On this trip, we split our time between Oahu and the Big Island, with most of the time spent on Big Island.
It was crowded on Oahu, but one must go visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial:
USS Arizona Memorial
We hiked to Diamond Head, near Waikiki Beach, the view from Diamond Head is very exceedingly pleasing:
View from Diamond Head
But Big Island is more beautiful and much less crowded, with seemingly breathtaking views at every turn.
Hapuna Beach on Big Island
Akaka Falls on Big Island
Pololu Point on Big Island
Waipio Valley on Big Island
Ka Lae, or the south point, on Big Island
And we also saw some wildlife:
A Green Sea Turtle
The indigenous Nene
Halimauamau Crater in Hawaii Volcano National Park
Tropical Clouds rolling onto Big Island
Volcanic rocks in Hawaii Volcano National Park
Sea Arch in Hawaii Volcano National Park
But the most unforgettable experience of the trip is the drive to Mauna Kea — some 4205 m or 13796 ft in height. We drove non-stop from sea level to over 13,000 feet, the road seemed to be going up and up with no end in sight … it was unreal.
The view from the top was unparalleled.
Mauna Kea Observatory
Moonscape on Mauna Kea
And the sunset was simply beautiful beyond words:
Sunset on Mauna Kea
But we had to leave Big Island eventually! Back on Oahu, we still had Hanauma Bay to console ourselves with (where we had the best snorkeling of the trip):
Hanuama Bay
Finally, a parting shot of Ala Wai Canal before we left.
Ala Wai Canal
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