DAY 2

We woke up early due to the time difference and headed over to Diamond Head, a lookout point over Honolulu. It was quite the hike and we were even able to watch a helicopter lift someone off the top that was not able to make it back down. We then drove to the Botanical Gardens where we walked to a small lake and ate lunch. Then back to the resort where we snorkeled a little at the Resorts bay with our sea scooters. Unfortunately Janson’s literally blew up in the water and caught on fire. It was quite the ordeal to get them to Hawaii and it was so sad to see it malfunction on the first use. We went back to our room where we made a fabulous spaghetti dinner and played games.

DAY 3

We traveled to the other side of Oahu to North Shore where the surfing is great. On our way, we stopped by the Dole plantation for ice-cream and souvenirs. We snorkeled at Sharks Cove where Taylor decided to Spear hunt some fish. I was actually quite surprised when he ended up with a squid. It turned white after releasing all of its ink in the water. We then went to Aokis for their famous slushies! YUMMY!

DAY 4

We decided to go to the Marriot time share presentation. It is a great way to vacation and would be something we would love to do in the future. We then picked up one of Janson’s old Mission companions, Shane, who is from Hawaii and went to the Polynesian Cultural center. It was a great way to see a little culture from many different islands. Tonga was one of our favorite. We then watched an IMAX movie about the Hawaiian Islands, and ended up missing our Luau. We didn’t realize it until we arrived and found most everyone had eaten and they were concluding the luau. It was actually really funny, but we were there mainly for the food anyway. We then went to the night show “Ha”. It was really a great production and a great way to end our Polynesian Cultural experience.

Day 5

We awoke early and went to Pearl Harbor to get tickets for the USS Arizona. We then headed over to the Flee Market to shop. What a great place for souvenirs. We then went back to Pearl Harbor and took a tour of the USS Arizona. Oil continues to seep through the sunken boat and will for hundreds of years at the pace it is leaking. It was amazing to see the oil floating on the water after all these years. After we returned from the tour, a man had a little accident, so Dad donated his new shorts he had just purchased from the flee market to save the man’s pride. We went to a movie, which does not seem like a Hawaii thing to do, however, movies at home are far and few between with all of the kids. We picked up a pizza and went back to the hotel to swim and relax.