To That Special Place: A Holiday in New Zealand, Sydney, and Hawaii
Jan 4th, 2020, 11:47 PM
#102
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Larry, you're welcome. I hope you make it back someday. The Missouri is definitely worth it.
Yestravel, yes, we've had pineapple every day we're here and it's amazing. The only pineapples that come close but still not quite are the ones from Queensland, Australia.
From Wet to Good to Great
Today marks the final day of what has been an incredible journey across New Zealand, Sydney, and Hawaii. It was going to be another early morning for us, as we had booked a helicopter flight over Oahu - scheduled for 8:00. Looking outside my hotel room window, it was drizzling with mist hanging over the area. Will the scheduled flight go forward? Honestly, I thought it was going to be a 50/50 chance, given the forecast. Anyway we headed for a quick breakfast at Dukes Lane Market and Eatery next door to our hotel. The shuttle arrived at our hotel promptly at 6:50 to pick us up; as we were about to depart we received a call that the flight needed to be aborted due to inclement weather. The operator suggested putting us on standby for the 10:00 flight if conditions improve. So it was back to our hotel rooms, where we enjoyed coffee on our balconies overlooking the water and a glimpse of Diamond Head. By 8:30 we received another call that the 10:00 flight needed to be cancelled as well.
We moved forward with Plan C. Plan B was to visit the Bishop Museum this morning, but we already went there yesterday. Plan C was a hike to Manoa Falls. We called a taxi to take us the 20 minutes to the trailhead. When we arrived rain was coming down strong. So we headed into the gift shop and waited out the storm. There were a few glimmers of hope but the skies continued to open.
After an hour and a half of waiting, we aborted our plans and took a taxi to Chinatown, where we enjoyed an authentic dim sum brunch at Legend Seafood Restaurant. We also walked around the neighborhood, browsing its markets and visiting a few houses of worship (a Buddhist temple, a Taoist temple, and a Shinto shrine). We strolled through Foster Botanical Garden, enjoying the few flowers on display as well as several interesting tree species.
From there we traveled to Ala Moana Center, a major shopping mall, for a look around. And then it was back to Waikiki. We ended our trip with a gorgeous, gorgeous dinner (the food was absolutely divine - the best we've had in Hawaii) at Duke's with a table overlooking Diamond Head and the sands of Waikiki, with joyous music playing in the background. What a perfect ending to one of our top trips ever!
As we return home I cannot appreciate enough how fortunate I am to be able to take this trip to the folks who are nearest and dearest to me. And to be able to share it with my friends here, I'm blessed.
Thank you for taking this wonderful journey with me. I will be happy to answer any questions you have and offer any advice on your future travel plans as I am able.
Yestravel, yes, we've had pineapple every day we're here and it's amazing. The only pineapples that come close but still not quite are the ones from Queensland, Australia.
From Wet to Good to Great
Today marks the final day of what has been an incredible journey across New Zealand, Sydney, and Hawaii. It was going to be another early morning for us, as we had booked a helicopter flight over Oahu - scheduled for 8:00. Looking outside my hotel room window, it was drizzling with mist hanging over the area. Will the scheduled flight go forward? Honestly, I thought it was going to be a 50/50 chance, given the forecast. Anyway we headed for a quick breakfast at Dukes Lane Market and Eatery next door to our hotel. The shuttle arrived at our hotel promptly at 6:50 to pick us up; as we were about to depart we received a call that the flight needed to be aborted due to inclement weather. The operator suggested putting us on standby for the 10:00 flight if conditions improve. So it was back to our hotel rooms, where we enjoyed coffee on our balconies overlooking the water and a glimpse of Diamond Head. By 8:30 we received another call that the 10:00 flight needed to be cancelled as well.
We moved forward with Plan C. Plan B was to visit the Bishop Museum this morning, but we already went there yesterday. Plan C was a hike to Manoa Falls. We called a taxi to take us the 20 minutes to the trailhead. When we arrived rain was coming down strong. So we headed into the gift shop and waited out the storm. There were a few glimmers of hope but the skies continued to open.
After an hour and a half of waiting, we aborted our plans and took a taxi to Chinatown, where we enjoyed an authentic dim sum brunch at Legend Seafood Restaurant. We also walked around the neighborhood, browsing its markets and visiting a few houses of worship (a Buddhist temple, a Taoist temple, and a Shinto shrine). We strolled through Foster Botanical Garden, enjoying the few flowers on display as well as several interesting tree species.
From there we traveled to Ala Moana Center, a major shopping mall, for a look around. And then it was back to Waikiki. We ended our trip with a gorgeous, gorgeous dinner (the food was absolutely divine - the best we've had in Hawaii) at Duke's with a table overlooking Diamond Head and the sands of Waikiki, with joyous music playing in the background. What a perfect ending to one of our top trips ever!
As we return home I cannot appreciate enough how fortunate I am to be able to take this trip to the folks who are nearest and dearest to me. And to be able to share it with my friends here, I'm blessed.
Thank you for taking this wonderful journey with me. I will be happy to answer any questions you have and offer any advice on your future travel plans as I am able.
Jan 5th, 2020, 01:08 AM
#103
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Thanks for sharing! I'm sad to see this trip come to an end!
What a romantic sunset. I also love the daytime photo of the beach at Waikiki (very tempting).I wasn't aware of the Byodo Temple. It's impressive. So glad you found the Bishop Museum interesting.
I hope you have a great return journey home.
What a romantic sunset. I also love the daytime photo of the beach at Waikiki (very tempting).I wasn't aware of the Byodo Temple. It's impressive. So glad you found the Bishop Museum interesting.
I hope you have a great return journey home.
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