Aloha Hawaii

Punchbowl

While we were staying in Hawaii we saw several signs for the Punchbowl. I had no idea what it was, but finally I decided that we needed to see it. It is a memorial to all the Pacific war veterans from World War II. It is the size of a football stadium and it is green and beautiful with a stunning view.

Pali Lookout

Here are some scenic shots I liked from the Pali lookout point.

Polynesian Cultural Center

The Polynesian Cultural Center was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It is set up with little villages dedicated to each culture. They have demonstrations of cooking, crafts, and dancing.
Wow can the Samoans climb trees or what?

This guy was definitely the funniest presenter. He taught us how to open a coconut, drink the juice and get out the milk (yes they are different). He also showed us how to make fire by hand.

The Tahitians are famous for the speed at which they shake their hips.

Replica of the monument on the Easter Islands.

The New Zealand men performing the Haka.

The evening was capped off with the show Ka the Breath of Life. It was awesome! The fire dancers were really mesmerizing. It was a great part of visiting Hawaii.

Laie Temple

We were fortunate to be able to attend a session at the Laie Temple.

I love seeing the hibiscus on the grounds. It is nice to see the tropical gardening, definitely different than Utah.

Haunama Bay

This is the spot where Matt and I went snorkeling. Actually Matt did most of the snorkeling because the water was kind of cold to me, but I really enjoyed the beach.

This is a popular spot to snorkel because of the reef that protects you from the waves, and there are tons of fish to see.

Manoa Falls

We went on a hike to Manoa Falls which has a small claim to fame as an area where some of the scenes from Jurassic Park were shot. It was the closest thing I have experienced to hiking in a jungle.Here are some more crazy trees.

We got pretty wet from the mist on the falls, but on the way down it started to rain and we were drenched. The rain was so warm that it didn't really matter.

Here I am soaked and of course more cool trees.

Pearl Harbor

We had the opportunity to go out to Pearl Harbor, which was really great. They have an audio tour that I highly recommend. It was really cool to see everything first hand.
Memorial statue--The Tree of Life

The USS Arizona Memorial

The USS Missouri

This is out on the Arizona Memorial. These are the stacks of the ship that are still above water.

These are the names of those who died on the ship below.

This is a model of what the Arizona looks like now underwater. After the ship was hit and sunk the naval men went down and took off all the gun turrets and scraps of metal they could use to rebuild the other ships that weren't completely sunk. I can't believe how resourceful they were, especially considering the tragedy.

This is the size of the anchor. It is huge and I guess I never realized it until seeing it in person.

These are some other replicas of military pieces, the size still blows me away.