Honolulu
View of Waikiki as we made our approach to Honolulu.
Our port of call was Honolulu. This was a good and bad thing in that we were able to get magnificent views from the plane flying into Honolulu airport and we were right in the heart of downtown at the cruise ship port, but had precious few hours to spend in the city and could not explore more than the immediate downtown area. The Arizona Memorial, Diamond Head and Waikiki would have to wait for another trip.
Scotty with downtown Honolulu in background
Mom and Erich at lunch
We ate lunch at a harbor side café in the Aloha Market shopping center and then headed to the top of the beautiful Aloha Tower for some amazing views of the city. Jessica, who equated Honolulu to being no different than LA, soon insisted on engaging in her favorite hobby, shopping, with my mom at the mall.
Jessica trying to make bunny ears
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Erich and I, meanwhile, took the few remaining hours to walk through downtown. We headed over to the state capital building, designed as a volcano coming out of the ocean, to Iolani Palace, and through china town. There was a lot of amazing architecture in the downtown area, both old and modern, but, the lush vegetation, including palms and banyan trees, really showed how we were no longer on the mainland. As night fell on the city, our ship left port and we headed on our cruise. |
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Hawaiian State Capital Building (above left) with reflective pool and downtown building views (above right)
Entrance to Iolani Palace, looks like something out of Louisiana
Honolulu Return
Waikiki and Diamond Head awaken to the morning sun as our ship entered Honolulu Harbor
 Downtown as we approached the dock |
We arrived early the next morning in Honolulu (just at sunrise), our amazing seven day trip came to an end. But, we all had an amazing time and fell in love the Hawaiian Islands. Even Erich loved the Polynesian culture and he usually deplores native cultures. |
 Aloha Tower from our balcony |
Each island had its own charms: Kauai was lush, green, and relaxing, Hilo with its expansive gardens and volcanoes, Kona was bright, beautiful and exciting with a laid back, island appeal, Maui with it’s rich diversity and finally Honolulu, the urban center. And given that it is a quicker flight from SF to Hawaii than it is to the East Coast, our talk of getting a time share for future trips will not be mere talk.
return to vacation home