Touring Oahu

While it was easy to tour Oahu on our own, we did not rent a car while at the Hale Koa. Therefore, we took a couple of tours and learned a lot about Hawaiian history from our guides. One tour took us to the famous Dole Plantation. Gardens there are beautiful, but the prices are high. We preferred buying food items at roadside farm markets. One tour took us to lunch at a famous golf course (see photo of pool) and to a lake where many movies have been shot. We took a short boat ride. You will perhaps recognize the hotel on Fantasy Island. Colorful birds were frequently seen.

We also visited a Buddist Temple, where the Budda is a replica of the famous one in Japan. Near the temple was also a Buddist cemetary. The Buddist religion is strong in Hawaii, and Catholic churches are frequently seen. Big Protestant churches are rare, but small Congregational churches are found, as they were the first Protestant missionaries here.

Our most challenging tour was climbing 700 feet to Diamondhead Crater Rim. We were the oldest people on the hike, and we soon learned why. After a smooth, rising sidewalk, came a rocky path, and then came 284 steep, stone steps. Finally there were about 50 steel, spiral steps as found in lighthouses. OK, so we were the last to make it to the top! There we stood huffing and puffing in a pre-WW I observation tower overlooking Honolulu. The view was breathtaking (no puns intended), and there was a fabulous lighthouse below which now houses a Coast Guard Commander. Would we do it again? NOPE! But we are glad we met the challenge.