Hawaii - Saying Our Good-byes

We knew that our last day off, the day we visited Pearl Harbor, would be our last opportunity to drive around the island, so we decided to make the drive, stopping anywhere and everywhere we wanted to stop.

Makapu'u Beach Overlook (again)

Makapu'u Beach, looking toward the lighthouse.  (See that tiny speck on the mountainside?)  Our first hike on Oahu was up that mountain.  It was SO hot that day, and so cool on this one.

We discovered a "heiau", a Hawaiian sacred burial ground, that we had not seen before.

We also discovered the He'eia State Park rain garden.

Of course we had to get another good meal in, so we stopped at a little place recommended in our Oahu guidebook, Oahu Revealed by Andrew Doughty.  Tim had a beef brisket sandwich, and I had a pork quesadilla.  Delicious!

 We traveled around the island, and as we neared Waianae the sun

was going down, so we pulled over at one of the many beaches to watch it set. 

We didn't think we'd ever get back out on the road because of traffic, but it was worth it!

Art and Denise left early on Wednesday morning.  It was the first day we worked without them.

 Thursday, Oct. 1, was our last day.  We spent the morning cleaning

our apartment,washing clothes, and packing.

Then we headed here, to Pokai Bay, for a peanut butter/banana sandwich and to enjoy our last hours on the beautiful beaches of Waianae. 

After the beach, we rode around the back roads of Waianae.

We ended up close to where we had started at Pokai Bay.

We sat under the trees until we couldn't put off the inevitable, then returned to

Pu'u Kahea for final packing and good-byes. 

What a wonderful month at Pu'u Kahea.
I plan to return some day!

Glimpses of Pu'u Kahea

www.pkcc.org

From Pu'u Kahea's website:

"When you enter Pu'u Kahea Conference Center, the first thing you will notice is the beauty of God's creation and the hospitality of our staff and volunteers. Whether you are walking through the royal palm trees, observing the many birds we have, or just relaxing on the grounds, you will experience the wonder of our Creator God. You will also be welcomed and loved by those who will serve you during your stay. Our main desire, however, is that you will be touched by our Lord as you have opportunity to get away from day-to-day life and spend quality time with Him."

The Plantation Hale

Pu-u Kahea is the site of the former Waianae Sugar Plantation.  The original plantation house was built in 1888, but was torn down and replaced in 1910 by the plantation manager, Frederick Myer. The existing Plantation Hale is the one that Mr. Meyer built, complete with wrap-around porches and a third floor ballroom.

Original rug from the ballroom!  The third floor is used now for meetings and church services.

Second floor front lanai (porch)

View from front lanai

View from back lanai (and the mountain I love)

View from the side lanai, overlooking a canal

Beautiful palm trees line the front entrance, and majestic Norfolk Island Pines line the drive.

A Prayer Garden created by volunteers invites you to spend a little "alone time" with God.

The guests AND volunteers love the fire pit.

There are rainbows and sunsets almost every day.

Even the storage buildings are special!

Although the house and grounds are beautiful, and the sound of the birds and sight of the mountains when I walked out of my door each morning are things I will never forget, it is the people who make Pu'u Kahea so special.

So many wonderful groups visited Pu'u Kahea while we were there!  We loved watching them worship, play together, and fellowship with each other.

Faith - Hope - Love - FAMILY

It takes a lot to keep the center looking good and operating smoothly.  Yaaayyy volunteers!

Tim, Sharon, Joyce, Fred, Denise, Art, Dexter

Fred and Joyce, in a RARE moment of relaxing.

And of course there would be no conference center without the dedicated staff!

Jimmy, George, Ashley, and Jolea (and Michael, our crazy chef, photo-bombing from the door!)

Thank you, Jimmy and Ashley, for inviting us all into your home for irresistible, delicious, mouth-watering hamburgers and ribs and all the fixings!  We enjoyed it SO much.

Jolea, Jimmy and Ashley's daughter, posing as she tells me she doesn't like to have her picture taken!

Although you can't see him, George, Jimmy and Ashley's 2-year old, kept us very entertained.

And last but not least, we had SO much fun with Denise and Art!  We miss them already.

Dreary skies and rain never slowed us down!

That day.  Thanks for pulling my weight.

Denise and Art, thank you for sharing Pu'u Kahea with us!

www.pkcc.org