After a seven hour and ten minute flight with Korean Air from Tokyo, Rich and I set foot in a place of my dreams, Hawaii.
Ever since I watched Surf Girls, an MTV reality show where amateur surfers compete to become professionals, I have dreamt of living the chilled out, relaxed and equally exhilarating life of a surfer.
All I needed was the paradise of golden sand, blue sky, rolling waves and the ability to surf to make my dream come true. Thirteen years after I started dreaming, I arrived in a place where it could become my reality.
Rich and I had planned a week long stay on Oahu, the most populated of the Hawaiian islands and home to the state capital, Honolulu.
We stayed in the Waikiki Beachside Hostel, about thirty seconds walk from the beautiful and very popular Waikiki beach which is where we were going to surf.
Unfortunately once we arrived I became a little bit ill, nothing too serious but I developed enough of a cough and chill to keep me out of the water for a couple of days. So instead of diving straight into the pacific with a surfboard, we hired a car for a day to go sightseeing as there was a lot else Oahu had to offer.
We started our big day out on Oahu by visiting Pearl Harbour and the memorial of the USS Arizona which marks the resting place of two thousand, two hundred and seventy nine sailors and marines killed on the USS Arizona during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbour, on the seventh of December nineteen forty one and which commemorates the events of that day.
Arriving at Pearl Harbour first thing in the morning, we queued up to take the boat over to the USS Arizona memorial straight away. The memorial, shining bright white in the morning sun against the blue of the ocean beneath and the sky above looked beautiful.
Stretching across what remains of the USS Arizona with its entombed bodies beneath, the memorial allows visitors to look down at the ship which can be seen below the surface of the water and up at the US flag billowing in the ever present Hawaiian breeze above.
As well as going to the memorial for the USS Arizona, we explored the museum and walked around the grounds. The memorial at Pearl Harbour is simple and beautiful and definitely a must see when on Oahu.
From the sombre and sobering thoughts of Pearl Harbour, our sightseeing day took a much more light hearted focus.
Rich has been a huge fan of TV shows Hawaii Five-0 and Dog The Bounty Hunter for a number of years and he was very excited about the prospect of visiting two buildings in Honolulu that are key places in these shows, namely the building that is the Hawaii Five-0 Headquarters (really used for the Hawaii State Supreme Court) and Dog The Bounty Hunter’s Da Kine Bail Bonds office.
We ventured, we saw, we got the photograph, Rich was happy and we carried on with our sight seeing tour!
Our next stop was Laniakea Beach on Oahu’s North Shore. Our journey from Honolulu took us up through the middle of the island to North Shore, passing stunning green mountains, lush green fields and beauty everywhere we looked.
Laniakea Beach is commonly known as Turtle Beach and is a haven for green sea turtles. We were fortunate enough to get to see one out of the water on the rocks here which was amazing. It was well camouflaged and the size of it was huge at around four and a half feet long.
Protected under the endangered species act you aren’t allowed to touch the turtles and having seen one from a few feet away there’s no way I’d want to touch one – they’re massive!
From Laniakea Beach we continued to drive along the North Shore and stopped off at Sunset Beach, home to the world famous Pipeline.
The home of big wave surfing during the winter months, we didn’t see any of the pipeline waves it is well known for, however even during the tame month of May there were surfers enjoying themselves in the water.
Heading south along the east side of the island we again drove through stunning landscapes, with the deep blue pacific ocean on our left and towering green mountains on our right there were some breathtaking views.
We headed to Lanikai Beach next, voted one of the best beaches in the world for it’s beautiful golden sands and turquoise blue water. As we pulled up in our car the dark clouds were drawing in overhead and we didn’t get to see Lanikai Beach in its full glory.
Even with grey clouds overhead though it was a spectacular spot to sit and watch the waves roll in.
With the day drawing to a close Rich and I jumped back in our car and headed back to Waikiki.
We had a quick stop off at Nuuana Palu Lookout on our drive, it’s popularity noted for it’s panoramic mountain views. Although the view was great, we didn’t stay long as it was blowing a hooley and the light was fading fast.
Arriving back into Waikiki we dropped the rental car off and decided to treat ourselves to a nice evening out instead of cooking in our hostel. Sightseeing is handwork after all!
Walking down the main road of Waikiki we saw the commercialised, bustling, materialistic side of Hawaii, a very different side to the one we had spent the day exploring but still with it’s own charm as musicians played traditional Hawaiian music in the street.
Waikiki is filled with bars, restaurant, high end shops, glitz and glam.
While we loved our day learning about the history of Pearl Harbour and seeing the natural beauty that Oahu had to offer, it sure was nice drinking a cold glass of wine and beer at the end of the day and eating delicious food that we didn’t have to cook ourselves!
Lambs on the loose 