Friday – December 14, 2018 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Our Cruise Director, Jorge, announced that the forward deck would be open as the ship cruised into Honolulu Harbor allowing passengers to see the sunrise over Diamond Head. So we set our alarms for 5:30 and were out on the bow by 6:30. Unfortunately, the Amsterdam had crept into the harbor in darkness and was tied up at the dock by the time we got there. While we waited for the sun, we looked out at the midnight-blue sky and the city lights.
We watched the stars gradually dim and the sky brightened:
When we began this Pacific adventure in September, our first port of call was Honolulu. We had walked around and explored the city and Waikiki Beach. Now that we were back in Honolulu, we wanted to see more of the island of Oahu so we went on an excursion that took us out of the city and drove around the island. The first stop was Byodo-in Temple:
Visitors are invited to ring the Sacred Bell before entering the temple. “The unique tones of the bell clears the mind of negativity, imparts deep peace and brings happiness, blessings and a long life.” We took turns ringing the bell.
Byodo-In Temple is a replica of a thousand year old Japanese temple. This one was built in 1968 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. Byodo-In Temple houses the Amida statue – the Buddha of Western Paradise.
After the temple, we drove to a shop to taste Kona coffee and macadamia nuts:
On the way to lunch, we passed several beaches and gorgeous lookouts. Kualoa Park:
Sunset Beach: surfing finals are held here:
We stopped for lunch at Tsue’s Farm in Haleiwa. They also rent kayaks and paddle boards by the hour.
We had delicious fresh “garlic & butter shrimp with white rice.” The shrimp were cooked to perfection BUT not peeled! So it was a sticky messy hands-on operation! But DELICIOUS!
We ate outdoors at picnic tables and fortunately Tsue’s provided outdoor sinks to wash our hands after a messy lunch. Then we had “Shave Ice” for lunch. I love the Christmas decorations and snow flakes on the Shave Ice stand!!
I missed having Shave Ice the last time we were in Hawaii, so this was a real treat!! I had coconut, pineapple, & root beer flavors on shave ice. Dee-lish! Jeff had coconut, pineapple & lime. I highly recommend Shave Ice. Very refreshing on a hot day.
Our last stop was the Dole Pineapple Plantation which is really a tourist shop than sells pineapple souvenirs and pineapple ice cream. The major pineapple growers moved to Thailand several years ago because of cheaper labor costs. There are very few pineapple fields left in Hawaii.
Our driver/guide Keith drove us back to Honolulu some time in the afternoon. We had a very pleasant time seeing the island of Oahu. The Amsterdam was scheduled to stay in port until 11:00 tonight, so we had plenty of time to enjoy Honolulu. We took a taxi to Waikiki Beach to watch the sunset and have dinner.
People were still swimming in calm waters and one young man practiced surfing on small waves.
We walked out to the end of a concrete jetty to look around. Diamond Head is an extinct volcano and provides a good background for photos.
We had dinner in a Tiki bar/restaurant which our taxi driver recommended, overlooking the beach.
Later back on the ship, we saw a performance of Hawaiian singers and dancers. Great Fun!!
