Thursday 14-11 - Bits and Pieces tour of Honolulu

We're on our own today. Off to AVIS to collect out hire car, a nice silver KIA. Our first stop is the Hawaii State Capitol. It doesn't have a dome!! Actually the courtyard in the centre is open. The Capitol building symbolises the birth of the Hawaiian islands from the centre being the Volcano, the reflection pools the Pacific Ocean and the two houses of parliament on either side, one being the ocean sand and sky (so lots of blue colouring), the other, land and trees so many greens. The courtyard has a mosaic which symbolises the reflection of rocks through the water. Overall it is a calm place, and lacks the usual hustle, bustle and noise of the more standard marble and stone Capitol buildings.

We visit the only Royal Palace in the USA next. The building was just one of many of the homes occupied by the Hawaiian Royal family but this one being in the capital, was where visitors were received and any government chores were performed. The tour is a self guided audio tour.

After lunch we do a Roadside America tour sights in Honolulu. These include an Elvis, Abe Lincoln (yes even here we find him), President McKinley (he was in power when Hawaii became a USA Territory) and Jack Lord (Hawaii Five 0) statues, the burial mausoleum of the last kings and queens of Hawaii, a piece of the Berlin wall plus a tribute to 9-11, a couple of overlooks including Pearl Harbor, and a visit to the National Memorial of the Pacific cemetery where we visit Barak Obama's grandfathers grave amongst others.

Very much a history tour today as each stop told us a part of the Hawaiin history from the 1800's up to present day. An interesting insight into what has made Hawaii  today.

Capitol Building

Courtyard

Governor's Office

Royal Palace
Mausoleum of the Royal Family

Berlin Wall

Pearl Habour

Elvis

Our car

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wednesday 11-12 - North and West on Molokai

Image
Today we travel in the other direction with more scenic stops plus some information gathering about Molokai. Our first stop is a coconut grove planted in the 1860s by King Kamehameha V, still a sacred spot but with falling coconuts and dead trees, not the place to allow wandering tourists. Opposite is what has been termed Church Grove. As the island was a beacon for the missionaries, 7 churches have been built side by side. Some are quaint, others modern and some the congregation small as they could do with some maintenance. The Molokai Museum and Cultural Centre has a photo exhibition of the last occupants of Kalaupapa, a historic display to record the final days of the colony as leprosy has now been cured. These people have all been cured, but as they were taken from their families and homes, some at a very early age they have stayed at the colony as it is the only home they know. We learned that some of the people taken over the years were just whisked away without any...
Read more

Sunday 17-11 - Rain Rain, Go Away

Image
A driving tour of the Northern parts of the island of Kauai awaits us today. Breakfast at the local is very nice ... very busy place ...  lucky we got there when we did. Some overlooks over the valleys and of course some nice beaches. Alas it is raining now and then which does dampen the view. We were thinking there might be an opportunity to have a snorkel from the beach, but it is too rough and murky for that. We saw one lighthouse. The area is known for it's nesting sea birds, the home of the red footed booby amongst others. Plus a nesting site of the Hawaiian Goose or Nene. It is an endangered bird, but we were able to see a number of families around the area near the lighthouse. It has rained well overnight and we come to a point where the road is closed because of flooding. It is a shame but not much can be done about it, so we turn around and have a quiet afternoon at our hotel. A short walk around the beach area shows us some story boards  telling us about the ruin...
Read more

Wednesday 27-11 - Volcanoes and Lava

Image
Our day is to be spent looking at lava and what destruction volcanoes can unleash. We travel the Chain of Craters Road from the top of the Kilauea Caldera to the sea. That is a 4,000ft or 1220m drop in elevation. We have several stops along the way, as other craters exist down the mountain side, plus where the lava crossed the road in previous eruptions. We tried for a lookout but the road has not been reopened after last years lava flows. Then there is the new land formed as the lava flowed into the sea and the amazement that strips of forest survived where other places were just enveloped by the lava. At the sea cliffs is a lava arch and sea caves. It is a fascinating drive. We started with beautiful blue skies but end with a couple of showers of rain. On return to Volcano, we pick up some lunch and then wander through the country side on our way to a black sand beach. The roads start as 2 lane, but the further south we go, the narrower the roads get. Many have had to be rema...
Read more