Hawaii Fun
(January 29 to February 3, 2009)
Margie narrates, "We drove to San Francisco where we spent Thursday night in a hotel, making it easier to get an early start Friday morning boarding our plane for Honolulu, Hawaii. The hotel has a back and forth shuttle service to the airport. In the photo above we're looking down on the island of Oahu, not far from Pearl Harbor. The state of Hawaii encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles. It's considered the longest island group in the world. At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lānai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii. The last is the largest, and is often called the "Big Island" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole. This archipelago is physio-graphically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian sub-region of Oceania. Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The most recent census estimate puts the state's population at 1,283,388.
On the flight the stewardess asked everyone on the airplane to figure out how many minutes it would take when our airplane was half way to Honolulu. There were 350 passengers and Timmy guessed it! They gave him 2 cans of macadamia nuts for the prize. He said later he guessed from his Dad's figures.
Okay Brent....I take it you like the music?
When we first landed in Honolulu and went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, I hardly got out of the water, because it was so nice, and the fish were so beautiful. Then we traveled north towards Dave & Nancy's house.
Brent and cousin Doug.
How about some coconuts?
This is Enos, one of Doug's roommates, who grew up on the island of Oahu. He's a carpenter. His little dog goes by the name "dog" so far. Doug has three roommates. His girlfriend Becky lives in Dave & Nancy's house. Doug's house is located right on the beach and has a lot of surfboards and the tall platform the kids are standing on in the picture above.
They're ready to roll in the back of Enos' pick-up.
Kauai
We're now heading to the island Kauai, where Vicky and Guy went on their honeymoon. While we were here, we stayed at Sheri's hotel.
Kauai is the oldest of the populated Hawaiian islands. Now home to over 58,303 Residents (Jan 1 2007 Census), Kauai was first inhabited by the Marquesans who sailed here from Polynesia in 400 A.D. In 1000 A.D., the Tahitians discovered the island's beauty and overpowered the Marquesans. Many of the plant life you see on the island was brought here by the Polynesians. It wasn't until the 1700s that westerners came to the island. Perhaps the most widely known is Captain James Cook. He landed two large ships HMS Discovery and Resolution (a sight never seen by Hawaiians before) on the west coast of the island in Waimea Bay in 1778. Cook called the islands the “Sandwich Isles,” named after the Earl of Sandwich. However, some historians now believe that Capt. Cook was not the first European to discover these islands. It is thought that the Spanish navigator Gaetan was blown off course while traveling to Mexico in 1542. He marked these islands on his charts, but finding no treasures (like gold or silver), he never bothered to return here.
The fertile soil and bountiful rainfall provided excellent conditions to cultivate taro. The plant’s edible starchy tubers were pounded into poi and became part of the staple diet of the native population. Taro plantations are still scattered across Kauai today, contributing to the island’s beautiful green fields of heart-shaped taro leaves. In 1835 (the old era), the first sugar plantation was founded in Koloa. The sugar industry flourished through the labor of immigrants from Asia and Europe, further enriching life throughout Hawaii.
Kauai has been used as a backdrop in several major motion pictures such as: Jurassic Park III (2001), Dragonfly (2002), Six Days Seven Nights (1998), Mighty Joe Young (1998), Outbreak (1995), Hook (1991), Raiders of the Lost Arc (1983), King Kong (1976), South Pacific (1958), and others.
Watch it boy!
Home again. Maggie was overjoyed to see us and snuggle up close. She stuck with Vicky like glue until our return. It was a much needed wonderful vacation, but it's always nice to be home.
