Honolulu - Day 1, January 15, 2023

 January 15, 2023 – Honolulu, Hawaii 

We sailed into Honolulu Harbor just as the sun was rising over Diamond Head. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me to catch that sunrise. [You’ll probably get tired of sunrises and sunsets, but they are one of our favorite things,]

 

Skyline of Honolulu -  before sunrise 

We are scheduled for a private tour through Tours By Locals. Another couple is joining us on this. About 8:30 we were cleared for going ashore. We met with our guide, “Kirk” and headed off for a good portion of the day. He started with a nice drive around the downtown area and often pulled through the entrance areas of some of the older/nicer/more famous hotels/resorts. We continued along Waikiki and along the coast past Diamond Head. That area is one of the pricier areas and he showed us a vacant lot on the water that had recently sold for a supposed $34 million dollars. It was 3 tax lots together. With nothing but weeds on it. And . . . other than military owned areas, there are NO private beaches in Hawaii. You must allow the public on the beach.

We then headed inland a bit and up to a lookout. What a great view of Honolulu! From Diamond Head all the way up to Pearl Harbor and a fairly good view of the Viking Neptune at dock. He demonstrated how they break Macadamia nuts with a special device – the “crack-a-mac”. He also gave each one of us a Kukui nut lei (the nut is also known as a “candlenut” as they can be set afire and serve as a candle), and a small bag of macadamia nuts to snack on.

 

Diamond Head and

Honolulu

Viking is just left of center just past the mouth of the Harbor

Bottom Center is the University of Hawaii where I went to summer school in 1971

 

The next stop was Punchbowl National Cemetery. A beautiful setting in a caldera with a very nice memorial installation documenting the various battles in the Pacific. All in-ground burials have been filled but they are the process of building a new columbarium to add sites for more internment of cremains. When I saw Punchbowl in 1971, the crosses, and Stars of David were still in place. Now all grave markers are stone plaques level with the ground.

 From Punchbowl National Cemetery we proceeded to another cemetery. The USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. The National Park Service manages the installation, and it is very well done. There is a 23-minute documentary film, then you board one of the launches and are taken to the Memorial. Adjacent to the Arizona Memorial is the USS Missouri. Arrangements can be made to tour that if you want. There isn’t a great deal to see at the Arizona Memorial, but it is very moving and inspires a great deal of thought. After about 15 minutes, you board another launch and are returned to the Park Visitor Center. At the Visitor Center there are numerous other things to view.

The Missouri

A gun turret

The bay is only about 45' deep.

When these ships sunk, they settled to the bottom quickly, and aren't very far beneath the water.

 

Our guide picked us up after we had finished at the Visitor Center (no guides are allowed to accompany visitors) and we headed for lunch. We had a nice lunch in a dockside restaurant and enjoyed some excellent Poke. After lunch we headed inland and up into the hills. Our destination was the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. This view point looks out over the windward side of the island. The cliffs here are very steep due to the precipitation that is received. It is also the site of a famous battle where the losers were either pushed or jumped off this cliff. In recent history, archeologists discovered the remains of several hundred people at the base of this cliff.

Looking down on the windward side of Oahu. Much more lush than the leeward side.

Clouds enshrouding the hill tops

It's a long way down.

 

A drive back down the hill and into Honolulu and through the older section of the city where you find the Palace, State Government, An old Protestant Church and other sites.

 

King Kamehameha

Back at our ship after an excellent day. Although we are sorry we will be missing Kauai tomorrow, we will enjoy a night of sleep without the roll of the ocean. And we still have another port day tomorrow. 

Interesting tidbit. When we were clearing Hawaiian security to get back on our ship, one of the security officers told me that the Kukui nut never dies. I should pass it on to a young person and tell that person they need to pass it on again to a young person, etc.