On Thursday, October 21, 2004, we flew to Honolulu to visit our son John, a programmer for Konami Software. We took John's surfboard (wrapped in bubble wrap) in the back of our pickup to the airport and shipped it as excess baggage to Honolulu. We left SLC at 1:10 p.m. and arrived in Honolulu at 6:10 p.m., after a brief stop in Los Angeles. We stayed at the Waikiki Gateway Hotel.
Exploring Honolulu, Friday, October 22
After continental breakfast on the 16th floor of theWaikiki Gateway, Barbara and I hopped a bus to the
Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.
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| The Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor |
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| Part of the submerged USS Arizona? |
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| Barbara at the USS Arizona memorial |
After our visit to the USS
Arizona memorial, we headed to the 'Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu.
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| Barbara at the 'Iolani Palace, October 22, 2004 |
The 'Iolani Palace was the residence of Lili'uokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She ruled from January 29, 1891 until January 17 1893, when the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown.
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| Barbara in front of Lili'uokalani, the last queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii |
From the 'Iolani Palace, we crossed the street to see a home built by some early missionaries. Then we returned to the hotel and had dinner with John at a food court.
Polynesian Cultural Center, October 23
After breakfast, John, Barbara and I drove in his pickup to the Polynesian Cultural Center in La'ie. We arrived before they opened. (They open at 12:30.) After killing some time, we entered the PCC and stayed until the 7:30 spectacular ended at 9:00 p.m.
Here are a few photos from the afternoon parade:
Diamond Head and Exploring, October 24
After attending early church, John and two female friends, Michelle and Bonnie, met Barbara and me to go to Diamond Head, east of Honolulu.
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| John, Barbara and Weldon at Diamond Head |
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| Michelle, John, and Bonnie at Diamond Head, October 24, 2004 |
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| Honolulu as viewed from atop Diamond Head |
After visiting Diamond Head, we ate some curried rice, then drove north on the Pali Highway.
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| Barbara at a Pali Highway rest stop |
Before bed, Barbara and I walked down Kalakaua Avenue (Waikiki), making plans for snorkeling tomorrow.
Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, October 25
We celebrated our wedding anniversary today. We purchased some inexpensive snorkeling equipment at one of the ubiquitous ABC Stores (that seem to appear on every block in Honolulu), then walked across the street from our hotel to Waikiki Beach to practice snorkeling. Confident that we could do it, we had some sushi at Sushi Run, then boarded the Beach Bus (#22) for Hanauma Bay. We snorkeled until 4:00 p.m., then returned to Honolulu.
Last Day in Hawaii, October 26
After continental breakfast at the hotel, we walked down Kalakaua Avenue to the Avis Car Rental store. We visited the La'ie Temple at 1:00, then headed for the Honolulu Airport, passing the North Shore on highway H2. We stopped at Byodo-in on the way.
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| Barbara on the bridge leading to Byodo-in |
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| Inside Byodo-in |
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| Japanese Garden in Byodo-in |
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| Weldon at Byodo-in |
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| Barbara at Byodo-in |
Out plane left Honolulu at 9:00 p.m. (1:00 a.m. Los Angeles Time).
Home, October 27, 2004
When we arrived at LAX at 6:00 a.m. it was
very cold! (Others had winter coats; all our warm clothes were in our checked luggage.) We shivered until the plane departed at about 9:30 a.m. At SLC, we opened our luggage and got out our warmer clothes, then headed home.
