Our First Day Off with the Smiths in Hawaii

When I said that we got up at 4:30 AM, I was serious.  We were in the van and pulling out by 5:00, hoping that we would miss the Honolulu traffic. 

And we did.  We're pretty sure that the traffic was less because of Labor Day--not as many people traveling in to work.  Whatever the reason, we had NO problems all day long.

Tantalus Drive
We headed to the hills above Honolulu on Tantalus Drive.  There were several overlooks, and the view was beautiful, but it was a very cloudy.

That's Diamond Head in the distance on the left.

We waited at the gate of a state park until they opened at 7:00 AM, and the panoramic view there was pretty amazing.  This view of Honolulu was from a much higher vantage point.

View from Pu'u'ualaka'a State Park.  Let me hear you pronounce that one!

Moleka Trail 

On the way down we stopped at the Moleka Trail and headed into the rain forest.  Very wet.  Very slippery.  Very beautiful.  Because we had SO much we wanted to do, we didn't walk very far.

Punchbowl Cemetery

We headed down the mountain and visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, better known as Punchbowl Cemetery.  The rain caught up with us here, but it did not diminish the experience at all.

Punchbowl Cemetery, where there are over 45,000 of these markers indicating the graves of men and women.

According to what we've read, Hawaiians in ancient times buried their royalty here and also used it as a place of human sacrifice. And so the the Hawaiian name for this crater is Puowaina--hill of human sacrifices. (From Andrew Doughty's book, Oahu Revealed)  Since 1949 it has been used as a cemetery for those in the military who sacrificed their lives in the Pacific.

Under the sculpture of Columbia is a quote said to be from Abraham Lincoln.  He supposedly wrote it in a letter to a mother who had lost her sons in the Civil War.  "The solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice on the altar of freedom."

In addition to the 45,000 marked graves, 28,778 names are carved into the walls on these terraces "whose earthly resting place is known only to God."  Chill bumps and teary eyes.  It was a very stirring, memorable experience.


Kahala Avenue 
After leaving the cemetery, we headed over to Kahala Avenue, supposedly where the very rich live.  We did see some pretty amazing homes before we headed out of town on the coastal route toward Kailua.

Koko Head
We passed by Koko Head, but opted NOT to climb the 1048 railroad ties, or steps, to the top.  They were placed there by the military in World War II.  Art wants to climb them.  I don't.

Everywhere we looked in the Koko Head area, we saw amazing views.  We pulled over, and were shocked at the number of crazy people who climbed out on the rocks.  Waves were crashing into the rocks, and Tim estimated them to be around 4 stories tall.  It's hard to tell that in the picture because we are looking at it from so far up, but those are some HIGH cliffs.

At the Lana'i Lookout

We, being perfectly sane people, stayed a safe distance away from the edge.

Halona Blowhole

The next pull-out along the coastal route was at the Halona Blowhole.  Oh My Goodness!  The ocean has undercut the lava rock and drilled a hole through the top.  The waves roll to the shore shoot sea spray high into the air through the hole, like a geyser.  I was thrilled!

Makapu'u Trail

Our next stop was at the Makapu'u Head trail, a 2 1/2 mile round-trip which we walked in 88 degree temperatures that felt like 110 degrees (to me) because of the humidity.  But...it was beautiful the entire way up, and when we arrived at the top I had to agree that it was worth it.

On the way up.  There were a lot of wild cactus in this area.

The trail is an old road that was used during World War II.

The lens on the Makapu'u Lighthouse is the largest in the United States.

Our view from the top!

We left Makapu'u with grand intentions of traveling on up the coast, but we were SO hot and tired.  So instead, we had delicious cheeseburgers at Maaloha in the little town of Kailua.  Ahhhh, cheeseburgers in paradise--maybe not Jimmy Buffett's paradise, but definitely paradise.

H3

We decided to head back across the island and get a little closer to "home", so we cut across on H3, a very scenic highway.  THESE ARE NOT MY PICTURES!  I hope I'm not breaking any laws, but I wanted you to see it.

Photo by Mark Payton Photography

Photo by Kenji Saito (kenjisaito.com)

It's a 16 mile road that cost $100 million PER MILE to build, and it took 37 years to complete.  It ought to be great, right?

Ko Olina
Ko Olina is a resort on the leeward side of the island near Waianae.  We ended our day there, watching the sun set over one of the four man-made lagoons.

It was a very special day.  The memories of it made scrubbing 15 commodes quite bearable!  :)