Hawaiian honeymoon

This picture above was taken moments after we stepped off the plane at Honolulu airport...

 Not exactly sure why there are pine trees in central Oahu... 

Tuesday: We drove from Honolulu to the North Shore to Turtle Bay Resort. After checking out the room, we headed toward the pool side bar for an Ahi burger and drinks then sat by the shore to watch the sunset. When we made it back to the room, there was champagne and a note waiting for us. We headed to 21 Degrees North and had an amazing dinner with a live performer softly playing in the background.

View from our hotel balcony

Antonio checking out the room..

Wednesday: We had a breakfast buffet at the resort, with amazing views of the ocean. Then we drove to Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau, an 18th century sacrificial temple, known as the "hill of escape". It's on a 5 acre, 300 foot bluff overlooking Waimea Bay. Then we went shopping in the North Shore and lunch at Grass Skirt Grill. From there we went to Dole Plantation where we wandered along the Dole Garden Tour. Then we went to Ka'ena Point North past Dillingham Airfield where we saw Wai'anae Ridge to our left, the ocean to our right, signs of an offroading course with several pickup trucks. We headed back to the resort to hang out at the pool then Neopolitan style pepperoni pizza and tiramisu at Leonardos.

View from our hotel balcony

View from our hotel balcony

What the site would have looked like back in the day...

Ocean views from the site. Now I know why the tour book recommended a sunset hike here...

Evidence that this place still holds spiritual and cultural significance...

Pineapple whip with fresh cut pineapple topping

Pineapple cutting demonstration

Oooooooooh....

Garden Tour..

Pineapples in their natural habitat...

Blue ginger

Papayas

 In Haleiwa

Back at Turtle Bay

 Watching the sunset from our room

Thursday: We had breakfast at the resort again followed by lounging on the beach. Then we headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center, followed by a luau and Ha, Breath of Life

View from our hotel balcony

Radar observatories on the site of the original ones that first detected the incoming planes 

during the attack on Pearl Harbor (as seen from our room)

Only at Turtle Bay....

This was taken in front of the Kahuku Grill right before we had lunch. According to our kayak guide, "hang loose" or  "shaka" sign was made popular in the North Shore because of a former worker at this sugar mill in Kahuku. After a worksite accident, he lost three fingers. He then became a security guard for the railroad and would wave at any potential thieves with his hand, scaring them off. Later, a local newscaster who was also a friend of his would do the same wave as a way to say hello to him. Just think of THAT next time you see a shaka sign.. 

Showing off his awesome USAF honor guard skills...

Can't you tell how super excited he is that I volunteered him for this activity... ?  ;)

Ready for the luau :)

Ha, Breath of Life show

Waiting for the fire twirling to start...

My shoes picked up lots of red dirt during all of our hikes...

Friday: We hiked around the grounds of Turtle Bay from the beach to the WWII bunker to the Banyan tree to the horse stables to the golf course, followed by one hour of free snorkeling at Kuilima Cove at Turtle Bay. Then we went to the Iolani Palace then to the Aloha Tower Marketplace in search Don Ho's (couldn't find it) so we ended up at Bikini Cantina's for dinner, drinks, and watching boats and airplanes.

 Thanks for the warning. Too bad I didn't expect all the horse poo...

 Looking like we definitely stepped into Ferngully....

 Canopy of leaves

 WWII bunker

 Home estimated at five million dollars... if only...

 Banyan tree that was in a little TV show....

Turtle Bay has two golf courses...

 Yup that's a chicken. In a tree..

 Turtle Bay has two parrots in their lobby...

 Downtown Honolulu

 Iolani Palace

 Saturday: We went kayaking with Shaka Kayaks, where Andy did some kayak surfing while I went on a short hike to hear about and eat some native plants, then we did stand up kayaking. Then we hunted down shrimp trucks and settled on Giovannis for some lemon butter shrimp followed by chocolate truffles at Chocolate Gecko. Then we went to Pearl Harbor where we watched a movie then took a boat ride out to USS Arizona memorial then to the USS Missouri. Then we stopped at Haleiwa Joe's for dinner with an ocean view. Then we finished with more drinks at the pool, listening to the live performers and watching the surf in the moonlight.

Truffles made with Waimea chocolate..

 Tree of Life window

 The flags representing the ships that were attacked at Pearl Harbor. 

Each battleship was named after a state...

 US flag then those representing the service branches: Army, Marine Corp, Navy, USAF, Coast Guard

 Arizona state flag

 USS Missouri as viewed from USS Arizona Memorial

 Number of shots from the fore guns during Desert Storm...

 Where the Instrument of Surrender between US and Japan was signed, ending WWII.

 Nimitz

 MacArthur

 Chief of the General Staff, on behalf of Japanese Imperial General HQ

 Foreign Minister, representing the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government

 Representing the shots fired from the aft guns in Desert Storm..

 Represents the number of Tomahawks fired...

 Where the Kamikaze hit the side of the ship

 Such spacious accomodations... stacked three beds high...

 Where dental work was performed on the ship..

 Close in Weapons System or R2D2

 USS Missouri standing guard over USS Arizona

 Sunday: We had lunch at Tiki Grill in Waikiki then hiked Diamond Head. We spent the rest of the day wandering the beaches of Waikiki while watching the sun set. Then we had dinner at Duke's Canoe Club while listening to the trio of ukulele players and picked up souvenirs at Royal Hawaiian Marketplace.

 View of Waikiki Beach while waiting for lunch

Yeah for peach flavored pina coladas...

Queen Kapiolani Regional Park, home to the Honolulu Zoo 

and closest free parking to Waikiki from Diamond Head

 View of the trails winding along the side of the crater

 Halfway up the crater...

 At the point where they attached the winch to tow things up the side of Diamond Head

 Classic Titanic pose..

 74 steps

 99 steps

 More steps

Almost to the top...

 54 final steps to see this view

 And this one..

 View of the entire Diamond Head crater

Back in Queen Kapiolani Park

Waikiki beaches

View of Royal Hawaiian Hotel (the pink one)

 Statue of Duke Kahanamoku, father of international surfing

Monday: We went snorkeling at Turtle Bay then to Shark's Cove Grill for lunch. Then we went to Shark's Cove then to Malekahana beach (the most secluded beach in Oahu) then to Ted's Bakery for donuts then to dinner in Haleiwa at Breaker's Grill. Then to Aoki's for lychee, pineapple, and orange flavored shaved ice.


Tuesday: We stopped off at Waimea Beach then shopping and wandering around Chinatown where we had lunch at a Filipino cafe then we flew back to LA.