Mar 8, 2013 - Aloha Hawaii/Aloha Grand Rapids

3 days in Waikiki & we are finally ready to come home. This will probably be our last time on Oahu ..this island is way too metropolitan for us. This has been a wonderful vacation that we will not forget. Our time on the islands has been wonderful .. We hope those of you that followed our journal have enjoyed it. We love. To hear about everyone else's adventures too. Aloha!!

Mar 6, 2013 - Aloha

Waikiki Well, we left Sydney a bit late at 9.00 p.m. on Wednesday 27 February and arrived at just after 9.00 a.m. on Wednesday 27 February at Honolulu airport after a 10 hour flight – so that made Wednesday a very long day! Despite all the threatened delays at immigration due to the USA economic problems we picked up our cases and were through immigration in less than half an hour. By 10.30 we were checked into the hotel and set out to explore the local neighbourhood in Waikiki – the place was buzzing, for 2 jet lagged and weary travellers...

Mar 5, 2013 - Waikiki

Waikiki is a culture shock from peaceful maui to Japanese Oahu . Our Sheraton Waikiki is beautiful but huge. 2 pools...loving the waiters by the pools. Diamond Head in the background .. Mai Tai at the Royal Hawaiian next door. We have reciprocal privileges there, the Moana Surfrider, and the Sheraton Princess. Went to dinner at Chucks Steakhouse, above Dukes at the Outrigger on the Beach. It was very good.. Beautiful table overlooking the ocean.. The tiki torches were all lit below us.

May 19, 2012 - Touring Oahu

We have done 2 wonderful tours. An early start yesterday saw us up and about at 6:30 waiting for the tour bus to collect us - heading towards Pearl Harbour for the must see USS Arizona and the Mighty Mo (Battleship Missouri). We were wondering why so early - surely it wasn't going to take hours to get there? Our tour driver Kaeo was a born entertainer. He sang to us, old Elvis songs as well as hawaiian songs (don't groan). He told jokes that really were funny, and made us laugh all day. Good value! The tour was just amazing, interesting to...

May 17, 2012 - Aloha from Hawaii

Thursday. Have walked our feet off today, exploring Waikiki. We arrived last night at 9.40, and can you believe it, we were the LAST through customs - all the people from that big plane somehow got processed before us. Anyway, it certainly made bag collection easy. The carousel had even given up and stopped.... Arrived at our hotel around 11.30, and thankfully the bar was open (it's always open) so I could try my first MaiTai (very nice), and David a well-earned beer (all that standing in line is exhausting, and thirsty work). Today we...

Apr 20, 2012 - Snorkelling and the Man o War!

Day 20 Today we woke up for our last day in Hawaii and we had a snorkelling trip booked in the Kaneohe Bay on the north-east side of Oahu. We get picked up from our hotel and then pick up others at the various hotels around Waikiki, in all 35 people and we travel about 45mins to our destination. Our tour guide is a guy by the name of Jenner.....not sure what planet he is from or what substance he had been indulging in prior to us boarding the bus...but he was certainly way out there!! Jenner was on the bus microphone the entire way to...

Apr 19, 2012 - Grand Circle Tour with Super Mario!

Day 19 Today we got up, ate a quick brekky and then went down to the bus pick up area by 7:15am for our Oahu Island Grand Tour. We were travelling around the Island basically all day long and stopping and selected spots along the way. 'Super Mario' was our driver/tour guide for the day with his very thick Italian accent even though he has been living in Hawaii for 38 years!!! After being on a few of these bus tours now (with the same company) you start to get a bit of 'I've heard this before'....same jokes, same repartee...just a different...

Apr 19, 2012 - Waikiki and Magic Show

Day 18 Today we have nothing planned for the day. We decide to go for a walk down Waikiki Beach (a long way to go to not walk down the famous beach!) There is a lot of construction going on in the main area. The plan is to get Waikiki Beach back to the way it used to look back in the 80’s. Erosion has basically flattened out the main beach area and they are embarking on a 3 month job to correct it before the high season starts. Regardless, it is still a beautiful stroll down white sands and turquoise waters. We walk back to our hotel and...

Apr 19, 2012 - Free time, a cruise and a show

Day 17 Today we got up at a reasonable hour (one of the rare times) and went out and got some brekkie at a place we’ve been to before, pancakes for the kids (all three of them) and an egg white omelette for me. Tim ate his entire massive stack while Cheryl and Sam managed one each only.....a take home pack was sort! We then walked to the local Wal-Mart for some cheap shopping (as recommended by our surfer dude a few days ago) and Cheryl was in full swing! Hawaiian shirts and board shorts for Tim and me, Hawaiian dress for Sam and Cheryl. We...

Apr 17, 2012 - Pearl Harbor/The Surrounds

Day 16 Got up early as we were being picked up at 6:15am by our tour operator downstairs of our hotel. Had a quick breakfast (from the supplies we bought at the food pantry yesterday) and then onto the bus. Several stops to pick up other tourists before arriving at Pearl Harbor by 8am. We are booked in for the 8:45am boat ride over to the memorial so we have time to look at the book/souvenir shop and the self tour museum. Outside there is also a self walk tour of all the different missiles/torpedos used during the war/attack on the Harbor....

Apr 15, 2012 - First Day In Honolulu

Day 14 We all woke up at various times throughout the night with all the different time adjustments but we finally made it to 8am where we got ourselves up and going. We had some breakfast and booked in a few trips/tours and spread them out over the next 7 days. We went and had a look at The Maui Divers factory where they take you through the process of how they make their jewellery, the cultivation of their white, pink and black pearls and the black coral that they also use, quite interesting. Cheryl (who is not usually a big jewellery...

Apr 15, 2012 - Lazy Sunday

Day 15 Today we had nothing planned. Got up and going about 9am and decided that we need to do some washing. After some enquiries, we decided that the laundry service is ridiculously priced ($1 per item) so we sourced where a laundrette was and went for a walk. On our way we found a small place advertising a bargain priced breakfast so we stopped in to see for ourselves. Whilst seated we noticed that the laundrette was only across the road so Cheryl and Tim scooted across the road after we had ordered and put on our load of washing and...