HELLO FROM HONOLULU!! March 6

Wow!

5:00 a.m. Woke up to get up and get our day started.
6:00 a.m. Had breakfast in the buffet restaurant. I ate lighter this morning. J
7:00 a.m. Back from breakfast and overlooking the city of Honolulu! It’s beautiful!!!
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Our tour of Honolulu (more about this below)
2:30 p.m. Late lunch back on the ship
3:15 p.m. Walked over to Aloha Tower (beautiful outdoor shopping plaza and restaurants) to get on some FREE WiFi!!

Honolulu (Island of Oahu)
To most visitors, Oahu is Honolulu, the state capital and home to approximately 400,000 residents. The Hawaiian Islands’ only major city. Honolulu has something for just about everyone.

Pearl Harbor, the Arizona Memorial, and Punchbowl Crater are haunting reminders of the tragic events of December 7, 1941. Waikiki Beach, with it’s high rise hotels, sun-drenched sands and hordes of sun seekers, has an unquenchable holiday air, and the stunning silhouette of Diamond Head, an extinct volcano, stands sentinel over the sparkling Mamala Bay.

Beyond Honolulu and between two mountain ranges lie tropical rain forests, extinct craters and deserted beaches, as well as Hawaii’s legendary sugar cane and pineapple plantations. A visit to Oahu promises a wealth of sights and experiences.

LAST NIGHT’S VOYAGE FROM THE NAVIGATOR’S REPORT:
Upon leaving our Hilo berth last evening, Golden Princess set a varied northerly course taking us around the north coast of the island of Hawaii, before passing through the Alenuihaha Channel which led Golden Princess on a north westerly course as we made our final approach to Honolulu. The bridge team, which included a local pilot who assisted in our navigation towards the harbor and Pier #10 where we berthed at 7:00 a.m. this morning. The sea is often busy with large numbers of fishing boats as fishing is one of the main livelihoods of the Islands. Other traffic includes numerous tugs and barges that transport bulk products such as sugar, pineapple, and oil between the islands and along the coasts. Honolulu is by far the busiest port of the Islands. Other important ports include Barber Point on Oahu, Kahului on Maui, Hilo on Hawaii and Nawillwilli harbor.

For our departure from Honolulu tonight, we will back off our berth and turn in the harbor, setting a southerly course to clear the breakwaters. Throughout the night, our courses will be set towards our next port of call, Nawiliwilli.


TODAY’S WEATHER IN HONOLULU:
High of 81 degrees. Sunny skies. Wind E-ly at 17 mph.

HONOLULU is called “The Gathering Place” ever since Hawaii’s royalty assembled here. Oahu has drawn visitors with its gentle surf and pristine sands. Secluded coves and sheltered shores lure swimmers, snorkelers and water lovers of all kinds. Surfers take to Sunset Beach and the North Shore to catch some of the world’s most perfect waves. Oahu is home to Waikiki, the most famous beach in the world, as well as infamous Pearl Harbor. Here, you’ll also find the Iolani Palace, America’s only royal palace, as well as the world’s only wholphin, a cross between a killer whale and a dolphin; it’s at Sea Life Park on Makapuu Point. In between, a glorious island paradise awaits you in every direction.

The capital of the islands, Honolulu is actually the biggest city in the world. Its municipal boundaries reach across 540,000 square miles of the Pacific, most of which is underwater.

OUR HONOLULU TOUR TODAY
We were on a big nice coach for today’s tour. Our first stop was to visit PEARL HARBOR and the haunting Arizona Memorial out there. We were out there for about 4 hours and totally enjoyed the time spent there. The movie about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was very touching and lasted 25 minutes. From there, we walked around reading plaques and other memorabilia and looking in the gift shops. Finally, it was our group’s turn to get on the boat that took us out to the Memorial. It was a quiet and reverent place as we viewed what we could see of the USS ARIZONA that still today rests on the bottom of the sea where it was bombed so many years ago. Many of the men on that ship are entombed down there. Oil is still dripping from the ship and bubbles up to the top. It was a sober reminder of war and the sacrifices that men and women and their families have made down through the years to keep American FREE.

We got back on the bus and traveled to Pali Lookout in the rugged Ko’olua Mountains. We got off the bus to walk up to the observation point and could look down out across Honolulu. It was a gorgeous vista. We got back on and rode some more around town. We traveled on Beretania Street which was of great significance to me. My Dad and his first wife were married in Honolulu in August ’38 as 22 year olds. They had dated as a young couple in Iowa and when Dad had been stationed in Pearl Harbor for 15 months, Anna came over from Iowa and they were married. Anna was killed a year or so later in a car accident in Iowa as was the baby she carried. A couple of years later, my dad met my mom, they were eventually married, and the rest, as they say, is history.

When on our city tour, we also saw Aloha Stadium: home of the Pro Bowl, historic downtown Honolulu, Chinatown, Kawaiahao Church, City Hall, State Capitol, Governor’s Mansion, Iolani Palace: former residence of Hawaii’s last two monarchs, and Punchbowl National Military Cemetery. It was a wonderful tour!!!

We have had a wonderful day in Honolulu, Hawaii. Aloha!