Hawaii : Oahu
Hawaii has always been on our travel bucket list.
When we got married, we decided to make going a priority before starting a family. Last summer we booked our visit to the islands of Oahu and Kauai.
We flew out of Cedar Rapids at 9AM (Central Time) on Monday morning. We arrived in Honolulu at around 5 PM (Hawaiian Time). Our flight from Cedar Rapids connected to Denver with only a 50-minute layover. Traveling from Denver to Honolulu took eight hours. I've never been on a flight so long. It was actually fairly bearable. I got a bit figity toward the end, and the turbulence was rough from time to time, but not as bad as I had anticipated. Complimentary movies and book reading helped.
Oahu
Upon arriving in Honolulu, from the time we touched down until we arrived at our resort, it took nearly two hours (note: they are 8 miles apart). We were, of course, the last resort on the shuttle's route, leaving us to sit through four other drop-offs. This tested both of our nerves ... we were tired and hungry and ready to begin our vacation. On our way to the hotel, we passed many high-end stores ... Coach, Louis Vuitton, Chanel ... which caused Ryan looked at me like ... this is Hawaii?! I reminded him that Oahu is all about Pearl Harbor for us.
We stayed at Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. With the exception of its along-the-beach location and its restaurant/bar, it wasn't anything special. They gave us double beds even though our travel agent specifically asked for a king bed. We tried to rearrange but to no avail.
But, enough about the early disappointments of Oahu! Our time definitely got better from our first impression. We spent around three days in Oahu, and we did about three main things:
- Diamond Head
- Waikiki Beach
- Pearl Harbor
Diamond Head
Diamond Head is the name of a 760-foot tuff crater located on the eastern edge of Waikiki's coastline. It is a recognizable landmark known for its hiking trail, coastal views and military history. Known as Leahi (brow of the tuna) in Hawaiian, the crater was named Diamond Head by 19th century British sailors who thought they discovered diamonds on the crater's slopes. In the early 1900’s, the military claimed the area as a site for coastal defense, creating the paths, tunnels and stairs that are part of the terrain today.
The trail was a simple dirt path with occasional pavement steps. There was one section, leading up to a military bunker, that had about 100 very steep steps to climb. We were both huffing and puffing when we reached the top. The views from the top were great. The trail was definitely crowded with people doing the same thing we were. When we were leaving we met an ambulance on its way to Diamond Head. The cab driver informed us that they were headed to assist someone on the trail and that this happens quite often ... sometimes daily.
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor has always been a place Ryan has wanted to visit. He said if we didn't do anything else but see Pearl Harbor while in Hawaii, he'd be happy. I love history and have an interest in World War II, however, I'd never agree to that! Nevertheless, our day visit to Pearl Harbor was an important part of our trip.
Ryan had this to say about the experience ...
Touring Pearl Harbor I couldn't help but think of FDR's famous opening lines following the attack. "Dec 7,1941, a day that will live infamy." I have watched several movies and read numerous books about the attack but only visualizing in my mind what it would have looked like. I was finally able to see it in person with my own eyes. Although it was almost 75 years ago, it still felt like it could have been yesterday. Throughout our tour at Pearl Harbor I had a wide array of emotions such as amazement, anger, sadness and honor.
I enjoyed all parts of the tour, however, getting to walk around the USS Missouri a.k.a. "Mighty Mo" was my favorite. Leading up to and during WWII, battleship size and armament was the measuring stick of strength. There was never a battleship commissioned by the US Navy that showed its muscle more than the "Mighty Mo." Seeing the sheer size of this beast, along with its 9 - 16" main guns, was jaw dropping. This battleship could shoot up to a 2700 lb projectile 24 miles. At maximum range, the projectile spent almost 1 1/2 minutes in the air which is like shooting from Remsen to Cherokee!
Another surreal part for me was standing on the exact same spot as General Douglas MacArthur when Japan surrendered in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri to end WWII. Walking on that same deck and putting myself in that spot September 2, 1945 was quite a feeling. No wonder we have a generation known as Baby Boomers!
I think I could have spent twice as long as we did on board but, from what I could tell, Jamie, Jessie and Casey weren't quite as enamored as I was with this iconic ship. All in all, I was very impressed with Pearl Harbor, and it's certainly a memory that will last a lifetime.
My favorite part of Pearl Harbor (although odd) was the Arizona Memorial. Very humbling. You'll see in the photos, the oil still spilling from the sunken ship. While at Pearl Harbor, I found myself trying to visualize what the Naval base looked like pre-attack in 1941. There were a few maps and displays that gave us a little insight. The eight ships were lined up in what they called "Battleship Row". The airplanes were located at Wheeler Field, lined up, wing tip to wing tip, making them easy targets for the Japanese airplanes. I found these two photos online that give us a little glimpse of what the base look like back then.
If you find yourself planning a trip to Pearl Harbor, know that tickets to the Arizona are best reserved online in advance (about 2 months out). We did the full-day pass, which granted us access to Ford's Island, which included the Battleship Missouri and the Pacific Aviation Museum. On the Pearl Harbor premises, there's also the Bowfin Submarine Museum you can tour (with an audio player).
Another highlight of our stay in Oahu was spending a little time with my sister Jess and her boyfriend Casey. They were traveling to Maui for Jess' friend Amy's wedding and had decided to make Honolulu their first stop, so we could spend a little time together and visit Pearl Harbor.
Waikiki Beach
When we weren't exploring Diamond Head or Pearl Harbor, you could find us on Waikiki Beach. The beach was located right across the street from our hotel. The beach was both pretty and relaxing. It was busy but not overly crowded.
We enjoyed the restaurant/bar, Tiki's, located within our hotel. It offered up good beer, food and friendly staff. While having drinks there, we met a retired couple who lived in Florida. As the conversation went on, we found out the husband grew up in Okoboji. Not the last Iowa people we'd meet on our trip.
We had some good food at not only this restaurant but others. Some places we enjoyed included Duke's, Uncle Bo's Pupu Bar and Grill and sushi at Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar.
I wish we could have seen the surfers and the North Shore ... but it wasn't worth the taxi drive there. Who knows how long it would have taken and how expensive it would have been! Plus, there was actually a surfing competition going on while we were there. "The Eddie" is only held if the swells reach 35+ feet. Last time it was held was in 2009. All the locals were talking about it!
Our stay at Oahu was just long enough to experience it and be ready for a more relaxing Kauai, our next stop.
