HAWAII..... 12th September, 2019.

All good things have to come to an end. Our last night in Hawaii 😢 Its been a great holiday a little hotter than usual but we don't notice it so much now as we must be acclimatised.

Have been doing our usual walking/shopping every morning, lunch in the unit then later in the afternoon go down for two or three swims after the hottest part of the day around 3.00pm.

Last week we went into the Honolulu markets. Always like going in there especially for the bags of pre cut pineapples  all ready to eat yum.

Tuesdays are $2 ice cream days great to go down in the Hotel foyer for one after dinner. (Just on Tuesdays......) note the name on the back wall.DAVES ICECREAMS....

Our last sunset. The sun is just going over the horizon.

Probably the best one we have had. They haven't been so good over the last few days so they really put it on for our last tonight.

Continuing through the different stages.

Really dark now. "Beautiful"

Did a little last minute shopping this morning. PT panicking we wouldn't have enough room. I kept saying we will be fine. Completed packing except for those last minute things. Not a lot to write about but will be on our way tomorrow leaving on the 2.40pm (NZ time 12.40pm) Hawaii flight arriving in Auckland at 10.00pm. It will be a late night by the time we go through customs, some declaring to do, picking up our duty free then looking for our pick up shuttle. Hope we don't have too many drop offs on the way home. Looking forward in catching up with you all back home. 

HAWAII.... 9th September, 2019.

Over the last few days have done the below walks. It sure is a great area. We always enjoy it up here and never tire of the same old areas/walks each time we come. The Ala Moana Shopping complex is now a great area to shop for everything. Really upmarket shops very well done when they did the big upgrade several years ago. Earlier it had got run down and people weren't going there but that has all change.

MAGIC ISLAND is a small man-made peninsular in Honolulu adjacent to Ala Moana Beach Park and the Ala Wai Yacht Harbour. It was created in 1964 as the site of a resort complex, but was subsequently converted to a park. The name was changed to "Alina Moana" but the new name is used infrequently. We just know it as MAGIC Island. Took the above photo to explain the below photos. Also the Ilikai Hotel is the turquoise one behind the Marina. Waikiki main beach 15min walk to the right and Ala Moana centre a 10min walk to the left on the other side of MAGIC Island.



These are the rocks at the end of the peninsular where we walked from our hotel on the edge far right on the first photo. There was quite a swell coming in. Probably something to do with the trade winds that are coming over the hills from behind us.

This is the little bay at the end of the peninsular. Would have been a great Bay for a resort but I'm sure the locals are pleased it is a park as the families come out in the weekends and set up all day picnics.

There are gapes in the rocks that form the breakwater around the bay. Makes it really safe for the little ones. As again you will see in the top photo.

Looking back from the end of the peninsular into the early morning sun. Our hotel in the middle the lighter colour one. Note the clouds which always stay up over the mountains.



Looking along the coast Diamond head in the distance.

The two previous photos were taken from the end of the rock wall you can see coming out on the middle left.

Looking slightly to the right shows where the Canal comes out that we walked around several days ago. We walk over that bridge every time we go over to the Ala Moana shopping complex out of the picture on the left behind Magic Island

Looking from our balcony inland over to the mountains. You can see how the clouds build up over the hills which are in the rain. Those clouds/rain just stay there all day and never come down to the beaches and shore line unless of cause there is a rain storm or a very wet day which we haven't seen here yet. We saw all that four years ago when we were up here.




On our way downstairs last night to have our 46th wedding anniversary dinner along at the Aussie Steak House but it's run by an American company.

This morning went for a walk around the marina area. Above looking across to our hotel on the right. We are up seventeen floors,  1737 in the wing coming out toward the marina. Best spot in the building.

Coming around nearer in front of the hotel you can sort of see the Y shape of the building. Has another wing going out the other side.

Looking down through part of the marina.

Standing up on the terrace that runs along the front of the Ilikai Hotel. This is were we stood to watch the Friday night fireworks. Last lot of photos we were down on the beach looking up at them. Took these photos below, standing back looking over to them from the hotel  terrace.

I hadn't mentioned that we have meet up with Jenny and Richard whom we met up here two years ago. They have now been here for a week and have another three to go. We have kept in touch back home over the last two years so nice to see them up here again. Their son has brought a holiday home up at Snells Beach so hopefully we will see them up there sometime. Well, not a lot to write about but we always seem busy walking, shopping and swimming every day. The tennis took up a bit of time but good excuse to stay in for a while in the cool of the air conditioning.

HAWAII..... 6th September, 2019

Happy birthday Bev (7th sept in NZ ) we hope you have a great day. Sounds like you enjoyed your trip to Bali. Below just a few shots over the last few days as we have been wandering around on our walks every morning. The trade winds we are now getting are great, takes away a little of the severe heat. We had a bit of exitment yesterday afternoon. We were just watching tennis when the alarms went off in our room then the speaker came on telling to leave our rooms, this wasn't a fire drill, there has been a fire reported in the building, do not use the lifts exit by the stairwells. So we grabbed a few important things like money, passports etc and took off to the stairs . One poor young mum with two little ones was trying to organise the kids, one was just a baby so PT offered to help with one of the kids. After seventeen stories of stairs we made it out a back door of the hotel. We didn't have to wait too long to be told that there was a fire in one of the rooms, not sure what happened but all sorts of rumours went round. We were told someone left the toaster on and went out. A new experience for us. Also this year they have been having Air Force drill with fighters flying over continuously for the last ten days. Very noisey but exciting. You have to be quite alert to see them as of course very fast. I think they have finished their exercises today Friday the 6th.

Our walk the other morning along the boardwalks to main beach Waikiki. Diamond head in the far distance.

Now we have to walk along the beach as part of the path has been closed for some reason probably needs some maintenance done, as when the big swells come in here the waves crash in over the walkways. Further along to the main beach was so crowded I would hate to stay down that end. Could hardly find room to walk past people lying on the beach. I was so busy watching where I was stepping  I  forgot to take a photo. In fact you couldn't really take a photo as we were so close to everyone they would think that I was taking a photo of them.

Now in the centre of Waikiki the big Banyan tree behind the beach.

Here you go Jen and Dave can you see Ernie out in the gap on the breakwater. Probably not him now but could be some of his family.

The gap looking through the palm trees.

This will interest some that know this area. This is were the old International Markets were and look at it now very flash with high class shops not the old touristy markets selling T Shirts etc.

Walking through the markets but really high class shops now but they still call it the International Markets.

A few different sunsets.

Looks like an atom bomb has gone up.

A spooky look



My usual favourite shots where we  go swimming. Looking over the Hilton Lagoon as we walk down the ramp from the Ilikai.

Walking  round to the beach were we go most days in the afternoon. The Ilikai Hotel the Y shape building on the left. We then have to walk around this lagoon to get to our swimming beach.

Ilikai far left, then the Hilton lagoon and to the right the beach where we swim.



Our swimming beach looking down to Diamond Head.

The Hilton Hotels rainbow. Tayla this is the only rainbow colours I have been able to find but I can't bring this home for you.

Down to dinner in the hotel nice setting outside on their big patio. Not a lot of light for photos.

We both had this sizzling steak, onion rings, raw onions and mushrooms 

. Really yummy but there was so much I couldn't eat it all. So got a doggy bag.

PT and his wires.....always so much "stuff" to charge these days.

This morning we walked out to the end of Magic Island so will post those photos in a few days. And I should include that we will be home in a week.

HAWAII ...1st September, 2019

First day of spring back home but now Autumn here although haven't noticed this hot weather changing. Yesterday and today forecast was for high humidity so from now on hope the heat drops a bit but probably won't be any change. Seems a lot hotter this year than previous years. Yet in Aussie when we were there in May they had the coldest May in fifty years.Not a lot to report over the last few days. I'm struggling to find new photos that haven't been on my older blogs. So please excuse the repeats. That's the trouble when we come back to the same place like Hawaii.

We have been some long walks in the mornings 6kms yesterday but again not doing the really big long walks that we have done in the past finding that harder as the years go by. We've been over to the Ala Moana shopping complex several times. It's such a big improved area now and very up market. Watching a bit of the US tennis open good excuse to stay inside in the air conditioning. Over the next few days we will do the walk down to Waikiki main beach which is a 15min walk and probably go into Honolulu to visit the fruit and veg markets. Next blog I will report on these areas.

In my last blog I mentioned that we were going to walk inland along the Canal. We have never done this before. You walked under these large trees for some of the way which was nice and shady.

Along further this building are condos. I think that some of them are for holiday

 rents. We were told they are talking about a new law where people who own apartments will only be able to rent them for at least six months nothing less. They will loose a lot of tourists if that ruling comes out on a weekly/monthly period then the tourists wouldn't come anymore. Hard on the owners that own all these condos which they could find it hard to rent on this basis. Would probably benefit the hotels more.

Further on we went around this first bend a little further before we turned around, crossed over the bridge and walked back on the other side.

Crossed over the bridge which is to the left of the picture (out of sight). Looking back down the Canal.

I will let PT talk about this one.........Yes this boat arrived a few days ago. It was paddled from San Francisco to Honolulu standing up type paddling. The voyage was some 2500 miles and it took 76 days. The aging 50 year old Spanish man carried out the journey without any support boat and had enough food for 90 days. Quite an achievement.

The boys are in town. Just along from our hotel along Ala Moana Blvd.

This one is for the boys to show the big yellow fire engines. Makes ours look small. Boys, note the second steering point at the rear of the truck. This is to enable it to negotiate tight areas through city traffic. One even tows a boat behind to help with sea rescues or medical reasons. We watched that one from our balcony been launched in the yacht harbour in front of us. We saw it come back in after dark but couldn't see where it went.

Walked along to the western end of Ala Moana beach a couple of days ago. Always enjoy this walk. As you can see we had some cloud come in for the first time which made the walking a little more pleasant. This is as far as we could go as we can't cross the Honolulu Small Boat harbour at this point.

At the heads of the harbour we watched the boys jumping over these rocks to go out surfing.

US coast Guard rescuing  another coast guard boat which they are towing. Also at the head of the Boat harbour.

A couple of nights ago we got the sunset behind the buildings rather than out at sea. 🤔

Guess what!!!!