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Old 2 Apr 17, 12:16 PM  
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charly77
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The Grand Tour...Day 13 in Honolulu

We were due to be picked up from our hotel at 7am today by Hanauma Bay Tours. We opted to use their shuttle service as a taxi would have been a similar price for a return journey but the price also included snorkelling equipment so it saved us money in the long run. We did think about catching the bus but reading reviews I was worried we would be there too late to get into the State park due to the capped numbers. So shuttle it was…

The weather wasn’t the best…very overcast and it had started to rain we were warned that if there was a thunderstorm the park closes so we had everything crossed that it wouldn’t. Luck was obviously on our side as our ride turned up! Part of the shuttle service was meant to include a narrated tour however our driver was more interested talking to someone on the phone for the duration of the journey, it was a shame. *I have since emailed the company to express our disappointment*. The drive took about 45 minutes, it wasn’t particularly scenic as it was raining quite heavily. For breakfast we had grabbed fruit and muffins from ABC so had eaten that during the journey.

We paid our $7.50pp entrance costs and then waited for our safety talk and video. The video lasted around 9 minutes but you have to watch it before you are allowed in, they are quite strict about it. Once we were done we made our way down to the bay, it is very steep but they do offer a shuttle, think its $1pp down and £1.25pp up.





We found ourselves a base on the left hand side of the bay as it was busier to the right. I don’t really do ‘water’ and definitely not snorkelling so I was more than happy to sit on the beach area with a book whilst the others explored. If I’m honest here I was really looking forward to my day here especially as DH and the kid’s love this sort of thing, the weather was pants though which did put a dampener on it. Although it wasn’t cold, being in a stunning location on an overcast day spoilt it a bit.



The cleanliness of Hanauma Bay had a lot to be desired, the sand was full of litter including plasters which is disgusting especially as the video had made it very clear that litter will damage the habitat for all the amazing species of fish it attracts. The toilets were also vile, considering we were on the second tour of the day there was no way they had been looked at since the previous day or even earlier maybe.

DH and the kids had a great time in the water with the GoPro. They were so excited coming to show me what they had seen and experienced. They found getting over the reef quite tricky at times especially as they were warned not to touch it so not to damage it. They were desperate to see a turtle but unfortunately were not so lucky…







When I was on my own a lady came to speak to me who lived in Texas but was originally from the UK near to where we live, she said she recognised my accent and just had to speak to me! It was nice to chat, her DH was in the services so they were having a little break before he was deployed again. We started to pack up about 11.30 as we had that hill to climb back up! We saw some wild mongoose on our way back which was cool.



We left Hanauma Bay around midday, we had wanted to grab lunch at the park but it was super expensive so decided to get something in Waikiki. Our ride back was better as the rain had cleared and the sun was trying to make an appearance. This driver was slightly better with some commentary but it wasn’t great… By the time we arrived back at the hotel the sun had his hat on, hip hip hip hooray! In hindsight I am glad it wasn’t that hot whilst at the bay as I think I would have fried as there were no shaded areas.



DH and I wanted to climb Diamond Head, the kids weren’t so keen funnily enough after our experience at Yosemite, and to be honest I don’t blame them! We dropped everything back to our room and grabbed appropriate gear to take with us e.g. cooling spray, towels and hats. The kids walked down with us to get some lunch, we ended up getting MacDonald’s which wasn’t my first choice but it was the nearest fast food that suited everyone else. The kids walked back to the hotel and DH and I waited at the shuttle stop by Dukes statue for our hotels complimentary tour.

WOW is all I can say, considering how much we paid this morning for a supposed inclusive narrated tour, the one we received free from our hotel was absolutely amazing! I was gutted the kids weren’t with us as I think they would have loved it.







We were eventually dropped off at the Diamond Head crater and needed to pay $1pp entrance costs before we started our hike…it was very humid as we set off.



It was a steady walk up until we hit the 99 longwinded steps…however the views we witnessed were well worth the trek. We stayed up for a while taking it all in before starting our descent, funnily enough it was much easier coming down. On our way down we came across a lady who had passed out, I think it was heatstroke. We gave her a bottle of water as we had bought spare and used our cooling spray on her and she seemed to perk up. That was our good deed for today, though I find it odd that some people don’t go prepared…















We made it down to the shuttle stop just in time for the shuttle which was handy or we would have had to wait another hour. It took us 50 minutes round trip to climb Diamond Head which I didn’t think was too bad. I was upset though as the shop was shut and I would have liked to buy a magnet. As we were leaving three search and rescue trucks turned up with sirens going…not sure why but hope it had a happy ending. Our driver said its likely someone has gone off track and got stuck, he says it happens all the time.

When we got back to the hotel we met the kids at the beach and had a dip in the sea, it was perfect. Tonight we had booked a Luau at the Aquarium called ‘The Diamond Head Luau’ once we had freshened up we caught a taxi down there as we thought we might be late, we needn’t have worried as we had plenty of time. We took the time to watch the sunset over the beach whilst telling the kids lots of facts we discovered about Hawaii on our tour earlier. We opted not to eat at the Luau as we wanted to experience Dukes which was situated at our hotel so we had booked a table for later.



We really enjoyed ourselves, it told the Luau story with some amazing dancing. It lasted for around an hour and we were mesmerised for the entire time. We did have a couple of drinks, beer was $6, soft drinks were $3 and I had a Lava Flow which was $12! But look at it…



They put on some fire dancers too which were fantastic, one of them was a ten year old boy! It was a really lovely evening and I would recommend it. We purchased our tickets through Groupon and received an extra 20% off so for four of us it cost $60 which I was happy to pay to see a native tradition.











We walked back to our hotel, building up an appetite for our meal. The restaurant is named after the legend Duke Kahanamoku as in 1929 he rode an enormous wave for 1 1/8 miles at Waikiki, possibly the lengthiest ride recorded. There is lots of memorabilia and pictures up as they are obviously very proud of Duke.



When it comes to food the kids can be quite fussy so I was a little concerned about the menu although we had checked it out already you know how they can sometimes choose to be a little difficult?! However I needn’t have worried as everyone chose wisely, the food absolutely fantastic. I opted for sirloin, both the kids had ribs and DH had chicken and steak kebabs.



I tried a coconut mojito (10 out of 10) DH had beer, DD had a Dukes branded root beer and DS stuck to coke.





For pudding we shared a Hula pie, which is another island speciality, Chocolate cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge, toasted mac nuts topped with whipped cream.



It was certainly our most expensive meal to date but so worth every penny!

Another great day in paradise…



Steps today; 15,175

Floors climbed; 81

*Tip of the day * Wear appropriate clothing/shoes for walking and pack plenty of fluids and cooling spray/towels*

Edited at 12:19 PM.
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Old 2 Apr 17, 02:46 PM  
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Melbatb
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What a fab day - though a shame the first beach was not really as it should be!

The Diamond Head walk seemed lovely - what a great view.

Great evening too! Love the sunset picture !
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2016 Quebec - Kuala Lumpar - New York City 2017 Dubai - Eurocamps France - Ontario and Quebec - So-Cal 2018 Montreal - Bangkok - New England 2019 Argentina - Quebec City - Hong Kong - 2020 Switzerland 2022 Arizona - Costa Med Cruise - Oslo 2023 Hong Kong - Gothenburg
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Old 2 Apr 17, 05:07 PM  
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charly77
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Originally Posted by Melbatb View Post
What a fab day - though a shame the first beach was not really as it should be!

The Diamond Head walk seemed lovely - what a great view.

Great evening too! Love the sunset picture !
It was a shame but the kids loved the experience. I was more disappointed with the fact they make you watch this video telling you to respect the environment when they are not...a real dishonour.

The sunset was stunning. I'm loving this report as its reminding me of everything we witnessed
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Old 3 Apr 17, 05:13 PM  
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More amazing photos! I'm loving this trip report. Hawaii's been on my bucket list for a while. It just the big time difference that holds me back but I think as my sons's getting older we might just need to brave it soon.
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Old 13 Apr 17, 11:39 AM  
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charly77
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Originally Posted by Disney Wishing View Post
More amazing photos! I'm loving this trip report. Hawaii's been on my bucket list for a while. It just the big time difference that holds me back but I think as my sons's getting older we might just need to brave it soon.
It was amazing!
The time difference never really occurred to me until we were there. But yes I think you need to brave it, it is certainly worth it
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Old 14 Apr 17, 01:15 PM  
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WileyCoyote
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I need those cocktails in my life !
Shame about the weather in the morning but what an outstanding view in the afternoon.
Lovely evening too - dinner looks divine
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Old 20 Apr 17, 08:48 PM  
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k4ti3-x
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Those cocktails looked tasty! Diamond head seemed like a better trek option to Yosemite! Hawaii looks gorgeous too.
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Old 21 Apr 17, 01:42 PM  
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Jake71
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Such a perfect day, shame about your morning tour guides but it's good you got a better guy in the afternoon. Those stair look mighty steep, not sure I'd have made it up there. The luau looks really entertaining and your food looks delicious.
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Old 9 Jul 17, 05:36 PM  
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KarenG
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What a superb day! Best of everything!

I'd not read about this particular luau, we want to do one that's less expensive and we aren't fussed about being fed, so I'm going to look into this one - thank you so much.

If you'd like me to pick you up a Diamond Head NP magnet in November I'd be glad to - drop me a PM
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