We returned to Oʻahu, for simplicity to the same hotel.  The Waiki Central Hotel is central (!), straight forward & modestly priced (at least by Waikīkī standards).

This time we hired a car.  Though “theBus” service is great, we wanted a little more flexibility.  A Toyota Prius, so we could do fully sick burnouts.  Actually, it was a pretty decent car.

The Oʻahu North Shore is famous for its huge waves over winter.  Think of names like Pipeline, Sunset, Off the Wall - all well known worldwide.   Summer brings more gentle waves.  A single coastal road is packed with others just like us, all wanting their fill of surf, sand and sunshine.  We snorkelled at Turtle Bay, just off a huge resort.  It was sad - all of the coral was smashed by us humans & few fish lived there.  Turtle Bay is overlooked by a swanky resort. We borrowed their grass & palm tree shade to eat our cheese + salad sandwiches.

When returning from a hike down the Kaʻena Point Trail, we gave two hitchhikers a lift.  Friendly young folk, both from Australia, lots of chat.  Upon returning to our hotel, I couldn’t find my hat, which I’M SURE had been on the back seat.  Grrr … bloody hitchhikers. Next day, found it in the front of the car.  Silly old man.

While at the Ka’awa Loa Plantation (see last story), we’d met Wilma + Michael who lived in Kaneohe on Oʻahu.  They invited us to drop into their place for a local guided tour of the windward side of the island.  They showed us a (replica of a) Japanese Buddhist temple, took us on a gentle hike and filled us in on aspects of local history.  Spending time with a local always make a visit far less superficial and we loved swapping anecdotes.

So Kirsten and I finally reached our last evening together.  The mood was melancholy; it didn’t really make sense that I’d be away from this lady I love for a long (who knows how long?) time.  We wandered around the razzle dazzle of Waikīkī for the longest time, seeking a quiet dinner together, settling on a little street corner vendor with his rickety plastic tables and chairs.

After Kirsten’s early flight back home the next day, it was a crazy mix of ups & downs: a final swim & run in the park (up), thought the car had been towed overnight (down), found the car after all (up), toured around the southeast coast (many ups), got lost in Honolulu between carwash + rental car park (down) et cetera.

The H3 highway had lots of wow factor on that final tour.  Part is elevated above the forest, there are two tunnels & the lush vegetation covering towering hills is impressive.

On the way to the airport, I had one can of IPA left over.  Thinking it a waste to chuck out, I left it on top of a public bin for some thirsty soul to find.  A (likely) homeless gentlemen with crazy eyes who had been muttering to himself while picking up cigarette butts  discovered it & furtively took possession.  Might not have been the best move.

My flight out was brilliant.  I’d scored a window seat with no one else in the aisle, set back from other passengers, at the wing’s trailing edge.  The island was spectacular at night.  Ribbons of lights ran up the steep hills, showing where houses could be built in the tough volcanic topography. Looking for gaps in the lights showed where we’d been: Waikīkī  breach, the zoo, Punchbowl crater, Diamond Head and so on.

My overall thoughts of Hawaii (& in particular Oʻahu) for any prospective visitor:

• it’s lovely
• will cost you a chunk
• is much more than just Waikīkī. 
  • If I did it again, I’d stay out of Waikīkī; it’s worth seeing, but is a bit plastic. 
• Hiring a car is not 100% necessary, but helps a lot.  They can be quite cheap.

Other random observations:

• “Aloha” is much more than “hello”, “goodbye”.  It’s more a spirit of respect for your fellow human.  There’s a genuine amount of aloha here - strangers smile, wave you first, few are charging around in cars like lunatics. and so on. Rather nice.
• Sheez, the modern world is all digital.  Yeah, probably the same back home.  Perhaps I just don’t get out much.
  • e.g. We hiked into a park & then to go further had to show our online registration.  “Oh.  How do we get that?” we ask.  “Use your phone with that QR code over there” we get told.
  • Often when asking for directions, we’d be told to google it - not because they were brushing us off, more that because everyone does that.
• The ethnic mix in Hawaii is fascinating.  A melting pot of Asian, Polynesian, European (including US) backgrounds.
• There’s a vibe of rampant consumption: most goods are imported (avacadoes from Mexico!), food is packaged in lots of plastic, no visible recycling, huge car ownership, most cars less than 10 years old, et cetera
• Hawaii is doing a better job than Australia of incorporating original + new culture 

California here we come.