Volcano!

Two items that fascinated me are: The way the lava dries around the tree. It leaves "vases" of basalt lava rock shape. Hope you can see the vase part in front of film of lava circling the tree base.

The arial view of Hanama Bay and other crater is great! Hanama Bay is known for its snorkeling lagoon created by the collapse of one side wall of the volcano. This is the view you don't get from the highway!

Bishop Museum

The Bishop Museum is Hawaii's museum of Natural and Cultural History. It is full of artifacts pertaining not only to the Hawaiian Islands but also other islands in the Pacific. Each island establishes its own society with various crafts, costumes, and traditions. All learned the art of weaving, sewing, and pounding out natural products for use. Many of the tours focused on the "how to" or tools used to make tapas, preserve food, catch fish. Surfing and the development of Waikiki Beach area was also shown in old time movies. All in all it made for an interesting day.

Tahiti Hula Girls !!!

Shake, roll, shake....

Shark!

See the fish lined up under the fuselage? They are brightly colored but subdued by the UV rays and submarine window thickness. Again it was sunk as an artificial reef for corals to grow. This is a mile East of the Waikiki beach area and it is all sand underwater. Look at the great white shark snoozing under the aircraft wing!
Seasick? The waves were 1 to 3 feet for the shuttle trip to the dive site and yes I felt them but not to the point of sickness. When boarding the submarine -if I watched the swells it was nauseating but if I focused on Diamond Head or a distant point it was okay. Like life - focus on the goal and each step forward will be manageable. Did I say a wise mermaid?

Underwater Abundance

Ghostly, serene, and utterly cool being 120 ft underwater in a submarine. The derelict ships were sunk as a hard scape for coral to grow and attract fish. Photo's aren't the best as we are behind a thick window, (thank goodness). Also amazing is how the UV rays penetrate the water and transform the colors, red turns purple, yellow goes green etc. Oh to be a mermaid....

Honolulu Concrete

View of Honolulu from the Punchbowl, the National Veterans Cemetery shows the concrete and Diamond Head far in the background. I love the city, the crowded beach, parks, surf but Ed has found his favorite spot at Sharks Cove. Nothing like a little sunbathing snooze!

East Side, West Side

All around the Oahu we've traveled. Some is dessert, some rain forest but it seems we always stop at the beaches. The first photo is the Westest North you can get without hiking. The West side is sparse with beaches full of the homeless tents and two small towns.
The drive around the Northeast corner is most rugged with wind carved boulders and the famous blowhole. It wasn't blasting this day so no photo. Pouring down rain at Hanama Bay so it was on to Honolulu.

Battle of Kaleleka' anae

The battle is otherwise known as the "leaping of the 'anae fish" as the warriors leap to death rather than face defeat by King Kamahameke. With this victory and the signing of a treaty with Kaua'i , he became the first king of the Hawaiian Islands. Beautiful view even on an overcast day.

Fiji, Tahiti, and more

Native entertainers representing the different islands danced on canoe platforms for an afternoon parade. The park is divided into the different Pacific Islands with historical living areas, food, and crafts. Each area also performs a historical show, and of course we learned to hula, well I did - Ed says he doesn't swivel!

We had a traditional luau in the evening - Ed even tried poi and a taro bun! Then an awesome fire twirling, volcanic dance stomping show. This is a great fun place to learn about the Pacific Islands.

NorthWest Corner of Oahu

The NorthWest corner of Oahu is sacred, sparse, and empty. Very few venture here except to skydive, glide, or fish. The waves are a constant to the rocky shores and only one surfer was up for the dare. This is where the day began but ended at the Polynesian Culture Center with the best of the Pacific Islands represented. And yes, I'll get the videos' of hula girls up soon.

Awesome Sunsets

Awesome, gorgeous, amazing, beautiful, serene, etc.

A perfect end to any day.

(My feet are tired but Ed's are blistered.)

Ed in Hawaii!

Ed meets sea turtle. Ed with bayan tree. Ed's all over the Island of Oahu. Jet lag is no problem. After visiting with turtles, viewing an awesome sunset and a good nights sleep it was off to the Air Show at Waikiki Beach. We got to see both practice shows, walked miles along shops, people watched and were awed by the waves.

As Ed says "Why did I wait so long to come to Hawaii?"

Aha!

Surfs Up

Hate to tell you Sapper, but surf's up! Not that they are great swells but enough to have parking crowded, and traffic at a standstill Sunday afternoon.
Great for people watching! The waves come only in spurts. It will be calm then three good waves, then calm. Is this lead-in to winter waves?

Sharks Cove

During the calm summer months, Sharks cove offers colorful underwater fish, coral, and lava cave formations. No sharks here! This ancient coral reef was excavated leaving a shallow lagoon. The outer walls offer scuba divers experts exploration of underwater lava tubes. Ed and I will definitely be in the shallow part snorkeling or wading to see the fish. During the winter, huge waves flood the walls and the swift current knocks you off your feet and drags you to sea. This area is part of the Pupukea Beach Park.

Flowers at Wiamea Center

Bird of paradise variations stand out the most. But what really amazed me were the many philodendrons growing on trees. The leaves are huge - one as tall as me. What we consider houseplants thrive outside here to amazing sizes.
None of my photo's show clear enough the huge plants, but I'll keep trying.

Waimea Valley Audubon Center

Wiamea though pretty to say means "reddish-brown water" which is not so pretty. When it rains the red iron oxide in the rocks goes in the water to look murky. It looked clear to me and the waterfall was beautiful. The center is divided into 35 distinct gardens of various plants from many Pacific Islands.

The most unusual tree was the Cannonball tree. It actually had large circular balls growing on it. And another tree with many "leg" roots had unusual shape. It was.a great walk with lots of shade. Then I enjoyed ahi (tuna steak) on a purple Taro bun with Japanese green tea.

Dolphin Race

Dolphin vs Catamaran -