko’olau Mountain Range. The views are incredible, and the wind can be pretty strong.


The Nu’uanu Pali was the setting for one of the most significant battles in Hawaiian history. In 1795, Kamehameha I and his army invaded Oahu, arriving in a fleet of war canoes at Waikiki Beach. The Oahu warriors were led by Kalanikupule, the chief of Maui and Oahu.


Kamehameha’s army marched to Nu’uanu Valley to face Kalanikupule’s troops. The battle was fierce and bloody. Gradually, Kamehameha’s men gained an advantage, forcing Kalanikupule’s forces to retreat further up the valley. The Oahuans attempted to make a final stand, but Kamehameha’s army was too strong. Thousands of Kalanikupule’s men were pursued and driven over the steep cliffs to their deaths. It’s said that the victory was so complete that not a single Oahu warrior that got into the upper part of the valley escaped alive.


An engineering firm was hired in 1897 to build what is now the Old Pali Road, a winding road used to carry traffic across the mountains. During construction, workers found an estimated 800 human skulls and other human bones at the foot of the cliffs - the century-old remains of Kalanikupule’s slain warriors.


Today, parts of the Old Pali Road is still available to foot traffic. We walked down from the lookout, and every time we turned a corner, it looked like the road ended. But then we’d see that it was really just another corner, with the vegetation covering a large part of the road. We didn’t explore very far, but I did see a couple of people who look like they use the old road as part of their regular exercise.

Punchbowl Crater

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is located in the bowl of Pu’owaina, or Punchbowl Crater. Pu’owaina translates to “Hill of Sacrifice” and its believed that the site was used as an altar where Hawaiians offered sacrifices to their gods. Now, though, more than 44,000 US war veterans and their family members are interred there. The cemetery was dedicated on September 2, 1949. 776 casualties from the attack on Pearl Harbor were among the first to be buried there.


The Honolulu Memorial was erected by the American Battle Monuments Commission in 1964 and dedicated in 1966. It honors the sacrifices and achievement of American Armed Forces in the Pacific during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. On the front of the tower which houses the chapel is a 30-foot female figure known as "Columbia" standing on the symbolized prow of a US Navy carrier with a laurel branch in her left hand and the inscription by President Lincoln "...The Solemn Pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom".


To the left of the cemetery is a memorial pathway that is lined with a variety of memorials from various organizations that honor America’s veterans. The pathway leads to the highest point of the crater’s rim, which provides absolutely wonderful views of Honolulu, Diamond Head, Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, and eastern mountain ranges.

Kukaniloko Birthstone State Monument

Kukaniloko is where Hawaiian royalty gave birth to their children, in order to ensure their high-ranking status. The lava stones were believed to have the power to ease labor pains – although no one knows if the stones were as effective as a good epidural.


If you don’t know what you’re looking for, its very easy to overshoot this site. It’s at an intersection with only a small paved section to indicate the way. There are stones blocking the red clay path, so cars can’t go out to the site. Its only about a quarter of a mile walk, though, from the road to the main cluster of stones.



There are roughly 180 stones, scattered over half an acre. The majority of them are in a grove of eucalyptus and coconut trees, and the entire area is surrounded by pineapple fields. There are two rows of 18 stones leading to the grove, one for each of the 36 chiefs that would witness the birth. And to think, some people stress over which family members to allow at the birth...





In a way, the stones remind me of cairns I’ve seen in Scotland and Mexico (although I don’t think they were called cairns in Mexico. Angel? A little help, please?) Regardless of what they’re called, these areas are sacred for a reason. They always give me a feeling of peace and serenity, and make me feel more connected to the past.

Random Spots Around Oahu

During our various forays around the island, I saw a truly obscene amount of simply gorgeous scenery. Whenever possible, I got Matt to stop so I could get out of the car to take some photos. Other times, though, I just switched to the speed setting of my camera and rolled the car window down. Amazingly, I managed to get some good pictures, even traveling at 55 mph.

On the way to Matt’s place from the airport, we stopped at Bellows Air Force Base for my first dose of sand and water.


The next day, we visited Kualoa Bay, where I could get a view of Mokoli’i, also known as Chinaman’s Hat.


The mountains near the bay also provided an interesting sight. Look at the right side of the mountain, just above the palm trees. Its almost as though the mountain is watching over the various small islands in the bay.


The waves along the North Shore weren’t doing anything spectacular, but the beaches were beautiful. The water varied between blue and green, and was so clear that it was easy to see the bottom.





These are shots of the mountains from the car. The reddish coloration is where a fire burned through forest, damaging trees and exposing the ground.

Byodo-In Temple

On Thursday, Matt and I visited the Byodo-In Temple. It is aptly located in the Valley of the Temples. Tall mountains surround the valley, providing a beautiful backdrop for the temple. While there, I saw the temple cat, a black swan, a grumpy peacock, and slews of hungry koi.


A bit of background on the temple:

This Buddhist temple is a replica of the 900-year-old Byodo-In located in Uji, Japan on the southern outskirts of Kyoto. The temple was built in the 1960's to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant workers in Hawaii who came to work in the sugar plantation fields. Inside the Byodo-In Temple is a nine-foot Lotus Buddha. It is the largest wooden Buddha carved in over 900 years and is stained in a black lacquer and decorated in gold leaf.


Beside the temple is a 5-foot, three-ton brass Peace Bell. The bell can be heard throughout Kahalu’u when rung. The deep tone of the bell sounds a message of calm and peace. Ringing the bell will purify the mind of evil spirits and temptation. It is said that ringing this bell will bring you happiness, blessings, and a long life, and is customarily rung before entering the temple.


The temple grounds are often used for wedding ceremonies for Hawaiians or visitors from Japan. The temple has become more popular since it was used as a filming location in the first season of “Lost,” where it served as the home of the Korean woman Sun's father.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is a must for anyone visiting Oahu. After all, imagine the horrified expressions you’d see if you told someone you didn’t bother going to Pearl Harbor... And when the guidebooks say get in line early, they aren’t kidding. Matt and I were in line at 7:00, and the line was already pretty long. They started handing out tickets at 7:30, and by the time we got to the gate, they were already on the third group. Lucky for us, there happened to be two tickets left over for the second trip – there was a tour group in front of us that wanted to stay together – so we only had about 10 minutes to wait before we saw the video. The video and trip out and back to the Arizona only lasted a little over an hour.


WWII is not one of the times in history that particularly fascinates me – I’m much more interested in the 1600s through the 1800s. Having said that, though, I did find the video they show before the boat ride out to the Arizona to be rather enlightening. It discussed some of the errors made by the US that allowed the attack to be as devastating as it was, including lining the planes wing to wing on the airfield to prevent internal sabotage, and assuming that the attack planes was a group of US planes returning from a mission.


On the actual memorial, I saw several people from the older generations in tears. Obviously, the site of the Arizona touched them deeply, and for some, I’m sure, brought back memories. I was surprised and impressed by the fact that men who survived the attack on the Arizona could request interment on the ship when they passed. I was also surprised to see that oil is still visible in the water around the memorial.

Dole Plantation

The Dole Plantation was a nice way to spend a couple of hours. Matt and I made it through the maze in just under an hour. The maze is even bigger than it was in 2001, when it was officially the World’s Largest Maze. They now have 8 secret boxes spread throughout the maze, and visitors can compete for the fastest time in finding all 8. Our hour didn’t come even close. If I remember correctly, the fastest time on record is about 7 minutes. I’m guessing that was done by someone who had been there before and studied the map you can get at the end (or if you don’t want to bother competing).

I poked around the garden a bit, but didn’t take the tour or train ride. Four neat items there are signposts that point to different locations and show the distances.


The store has loads of things to look at and buy, including pineapples. I had some pineapples shipped home to give as thank-you gifts to my neighbors and the coworker that picked me up at the airport. And I kept a couple for myself, of course. Those pineapples were wonderful – I’ve never tasted any that sweet before. They also make something called Dole Whip, which is basically a soft-serve pineapple ice cream. That stuff is seriously yummy. I actually stopped by the plantation one afternoon when I was on my own, just to get another bowl.