Hawaii Five 0
Ok I’m sitting here 10,000 metres above the Pacific Ocean
writing this probably my last blog. Yes the adventure’s over and we are now
returning to reality and trying to work out how we can save up enough money to
do it all again in 4 years time.
I’ll start this one with our departure from Toronto on the
29th December 2011 and a very big apology to all our Canadian
friends. Chelle and I have been doing a snow dance for about the last month and
a half before we left and it finally worked, it just seems we may have got the
timing a bit wrong soToronto copped over 90 cm of snow the day after we
left. They even had a snow day. So sorry guys, hope you enjoyed the -30 degree
temperaturesJ
Anyway the flight from Toronto to Honolulu via San Francisco was long and
torturous, the plane got away late and the two hour stopover we were expecting
turned into a twenty minute mad rush from one terminal to another, just made
the plane as it was waiting for another delayed flight from Chicago. Finally arriving
in Honolulu late evening we got bedded down after a long day.
December 30, first things first breakfast and then meeting
up with my parents Rob and Mary and youngest sister Christina who had flown out
to Hawaii to meet us. This was exciting as the kids hadn’t seen their
grandparents for over twelve months. Once that was done we had a stroll around Waikiki
and down to the beach. I found Waikiki beach to be disappointing, it wasn’t as
large as I had expected and of course was very crowded. It’s much like Bondi,
even the sand comes from Australia. After the beach we went off and booked our
week. As it was to turn out there was to be none of the sitting around on
beaches and relaxing this was to be all go (which suits me just fine). Our
first event kicked off that evening when we went out to Germaine’s Luau; Lots
of great Hawaiian food, free Mai Tai’s and plenty of traditional entertainment.
Natasha was entranced by the hula dancing and both her and her mother got up on
stage and gave it all they got, even Ryan was persuaded to go up with the guys
and give it a go and performed admirably. The Luau ended late and so by the
time everyone made it back to our hotels we were all trashed.
New Years Eve. We went out to the one place I really wanted
to see in Honolulu which was Pearl Harbour and the Battleship Missouri. On
arriving at Pearl we first split up and Chelle, my mum, sister and Natasha
stayed with the bus and did a tour of Honolulu while Dad, myself and Ryan went
off to the Missouri for a tour. The Mighty Mo is an impressive ship with a long
record; it was interesting to see her in her last guise as a Desert Storm
veteran and carrying some of the weapons systems that are dear to my heart.
From the Missouri we headed back to the main base to meet up with the girls and
tour the Arizona memorial; before they take you out to the memorial, you are
shown a film of the attack which was taken
on the day. What is interesting about this is it is an edited movie of
both Japanese and American footage, so you see the attack through both sides.
From the theatre you then take the short boat ride to the memorial which sits
above the wreck of the Arizona, very moving. The one mistake we made with the
trip to Pearl was not giving ourselves enough time because there are plenty of
other exhibits and museums to see. The girls should have had the day to
themselves while the boys toured the museums, you live and learn. The afternoon
was Ryan’s time; he really wanted to learn to surf. So when we got back we
raced him down to the beach and enrolled him in an hour long surf lesson.
Sitting on the beach we watched him paddle a board out to the breakers 100m off
shore while his mother chewed her nails. The waves weren’t really big, so apart
from the crowds it was ideal conditions to learn and he seemed to pick it up
very quickly, no surprise really as surfing is in his blood thanks to his Nan
and Pop. Now we have to start looking for a surfboard for him when we get back.
New Years Eve, what can I say it was spent like most of our other recent New
Years Eve’s in bed. All the noise that started happening around midnight was a
bit annoying though.
New Years Day, up early and jump on board a shuttle for the
Grand Island tour. We had thought of hiring a car and doing the island
ourselves, but I’m glad we didn’t as this way I could leave the driving to
someone who knew the place and could give a running commentary on all the
sites. Also the parking at the beaches on the North Side of the Island was
hideous. Pipeline and Sunset beaches on the North side were what I was
expecting when I thought of Hawaii’s beaches; big long, wide beaches with big
waves. The thing about the island that most surprised me was the difference in
climates. For such a small island we went through nearly all four seasons in
the one day. The other thing that impresses are the mountains and the
rainforests, I don’t think I’ve seen thicker jungle anywhere. Once again
another long day but one that everyone agreed was well worth it as we got a
good feel for the real island outside of Honolulu and Oh yeah Natasha finally
got to drink coconut milk out of a real coconut which she didn’t enjoy.
2nd January. The Polynesian Cultural Centre; for
those thinking of going to Hawaii this place is a must. As the name implies the
centre highlights the people and cultures of the Polynesian Islands, such as
Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. Each culture has its own
village and puts on a show displaying native dancing and their way of life also
there are interactive activities that people can try. So Ryan and I both tried
climbing a palm tree, Tasha did some more Hula dancing and both kids tried
spear throwing amongst over things. The really cool thing about this place is
that it is affiliated with a University that takes in students from all over
Polynesia and the money that the centre makes is used to provide all the board,
tuition and other fees need to put students through university and give them
degrees. In turn many of the students work at the centre and get to display
their own culture and develop a pride in who they are. I think it’s a great concept
that could be used in many countries. After a day spent looking around the
centre we then sat down for another Luau; again with entertainment and
afterwards it was the highlight of the day. “Ha the Breath of Light” a music
and dancing extravaganza that highlights each culture in turn. This show alone
was worth the price of admission. Both the kids were mesmerised especially when
it came to the finale with the fire twirlers. I have to say having seen the
different shows during the day and HA, the most impressive of the cultures is still
the Maori, nothing beats a Haka, though the Tongans come a close second.
3rd January. Mum, Dad and Christina had the day
off and Chelle, Ryan Tash and I went our own way; a flight to the Big Island
(Hawaii) and a trip to Kilauea volcano and the volcano National Park. This was
one of those trips that Chelle and I agreed “Hang the expense, we want to do
this” and were glad we did. Once again flying to the Big Island it strikes you
just how different the climates are around the islands. Nothing of the island
could be seen owing to the Vog (volcanic fog, yes there is such a thing) except
the 4000 metre peak of Mona Kea and the largest observatory in the world
sitting at its peak and surrounding this was snow!! In the middle of the
Pacific Ocean. Landing at Hilo it was overcast with drizzle, but this didn’t
take away from the beauty of the place and the difference in pace of life to
Oahu. Our first stop for the day was Rainbow Falls and it was here we found out
that Hilo is the second wettest city in the United States, the first being
Ketchikan Alaska. So in the past twelve months we have visited the two wettest
cities in the USA.
From Hilo we headed out the North side of the Island and
Volcano National Park. Once again driving through impenetrable jungle, however
as you come closer to the park you come across tracts of land that are barren,
these are the lava flows that have cut through the greenery, a stark
difference. As you get closer to Kilauea crater you drive pass vents where
steam is just rising out of the ground. Kilauea is the most active volcano on
the planet and though it was quiet while we were there only two weeks ago lava
was flowing down to the ocean. Our first stop in the Park was at a Lava Tube a
tunnel that was formed by the flowing lava and that has cooled and is big
enough for people to walk through. The island is riddle with these tunnels and
because of the amount of rain they carry most of the water on the West side.
Next we went to Kilauea crater and the Jagger museum to view the caldera and
the steam rising from the crater, because the lava level was 40 metres below
the rim we couldn’t see it, but we would see how spectacular it was later that
night. After a brief but forgettable dinner we then headed down Crater road and
out across the lava fields, again spectacular, we came across a number of spots
where the road had been cut and rebuilt in the past and then saw were the flows
had reached the ocean. It would have been nice to see an active lava flow but
it wasn’t to be. For the piece de resistance we went back to the observatory
after dark and got to see the glow from the crater and I was able to get some
breathtaking photos. Again a late night as our flight didn’t get back to
Honolulu till 10:00pm, but well worth it.
January 4th our last day in Honolulu and
Natasha’s day. Ryan got to learn how to surf and now Tash got to get in the
water with Dolphins (mind you so did her brother). Both were booked in for a
half hour dolphin encounter at the Sea Life Park and to say Tash was excited is
putting it mildly. The park is only small and not on the scale of Seaworld but
that didn’t matter. The kids got to shake hands with a dolphin and to kiss one,
which is all Natasha wanted to do. After their encounter we spent a short while
watching the usual shows and looking at the exhibits and then it was back to
the hotel for a last play in the pool while mum packed cases and did some last
minute shopping. Both kids were very sorry to say goodbye to Hawaii and their
Grandparents but I think that they are also so tired after their travels they
will be glad to get back home, though Natasha has said she wants to move to
paradise and I can’t blame her. Hawaii is now on our list of must visit again
locations.
So there you have it, we are now over half way into our trip
back to Sydney and it’s time to bring it all to a close. A number of you have
said what are they going to read when this finishes, well I may have one final
blog left in me when we get back and have settled in, we’ll see, otherwise it’s
going to take me a week or so to sort through photos so I will post them as I
can.
I hope I haven’t bored too many of you and thank you for the
kind comments along the way.
Aloha,
Ken
