john and rel: Honolulu - Day 3

It was an early start today as the Tour Bus was picking us up at 6.30
As part of our Cruise Package we were entitled to a Pearl Harbour Tour. We had done one tour before and were not sure about doing it again, but we had heard that the whole place had been upgraded.

So Rel and I rocked on to the Pearl Harbour tour.

Everything about the memorial was so much improved. No queues to get in, and the place was a lot more open.

We rocked on to check the submarine museum. They had a WWII sub you could wander through, so Rel led the way, wanting to yell ‘Dive, Dive, Dive”

John was just fascinated by it all

A sub is not a place for the claustrophobic or those who kick their shins on things.

Rel tried to work out what was wrong with the engine room

John and Rel both decided the level of accommodation was not up to their minimum required standards.

And then there was the boy’s toys part of the sub. Where the ‘fish’ were kept and launched. Yep, the torpedo room.

It was one last look at the submarine aft,

Before Rel started checking for enemy activity through the binoculars. All she spotted was the Arizona memorial.

We then checked out Polaris missiles that get fired from subs.

John then met and had a great chat with a Retired Brigadier-General from the Marines. The fact that John bought a book from him was the reason for the discussion, but this marine was still as sharp as a tack, generous with his time, funny and compassionate.

Every Friday, they have guys who survived the Pearl Harbour attack come in and sign stuff.
They were only too happy to sign John’s recent book purchase, and even though in their 80s and 90s, were still funny and quick-witted.

We then jumped on the boats that would take us to the Arizona Memorial.
John was never sure which ear he should wear his flower in, but fortunately a fellow passenger solved that issue for him.

It was then time to visit the Arizona memorial, which is a small building sitting over the top of the sunken Arizona, still with many hundreds of men entombed.
It is not a place that glorifies war, but remembers with solemnity the sacrifice of many. Americans do these military memorials well.

This plaque always brings a tear to John’s eye. There is a huge wall with the names of all those who perished on the Arizona went it went down during the Pearl Harbour attack.
The separate plaque below lists those who survived the sinking, but who chose to have their remains interred with their shipmates when they eventually passed away.
Says something about the bonds of mateship.

The Arizona lies submerged beneath these waters, and parts of the superstructure can still be seen.

If you get to Hawaii, John recommends a visit to this memorial if you are into the history of World War II in the Pacific. Makes for an informative and educational time, as well as providing sombre reflection.

After the tour of Pearl Harbour we were taken through some of Honolulu’s key areas, as well as being shown some of Honolulu’s significant cultural sites. These included:-

Where the opening scenes of the original Hawaii Five-0 were shot
Where the opening scenes of the new Hawaii Five-0 were shot
Where common scenes of Magnum PI were shot
The Harbour where the SS Minnow left for a 3 hour cruise. According to John’s recollection. not much has changed from the opening scenes of Gilligan’s Island to how this harbour looks today.

Jokes aside,we learnt a fair bit about the culture heritage of the city, the things that have worked restoring indigenous pride, and the things that are still a challenge.

Once home we hit the beach

The weather here has been divine and rel has just enjoyed the opportunities to hang out at the beach. Waikiki has no real surf, but the water is clear, and the sand is nice (i think it is imported)

Whilst there we were entranced by how different cultures interacted with the beach and the water. It should be noted that there is a very sizeable Korean and Japanese tourist population.
There were groups teaching each other to surf in knee deep water, and they were having fun.

There was the young couple who came to the beach, and the guy bought his tripod and camera just so he could take one photo of them at the beach. Each to their own.

And there were the young couple who were doing snorkelling for what appeared to be the first time. Although given the amount of gear they had, one could be forgiven for thinking they were heading out deep sea diving on a reef miles off shore. It was fascinating watching the lady snorkel in a few feet of water, whilst on an inflatable raft, over a sandy beach with nothing of any real interest. One has to start somewhere.

Then as the sun started going down, it was time to get ready for the night ahead.

This night had special significance. It was the last night we would be with Angela and Jen, as we headed off on our cruise the next day.
They have been just the best travel buddies, and we will miss them terribly. Safe travels home to both of you.
And it officially marked the start of birthday week for Rel.
So it was suggested we go somewhere very classy, and the “BeachHouse Restaurant at the moana” certainly fitted the bill