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| David and Ginny at Ko Olina Beach Club Oahu Hawaii |
We were invited by our Daughter and Son In Law as well two of our Grandsons to join them on their vacation in Oahu Hawaii. We were both overjoyed to take them up on their generous offer and set out to visit the place that dreams are made of.
Our flight from Phoenix to Honolulu took about 5 1/2 hours and was made ever so pleasant by the friendly and courteous staff of Hawaiian Air. We reached our destination just slightly before our hosts and had just enough time to find their arrival spot before they landed.
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| Cainan, Mikhail and I waiting while Faye and Warren pick up the rental van. |
We waited for the rental van which was to be our transportation for the next week and then off to the resort. The boys went swimming and Faye and I headed out to grab a few supplies. We were all pretty excited but ready for bed early....it had been a long day for all.
Day 2
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| One of the four lagoons in front of our resort. |
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| Another of the beautiful lagoons in front of the resort. |
After taking some pictures of the beautiful beaches where we are staying we headed up toward the North Shore.
The North Shore is considered the surfing mecca of the world Waimea Bay holds an exclusive competition that is by invitation only. The event is the Quicksilver Big Wave International but the requirement is that the waves must be 20 feet (6 meters) so for this reason the competition is not held every year. The biggest swells are typically during the months of November to February.
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| We did see some huge waves! |
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| Some of them even snuck up on us and made us a little wet, |
We had lots of fun playing on the beach and running off a bit of steam before getting back in the van.
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| Each beach that we went to I spent lots of time looking for shells. |
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| The boys had a blast running after each other in the sand. |
We saw many beautiful beaches on our way to the North Shore and stopped at some of them to take pictures. Parking was a bit of a problem though because if you can believe it we weren't the only ones trying to stop to take pictures.
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| Chinaman's Hat...so called for its shape. |
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| Faye and Warren at The Koolau Mountains |
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| The Koolau Mountains |
We also stopped at the Chinaman's Hat which is a small island just off the coast. It gets its name from the shape of the island and at low tide it is possible to walk to the island. It takes about 45 minutes and requires good reef shoes. Once on the island you can hike to the island's peak for a good view of the Kolau Mountains or walk around the island to the ocean facing beach. It can also be reached by kayak or small boat.
Back to the resort for some much needed rest....it was a fun but busy day!
Day 3
We spent the day playing in the lagoons, exploring and just enjoying the magnificent views and nice weather. What an amazing place!
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| One of the beautiful lagoons where we built sand castles and tried to catch fish in a sand pail. |
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| The pool area where the boys spent lots of time. |
We went to a Luau which was amazing. Before dinner they had games like spear throwing and Hawaiian bowling. They also had a Poi display which Faye, Mikhail and Cainan took part in and head dress weaving. There was also dancing and net throwing down by the lagoon edge but this was reserved for the professionals and we viewed only.
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| All decked out for the Luau |
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| Faye doing Poi |
We also got to see them remove the pig from the pit! It was a bit ghastly but part of the ceremony.
After we had eaten dinner we were treated to a stunning stage performance that held us all spellbound.
Day 4
Today we went to the Dole Plantation and got to sample some of the worlds most delicious pineapple. We even had pineapple ice cream.
The Dole Plantation originally operated as a fruit stand in 1950 and by 1989 had earned the prestige of being Hawaii's Pineapple Experience.
Today it is one of Oahu's most popular attractions. You can go through the Pineapple Garden Maze, Ride the Pineapple Express and take the Plantation Garden Tour...all of which we did.
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| In 2008 Dole's Pineapple Garden Maze was declared the worlds largest maze. It stretches across there acres and includes nearly 21/2 miles (4 kms) of paths. |
We went on the Pineapple Express and learned all sorts of interesting things about the growing of pineapple and also about the founder of the Plantation.
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| On the Pineapple Express |
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| Pineapple field |
We spit into teams, Warren and Mikhail and on our team Faye, Cainan and I. We started at opposite ends of the maze and began to work our way through the amazing maze with sometimes Faye leading the way, sometimes Cainan and I even managed to get us lost a couple of times. It was a friendly competition to see who could finish first and we were close but Warren and Mikhail were finished before us.
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| We had cards that needed to be stamped at each of the stations...no cheating! |
We were all ready for some pineapple ice cream after that. Now some food for the birdies and fish.
Day 5
Today we all went to Pearl Harbor and got to see the Bowfin and the USS Missouri as well as many other military instruments.
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| The Bowfin is a Balao-class submarine which has been converted to a museum. She served in active duty from 1942 to 1947 when she was placed in reserve. She was reactivated during the Korean War from 1951 - 1953 when she was put in reserve again until 1960 when she served another ten years as a navy training submarine. On December 1 1971 she was taken back to Pearl Harbor where she serves as a memorial. |
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| See that small door! Everything was compact. |
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Sleeping quarters.
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USS Missouri
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| This is the actual spot that the document was signed |
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| A replica of the instrument of Surrender |
We got to go aboard the USS Missouri (Mighty Mo) the last battle ship built by the United States and the site of the signing of the Instrument of Surrender which terminated World War II. She was at anchor in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese representatives signed the instrument of their country's surrender.
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| The USS Missouri was commissioned in 1944 and fought in World War II and the Korean War. She was decommissioned in 1955 and placed in the reserve fleet. She was reactivated and modernized in 1984 and provided fire support during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. She was fully decommissioned in 1992 and in 1998 she was donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association and is now docked at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor as a museum ship. |
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| These were called "coffin racks" and it is here that the 1600 enlisted men would sleep. |
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| These huge cookers were used to prepare food for the crew. |
It was a fun and informative day.
Day 6
We visited the world famous Waikiki beach today which is located on the south shore of Oahu in Honolulu. The beach that was once the playground for royalty is now sizzling with tourists from all parts of the world. Many hotels dot the shoreline and the streets are lined with shops selling anything you might imagine.
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| Waikiki Beach at sunset. |
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| Duke Kahanam Statue. Born August 24 1890 Duke grew up surfing and swimming in Waikiki. He went on to win gold and silver medals in the 1912 and 1924 Olympics. He was called "The Father of Modern Surfing" |
Day 7
Today we went to the Valley of the Temple with a stop at the beautiful Kailua Beach. The turquoise water and white sand is the stuff dreams and postcards are made of.
The Valley of the Temple is the home of the Byods In Temple which is a replica of a temple in Uji, Japan and was made without nails. The temple was dedicated in 1968 to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii.
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| The Temple welcomes people of all faiths to worship or just meditate in the peaceful surroundings. |
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The boys had lots of fun feeding the fish and the birds. The birds would eat right out of your hand.
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We then drove up to Laniakea Beach to see if we could spot any turtles and we were in luck! There were three turtles basking in the sun on the day that we were there.
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| Surfer riding the wave. |
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| This turtle is named Olivia-Dawn, is 30-40 years old and weighs about 204 pounds. In 2004 she completed her 1000 mile round trip to the French Fregate Shoals to mate and nest. |
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Time for a little play in the surf and watching the surfers ride the waves then back to the resort.
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We made it back in time to get a couple of sunset shots.
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| Sunset at the Ko Olina Beach Club |
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Sunset at Ko Olina Beach Club
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Day 8
Our last day in paradise so we decided to enjoy the beach and pool and just spend the day relaxing. The sun was lovely and we played in the sand, tried to catch fish in a sand pail and just "hung loose"
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| One last Hawaiian sunset |
