Cruisin' Around (Hawaii #3, July 21, 2013)

Today, Sunday, is a glorious Lord's Day!  Theresa started out the day early by walking a mile to the east end of Waikiki Beach, trying to watch the sunrise.  Diamond Head was blocking the view of the sun rising over the ocean so she came back to our hotel room disappointed.  We opted for room service for breakfast, the same fine meal we had yesterday, to save time.

This friendly bird was ready to help us eat breakfast on the balcony.  We suggested that he needed to join his friends elsewhere!

When we were ready for 10 a.m. Mass, we walked another mile to St. Augustine by-the-sea Catholic church.  Our worship service was wonderful, due to the thoughtful, inspiring manner of the priest, the beautiful song-leading, and the friendliness of the congregation.  The lector, the first person to announce information at the beginning of the Mass, was sensitive to the fact that there were many of us tourists in the pews and explained several things regarding the manner of communion reception that were useful to us.  There were so many there that both side aisles were lined with people in addition to all the pews filled!  I remembered that in every Catholic church in the entire world, the readings and prayers of the Mass are identical today and every day, that each is able to hear it in his or her own language.

Altar at St. Augustine by-the-sea Catholic church, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Jan in front of St. Augustine's statue.

After another mile walk back to the hotel, we were ready to retrieve our sunscreen and take the rental car out of parking.  Our first stop: the Dole Pineapple Plantation.  The huge farm was a much bigger attraction than we had anticipated.  There was a large restaurant and gift shop, train ride, and garden to view.  We ate lunch and bought tickets for the train ride.  The wait was long and hot but it was worth it.  We learned much about pineapples, Mr. Dole, the founder of the plantation, and other farm products.  When we were finished, we went back to the restaurant for pineapple whipped ice cream in a waffle cone.  It had a 'spear' of pineapple stuck in the top.  What a treat on a blistering hot day!

See how pineapples grow: on a long, sturdy stem.

Theresa, the little Pineapple Hula Dancer!

Jan waits for the train ride to start.

View of Tanada Reservoir and the nearby mountains at the Dole Plantation.

The train ride was fun and educational.  We saw banana palms, date palms, and coconut palms.  There also were coffee bushes and sugar cane plants.

Next, we headed for the north shore of Hawaii.  We were told that's where the best surfing was (surfing for us to watch, that is!).  There are no great distances on the island of Hawaii and we were at the north shore in a very short time.  The narrow two-lane road to Ehukai Beach Park, where the Banzai Pipeline, or very big waves are, was extremely crowded, bumper-to-bumper.  We plodded along and found a parking place.  There were not only no big waves, there were hardly any surfers, just several families picnicking and a T-shirt sales table.  Theresa googled the Banzai Pipeline and discovered that the giant waves occur in November to February.  Nevermind!  This is no way diminished our island drive!  The most glorious sight for us both, we agreed, were the rugged mountains and the small villages along the road.

Jan at Ehukai Beach with a calm sea in the background.  It was extremely windy.  The goggles save my dry eyes!

Driving a short distance more on Highway #83, we were surprised to see a different kind of farm, a windmill farm.

A windmill farm, north shore, Hawaii.

Eastern shore scenery, Hawaii, rugged and breath-taking!

The mountains along the Eastern shore are tall and so full of deep, natural cuts in the volcanic rock that they are mostly uninhabitable.  FYI: There are 152 islands comprising the Hawaiian islands.  Several are so small they are only visible at low tide.  Most are uninhabitable but add to the grandeur of the Hawaiian mountains and beaches.

We passed the large Polynesian Cultural Center but it was closed on Sundays.  We hope to return to it another day.  Our plan was to drive the entire eastern shore, see a lighthouse east of Diamond Head and return to Honolulu.  It seems to get dark early in Hawaii.  Night just 'drops' around 8 o'clock!  We didn't want to navigate the narrow two-lane roads in the nighttime and opted for a super-highway close to Pearl Harbor past the airport directly to Honolulu and our hotel.  After a fine Italian dinner by candlelight and torchlight at a nearby eatery, we have retired for the night to the sounds of gentle waves on the beach in front of the hotel.