Next stop of all things were cemeteries. Weird, yes. But their cemeteries are lovely and diverse. One cemetery actually had a Buddhist temple on site complete with a rather large Buddha statue! I liked one of the traditions of Hawaiians and how they remember their dead. Say you pass away and you liked drinking Diet Coke. I would keep your grave well manicured, but would bring a 6-pack or large bottle of Diet Coke, open it, maybe pour some on your grave, and leave it there for you to enjoy. Different, but I liked it. There were lots of graves adorned with drink bottles, bags of food, toys on little kids graves (which was very sad, but sweet), you get the idea. I thought it was a neat way of remembering a loved one.
We then went to a place called Tropical Farms and they specialized in growing macadamia nuts. The area was lush and all sorts of macadamia were tasty!
Our next stop was an ancient, man-made fish pond. We rode a catamaran on it and were given a brief history on it's origins. Tony was severely disappointed in it as the water was too murky to see the numerous large fish said to be populating that pond. We got done with the ride and Aria wasn't impressed either. "That was boring!" she commented (too slow a boat ride for her liking, apparently!). In that area, however, quite a few movie and TV shows had been shot. There was a small shack the was the restaurant Drew Barrymore's character worked at in 50 First Dates. Tears of the Sun was shot in that area. The wedding scene from You, Me, and Dupree was shot in a gazebo there. Must of Lost was filmed there, as is a new show call Off the Map. I liked that part of the tour. It's fun to see a scene in a movie and then actually see the area it was shot in. -And it's as beautiful in person as on screen!-
This is the restaurant from 50 First Dates
Our next stop was for lunch at a place called Crouching Lion after a rock formation above the place that resembles a crouching lion! Nearby is a bunker from WW2. That was cooler to me that the rock formation, but anyway... I had my first coconut water in the actual coconut. Not so great. But at least I can say I've had it.
Can you see the bunker in this pic?
Next stop was the North Shore. More specifically, Sunset Beach. The waves were HUGE! And the tour guide said they weren't that big. We watched the surfers for a few minutes. I never thought surfing on that would be hard, but after seeing those waves, I understand the danger and the courage or stupidity of those surfers. WOW! As we pulled away, our guide spotted a whale surfacing. Again, I never thought I'd be impressed with whales, but I was dead wrong. They are so amazing to see. There were probably 2 or 3 of them almost playing out in the water. They would first blow water out, then surface and then you'd see their large tail. I caught one of the whale tails on camera, but it's hard to see. But considering how far they were out in the water, they really are a huge animal! An unexpected highlight of the trip.
Hard to spot... look straight across from the point of the yellow diamond on the middle sign, that would be a whale tail!
Our next stop was the Dole Plantation. I didn't know this, but pineapple do NOT grow on trees. Our stop here was very quick, but we got some very tasty pineapple ice cream out of it. YUM!
We drove past Pearl Harbor and thru much of Honolulu again and ended up at a place called Halona "Blowhole" Lookout. Some whales were spotted here again, but I didn't see them. This area is famous for the beach scene on From Here to Eternity.
From Here to Eternity... it hasn't changed a bit, huh?!
Our final stop of Hanauma Bay. The area we stopped overlooked the Bay. It's really pretty. We saw a bunch of people snorkeling and you could see the corral reef very clearly. The beach was beautiful, too. If we ever to back to Oahu, this is a must stop for us! It was a fun day and really great to see the whole island.
