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We went to the USS Arizona Memorial, and that was pretty much it for the day. We spent a while at the heated pool, then watched the sunset at a nearby beach. Then we went to the Ala Moana mall to get dinner. There was a treat store that sold some really funky stuff – dried plants of every kind, pickled mangos, and some weird candy.
We spent a good chunk of the day at the huge flea market at Aloha Stadium. I bought another bunch of clothes. They had so much stuff! It was a little overwhelming, but it was exciting. I had my third shave-ice. They’re very addictive.
We went to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve to go swimming. We got there late in the afternoon, so we didn’t stay long, unfortunately. It was beautiful.
After getting cleaned up, we went to a little Japanese restaurant in Kane’ohe. We took the H3, which goes through the mountains. The views were absolutely magnificent. The mountains are completely covered in ferns, monkeypod trees, palms, and every other kind of vegetation. It was like another planet.
We celebrated New Year’s by walking to the top of Diamond Head. It wasn’t too bad a slog, and the views from the top were staggering. The view is so wide we could see the curvature of the earth.
Driving down Diamond Head Road, we saw more closely-packed expensive houses behind ornate gates. There are no easements between the homes – they called it “zero lot lines”. I can’t get over how cool the houses are. It’s almost like being in a Scandinavian country, with pretty chalets nestled into the hillsides. But here, the “chalets” are all different styles, and the hillsides are covered in jungles. Some of the homes remind me of expensive houses in South Florida, but there is a much wider variety of styles, and the zero lot line situation creates a sense of coziness. It also forces the builders to be creative, so the architecture of the homes is very interesting.
We spent a couple of hours at the Honolulu Zoo. I think it’s the best zoo I’ve been to. It’s small, but you can get really close to the animals. There were lots of beautiful exotic birds, and the plants and flowers were almost as interesting as the animals.
Later in the evening, we went shopping in downtown Waikiki. There are lots of expensive shops, like Prada and Lois Vuitton, interspersed with inexpensive, tourist-oriented shops. We bought lots of clothes in the International Marketplace.
99 of the 217 steps leading to the top of Diamond Head
Honolulu from Diamond Head
Honolulu Zoo
Dad and I walked around the local hotels this morning. They’re very fancy. One has a little pool with waterfalls, turtles, and penguins. Another has a pond which is home to a swan. He followed me as we walked along the edge of the pond. One hotel has a covered walkway with orchids trailing off the roof.
We spent the afternoon and evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We watched the IMAX film, “Coral Reef Adventure,” which I really enjoyed. I loved the music. We had dinner at a luau, then we watched a stage show called “Ha! The Breath of Life.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay, because I didn’t feel great, but I’m glad we did. The show was actually kind of touching, and the Samoan guys juggling the flaming batons were really talented. On the way home, we saw lots of people setting off fireworks. The aerial fireworks were very pretty against the mountains. By the time we got back to Honolulu, the air was grey and thick with smoke. I didn’t stay up until midnight, but Dad and Patty did. They said by midnight the smoke was so thick they couldn’t see past about ten feet.
Ponds at one of the local hotels
A brave guy retrieving a coconut at the Polynesian Cultural Center
Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center
