WAIKIKI

We spent a couple of days at Waikiki. A mass of humanity made for great people watching.

FISH FISH FISH EVERY WHERE

HULA

At 6:00pm there is a Hula show on Waikiki

HONOLULU SKYLINE

WHALES WHALES WHALES

Just of the shores of Waikiki we followed a mother and calf of Humpback whales.

Waimea Beach

The beach is the site of the biggest rides able surfing the world. In the winter it can reach the height of 40 feet. This year the surf has reached 35 feet and is the biggest surfing season since 1983.

Waimea Valley,

The 1800 acre valley offers authentic insights into Hawaii’s cultural, botanical, historical, and ecological wonders.

Waimea Valley, Waterfall

The 1800 acre valley offers authentic insights into Hawaii’s cultural, botanical, historical, and ecological wonders.

At the end of the valley there is a tropical waterall. The waterfall features a pool witch is open for swimming.

KO OLINA

Ko Olina is a private development by Marriot 30 minutes just northwest of Honolulu. Beach access can not be restricted however.

There are 4 crescent shaped lagoon beaches, 5 star hotel and Marriott beach club condos.

Also includes are a golf course and a gated subdivision.

KAILUA BEACH

Kailua beach is a beautiful shallow strip od sand on the east side of the Oahu.

There is little or no surf perfect for swimming and kayaking. There is a reef for snorkelling and an island which is a green turtle habitat.

PALI LOOKOUT

Nuʻuanu Pali is a section of the windward cliff of the Koʻolau mountain located at the head of Nuʻuanu Valley on the island of Oʻahu.

It has a panoramic view of the windward (northeast) coast of Oʻahu. The Pali Highway connecting Kailua/Kāneʻohe with downtown Honolulu runs through the Nuʻuanu Pali Tunnels bored into the cliffside.

The Nuʻuanu Pali State Wayside is a lookout above the tunnels where visitors are treated to a panoramic view of the Oʻahu's windward side with sweeping views of Kāneʻohe, Kāneʻohe Bay, and Kailua. It is also well-known for the final battle for the unification of the Hawaiian Islands.
Apparently the king of the island of Hawaii was battling the chief of Maui. The Hawaii forces backed up the Maui warriors to the cliff and rather than capitulating they jumped off the cliff. Recently when the built the new highway the discovered 800 sculls at the foot of the cliff verifying the spoken record of the battle.

HUNAUMA BAY

Hanauma Bay is a marine embayment formed within a volcanic cone and located along the southeast coast of the Island of Oʻahu (just east of Honolulu) Hanauma is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the Island and has suffered somewhat from overuse (at one time accommodating over three million visitors per year).















In the 1950s, dynamite was used to clear portions of the reef to expand the area available for swimming. There are some 650 spies of fish and water wildlife in this bay. Specifically Hanauma Bay is known for its abundance of Green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, known as Honu. Hanauma is a nursery ground for the immature turtles, which have their nesting grounds at French Frigate Shoals It is also known for its abundance of parrotfish.









We parked above the rim of the crater and took a shuttle down a steep slope. We viewed a mandatory 10 minute film educating us on the dos and don’ts of the reef swimming. We spent an afternoon waking in the warm shallow waters with the colorful fish swinging around our feet.

Vog

Today we went back to the Makaha Beach for the afternoon. It is Friday and the locals surfers backed up their SUV’s to the beach, set up gazebo style tents, tables and chairs, put on some music and started the weekend partying.

On the horizon you can see the effects of the Vog. Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. When the wind blows from the south east in the Hawaiian Islands, where the Kilauea volcano, on the island of Hawai’i, has been erupting continuously since 1983 Vog shows up in Oahu (Honolulu). Kilauea emits 2,000 - 4,000 tons of sulfur dioxide every day.

We enjoyed the activities and sunset anyway.