O'ahu

We are two days in to our 4 days on O'ahu and truly feel like we've landed in paradise. The water is unbelievably clear and ever changing shades of blue. When we arrived (after 9+hrs of traveling) we were welcomed with seashell leis and given our welcome packets before heading up to our room. We're on the 10th floor with a view of the ocean from one window and the mountains from the other. We have a balcony that stretches the 2 rooms, a full kitchen, living room and king sized bed. We then headed out for cocktails and dinner at a beachfront restaurant and watched the sunset. Thanks so much to Mom, Dad and the Perry's for their generous donation to the Mike and Laura honeymoon fund.
Yesterday we rented a car and hiked up Diamond Head Crater. The view was spectacular, though a bit crowded in the tiny viewing area. We started out early, getting started at the trail by 9am (we had to pick up the car) and we were glad to be making our way back down about 45 mins later. It was getting hot and very crowded on the trail.

Afterwards, we drove around the entire island, stopping at Sandy Beach Park where Mike got 'worked' by a wave. It was pretty rough surf so I hung back and instructed him on how to dive under the waves. We also stopped at Waimea Bay, thanks to a recommendation by the grill master at the Shorebird Restaurant, and found the beach with hardly any waves, crystal clear and blue as could be. Apparently, the north shore is really rough in the winter with 20ft+ swells and is where the pipeline surfing competition is competed.

We also stopped at the Dole plantation and did a walking tour where we found out that Dole and DelMonte have pulled out of Hawaii for their pineapples about 4 yrs ago because they take too long to mature (~20 months). The farms near the plantation are privately owned and Dole is now investing in coffee and chocolate.

Today we went to Pearl Harbor and toured the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri. It was moving and awesome to see the Battleship at the bottom of the harbor and knowing there are over 900 people entombed within its hull. I'm happy to say that neither Mike or I have suffered trip changing sunburns! We love you zinc oxide! We're taking it easy for the rest of the day and planning to go out for dinner and a stroll on the beach to watch the sunset. Tomorrow we head to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the afternoon/evening to visit the 7 villages and to see the Ha! Breath of Life luau.