A “group trip”! A month on the island of Oahu in November. We rented a four bedroom townhouse in Hawaii Kai. Over the course of the month we were a group of 6 and then 7 with a couple people coming and going. I stayed the entire month, which was great.

Lucky me has been to Hawaii a few times (Maui, the Big Island, Kauai) but only once before to Oahu, back in the 1990’s……our first trip there with the kids! Terrible weather pretty much the entire time we were there, again in November. It rained so much they declared a state of emergency! Very little beach time, restaurants were flooded, hotels on Waikiki were sandbagged because of the surf….we had fun but just not quite the “Hawaii vacation” we planned on.

This trip however was nothing like that….terrific weather, lots of sun and lots of fun with friends! Some parts of the journal aren’t too exciting but we did cover a lot of the island, explored beautiful gardens……and I think hit every ABC store! It’s in two parts…..the first two weeks and the second two weeks.

Nov 17 Thurs

Busy day!!  Cleaning, J packing up, laundry, bed changing etc.  E and K will move from the master bdrm to J’s room. Linda and Gabe will get the master tonight.  P & G stay in their room downstairs, I picked the single upstairs so luckily am here for the duration!!

P and G went to get the cake and flowers for Linda.  I walked around the complex looking for some nice greenery to add to the flowers to fill the vase.

Linda and Gabe arrived around 3:30.  Did the happy birthday, welcome to Hawaii fun stuff.  Had the cake, gluten and dairy free, which was very dense, very rich and very good!  Snacks and appies etc.  Caught up with them on everything.

Jo-Anne wanted to go for a nice walk down Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki on the way to the airport.  We left just before 7.  Was going to be just J and I but Linda G decided to join us and keep me company on the drive back.

Parked at the IMP and pretty much just strolled along one side and then the other of Kalakaua Ave reminiscing about other good times there on our various other trips with family or friends.  Was fun….very busy place in the evening but very nice….lots of tiki torches, shops all open.

Finally had to leave a take J to the airport…like I say I’m going to miss her.

Dropped her off and headed home.  Major roadwork at night on the freeway…totally closed southbound so a detour route that took us all over but back on to freeway in less than 15 minutes.

Home, chatted and few glasses of wine.

Nov 18 Fri

Breakie and off to Ala Moana Beach again with G & L and P & G.  Just about empty again.  Great beach, but wish I could talk the others into trying some of the gorgeous windward ones.  In and out of the water.  Had a spot with a couple of palm trees for shade.  Lunch again from the concession. 

Had Hawaiian BBQ chicken bowl this time $8! A bit of a downpour came by while waiting so just ate at the little tables there but it cleared up quickly and back to the beach.

Home around 3.  L & G went to pick up MORE groceries.

Gabe and Gordie BBQ’d steaks and chicken…unfortunately all a little well done but still good.

Taught the girls how to play Spite and Malice.  Played a few games and to bed.

Nov 19 Sat

The girls went to Pearl Harbour and the Arizona.  All free!  Cannot take any bags, even purses any bigger than a small wallet.  Grabbed my keys, glasses and phone and a $10 bill that Linda kept in her pocket for me!

Got in the standby line up right away and in just a few minutes into the theatre, where a guy tells you about the history…..thought maybe there would be a bit of a movie or something…all good info though. And then out and onto the boat that takes you out to the Arizona.  The site is very moving I must say! 

Service people who survived the sinking can/did when they passed away have their ashes interred on the ship with their fallen comrades.  Many plaques describing various watery ruins and a big wall with plaques for all the people that were killed that day…..a man there tells you about it.  It really is quite moving just standing there and looking at all the carnage that happened that day.  So glad they have preserved the site.

Once back to the main area, the grounds are lovely and very well kept.  You do have to pay if you want to go on the submarine or tour the Missouri.  Also a museum that the girls said was really good.  I had such a bad headache I just needed to sit in the shade. 

The whole place was really amazing and so glad we went.

Decided to just head home for lunch….so much food and we were going out for dinner.

Hung around all afternoon.  The pool for a bit.

Off to PF Chang’s for Linda’s birthday dinner!  Was good.  Everybody picked a dish that they wanted along with rice and chow mein.  Initially had us at a rather crappy table half out on the patio but too noisy and squishy.  Moved us inside to another bigger table but it wasn’t set up nicely like the first one….so they did come along and fix that for us.  Lucky we did move because a storm blew by….rain, thunder, lightening….we would have been soaked if we’d stayed in that spot.  Anyway….dinner was good but not sure exactly what all the hype is about that place.  Good but not exceptional.  Not really the greatest ambiance…..thought it might have been a bit of a classier place than it was.

A bit of a walk down Kalakaua back to the car and thru the IMP.  Turned out nice after the storm blew over.  Some sort of parade, or maybe protest.  Cars and pickups with flags and people hanging off the sides driving up the street…no idea what it  was about.

Home and played Spite and Malice…..the girls really like it!

Nov 20 Sun

Foster Botanical Gardens today.

Fantastic collection of trees and plants.  Nice to wander around.  A bit noisy in some areas because of the highway or busy street that is right next to it.  Pretty little butterfly garden, a hothouse filled with gorgeous orchids and other tropicals.  It’s the trees though that are the highlight….just beautiful.  Many massive trees.  Some species of baobabs and similar ones .  One huge tree that was baobab-ish looking was actually from the hibiscus family.  Spice trees, many different varieties of palms, and some trees with spectacular canopies.  Great garden to visit.

Was with L & G so headed to Waikiki again to find some different ABC stores.  Streets and beach just packed there today.

Home for a swim and dinner (chicken tacos!).  Couple games of cards and that was it. 

Nov 21 Mon

Packed a picnic and we all headed to Kaimana Beach today….very end of Kalakaua Ave past the zoo….almost to Diamond Head.  Really nice beach with free street parking, if you can find a spot. 

Went for a couple of swims.  Ken brought his sand sculpting tools and tested out the sand.  He’s a master sand sculptor and judge at many competitions! Linda had a go at making a “ball” or round lumpy thing.  Very windy.  No shade unless you head back over the grassy area towards the road.  Great afternoon!

The Kaimana Hotel is right there….looks like a nice beachside bar/restaurant.  Eileen had enough sun so headed in for a drink.  Her and Ken stayed there the rest of the afternoon, we headed home.  Came back along the road under Diamond Head.  Absolutely gorgeous and coastline…very rough out there today. Some big beautiful homes along that road.

Home, cleaned up and just relaxed for a bit then to Liko’s for dinner.  I had the prime rib which must have been at least 12oz…ridiculously huge but very, very good. Managed to eat maybe half of it if that.  Came with yummy garlic mashed potatoes, also really good.  Not cheap though…that and a drink was $60US ($75Cdn). 

On the sheet that comes with the bill it says there is a discount if paying cash…..but there isn’t….it just means you don’t get charged the extra 3.5% that they charge for using credit cards.  Had a discussion with the manager about it but she just kept saying that “I did get a discount because they didn’t charge the 3.5%” …..tried to explain that it was not a “discount” as I had paid full price….but totally useless to argue with them!  At least it was really good!!

Home, a couple games of Spite and Malice and to bed!

I can’t believe how fast this month is going!!  We’ve been here almost 3 weeks already!

Nov 22 Tues

Very windy this morning…..like really windy!!  Had to recover all the boogie boards, towels and bathing suits that had blown all over the front patio!

Giovanni’s shrimp truck for lunch today!

P, G and I first went to the Nu’uanu “Pali” Lookout.  Has gotten really windy the last few days so was super windy up there.  Spectacular views up and down the east coast.  Some plaques explaining the history and importance of it.  Just beautiful!

Continued down from there with a little drive thru Kailua….nice town/city.  Found another thrift store for a quick look around….nada though.

Up the coast to Giovanni’s!  Fun little outdoor “mall” there now with a clothing shop that has all the same clothes as everywhere else and the same prices, a couple other food trucks and a coffee stand.  And washrooms!

Had the shrimp of course.  At least 10 huge prawns just loaded with garlic and butter…delicious.  Came with 2 scoops of rice. 

Met up there with Linda and Gabe.  Ken and Eileen had already been and were at Waimea Valley Garden….where we headed to after we’d finished.

The North Shore is just so pretty….would love to stay up there on another trip.  Other than it being busy and not much around in the way of groceries or restaurants, it would be a great spot.  No big waves today.

Waimea Valley Park is just beautiful!  There’s a gift shop and a cafe/take out type place before you have to pay.  Met up with K and E for a quick drink.  $18 to get in.

Great walk!  Very lush in places…..like the impenetrable forest in Uganda….Tarzan vines and all!!  Took about 40 minutes to get to the waterfall.  So many different and interesting trees, plants and flowers.  Not all are tagged so have no clue what some of the plants were but all so pretty.

Got to the waterfall and changed into our bathing suits but didn’t make it in for a swim….too rocky and treacherous just to get in the water.  Changed and started our walk back going off on some of the side paths.  Made it back to the entrance and found Gordie in the parking lot snoozing.

Took forever driving back along the north shore….traffic was pretty much stopped.  Some roadwork but just really busy.  Finally made it back to the highway and decided to make a stop in town for beverages and a snack/dinner.  Found 2 Irish pubs right across the street from each other!  The Black Shamrock and Murphy’s.  Chose Murphy’s.  Had a couple of proseccos, calamari and hot wings, both really good.

Home around 7.  Played spite and malice!

Nov 23 Wed

Very slow morning…. headed out around 11.

Decided to go to Waikiki for some shopping and lunch at Duke’s.  Had the buffet again….I think it’s a good deal for $21.  Walked down to the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider to check out all the Christmas decorations…..hard to wrap your head around that here!  Very pretty though.

Back home.  Spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool.

Put together whatever we had in the fridge for dinner.

More cards.

Nov 24 Thurs

Another very stormy morning….lots of wind and rain blowing in sheets.

Had mosquitos in my room last night….bit a number of times.  And in the bathroom!!  Eileen said they had them too.  No one else. Weird, maybe because of the rain?  But you’d think the wind would keep them away.

Amy arrives late tonight so went to Longs to pick up birthday stuff for our dinner and birthday party tomorrow night.  Eileen is so excited!!  How fun to her to have Amy here with us for a few days.

Back home for a bit.  Gabe and Linda went shopping, Peggy, Eileen and I did a bit of tour around and up the hill to look at the big beautiful homes. 

Up and up and up we went…the views were just incredible!  Tried to go into a gated community and immediately got told to turn around lol….came across another and just turned around before we got to it knowing the answer!!  On our way down the hill we passed two police cars…..hmmmm.  LOL…..were they looking for us????

We ended up back on the highway and headed into Honolulu.  Eileen found a bar near Ala Moana marina so we headed there, in a rather round about way, but we found it and cheap parking! $1 per hour!  It’s called the Harbor Pub.  Fun place.  Waitress said most of the customers are “boat people”, some come early in the day and stay all day, others come in after a day on their boats.  Lots of people like us too….tourists!

Called Gordie and Ken to come an meet us for late lunch/early dinner, which they did.  It was great because then I could have a few drinks and G could drive home!!  Also called Linda and Gabe to let them know where we were.  I had the Pizza Bianco which was really very good. 

Two guys, a couple, from LA were celebrating a birthday.  Eileen and I sat with them for a bit and bought them a drink! 

L & G showed up after we’d already eaten but still ordered food.  Hung around there until after 6.  Fun afternoon!

Home, played cards for a bit.  K and E picked up Amy and were home just before midnight.

To bed with some bug spray!  Drives me crazy when they bite my hands. 

Nov 25 Fri

The mosquitos are nuts!!  Ended up getting up and taking a benadryl then getting back into bed with just my face exposed.  Sprayed the headboard with bug spray hoping to keep them away.  Just awful!

K, E and A went off to Pokai Beach for the day.  G and G just hung around.  P, L and I went for another drive over to the area around Koko Crater.  Some very lovely homes and spectacular views. 

Went to Liko’s for lunch.  I had the fish and chips which were really good.  Linda G. asked about the “discount” and got the same story as I did but at least this time the gal agreed they should probably just take that off.

Picked up a few more goodies at Costco and came home to prep dinner.  Decided to combine American Thanksgiving with Amy’s birthday dinner.  Did roast chicken, salad, twice baked potatoes, yams etc. All really good.  Birthday cake for dessert.

Fun day and evening!

Nov 26 Sat

Quiet morning and afternoon.  Pool and just hung around.

Luau tonight…..Paradise Cover $150US….not cheap!  Was there back in 1996….in the pouring rain!  Was a fun evening.  We had “special” tickets so got the real flower leis (orchids) and seats at the front of the centre section.  Lots of fun participation type activities going on…..we tried the stick throwing and the make up tattoos.  Also go 2 “free” drinks or $16 value at the gift shop.  I had the mai tais!

Quite the drive from Hawaii Kai.  Very pretty spot though, well maintained lush grounds and a nice little beach where someone was proposing with a lit up sign saying “Marry Me”.  Sunset was lovely.  Dinner was OK…..or as OK as it can be for 100’s of people.  About 10 rows of buffet tables set up.  Salads, chicken, pork, rice, poi, veg and a long dessert table with coconut cupcakes and what they called sweet potato….they looked and tasted like purple yam cut into slices????

The show was only OK….years ago it lasted longer and more traditional Hawaiian stuff and they had audience people come up for various things, like newlyweds etc.  They had some of the usual dances but the costumes didn’t seem terribly Hawaiian to me……florescent coloured hula skirts…that type of thing.  The fire dancer was good and fun.  Played the Hawaiian wedding song for K & E and P & G got up to dance.

Overall was a fun evening because of us all being there but not the best I’ve been too, especially for what it cost.  I enjoyed the smaller hotel ones that aren’t, or at least weren’t, as expensive and seem a bit more traditional. If everyone hadn’t been going I wouldn’t have gone. Last time I was on Maui the Lions Club was doing a fundraiser luau for around $50, we checked online to see if any such thing was happening on Oahu but there wasn’t, too bad.

Home around 10:30.

Nov 27 Sun   Happy Birthday Linds!

Beautiful sunrise this morning!  Clear sky!  Haven’t seen too many of those.  Most mornings we get the clouds over the mountains so don’t usually see a colourful sunrise.

Peggy and I and Linda and Gabe went to the Lili’oukalni Botanical Garden.  Small garden in the middle of a bit of a rough residential area.  Also some big apartments around it.

There’s a stream running through it and lots of lovely trees and plants.  Sadly it’s a bit shabby and could use a lot of TLC, but still pretty enough in places. 

P and I headed to Punchbowl Cemetery.  Very beautiful and very well kept.  Was here back in 1996 on Veterans Day!  First we did the road loop then parked to take a look at the memorials.  All very interesting and very moving.  It’s about all the wars, not just Pearl Harbour.  One area of plaques, some with a round marker that means the remains were recovered……unfortunately very few of those makers….all others are either missing in action or the bodies were not recoverable…very sad.   The views are pretty nice in all directions from the road in and the circle route.  Wandered thru the cemetery on the way back to the car….so many graves.  Family members can also be buried.  There is another area of wall for ashes and another being built. It’s very quiet, a moving but disturbing experience…an exceptional monument to war!

Met up with Linda and Gabe for late lunch/dinner at the Kaimana Hotel beach bar.  Had a glass of wine at the bar while waiting for our table.  Great spot, right on the beach, nice patio with umbrellas and hau trees for shade.  I had delicious French toast and a mimosa.  Would be a great spot to stay if coming back to Oahu.  Close enough to Waikiki to walk but far enough away from the crowds!

Home around 7.  Snackie dinner. Called Linds to wish her a happy birthday.  Her, Craig and the kids and Bev were at Red Robin for dinner.

Cards and to bed.

Nov 28 Mon

Iffy weather today…..quite rainy first thing but eased up to showers and then pretty much stopped by around 10.

Gabe and Linda and I went to Chinatown!  Actually found it this time! On Maunakea Street.  Parked across from the Market Place.  Just poured for a few minutes then sprinkled on and off for an hour or so.

The market place wasn’t that great…a couple of dress shops, a flower stand and a rather messy, unorganized food court area. 

Out on the street quite a few of the shops were open (and not boarded up like the last time we came thru here).  Lots of fruit and veggie places, a couple of bakeries, some meat and fish shops, many selling Peking duck and char sui.  Lots of flower shops!  A really nice plaza with fruit/veg shops and big beautiful purple orchid trees.  All the food looked really good….all the usual Asian veg like bok choy, Japanese eggplants, herbs etc. and with prices much better than Safeway!  Some of the shops though could use a good scrub and/or a coat of new paint!

Some very strange people hang around that area….not unlike our Chinatown at home!!  Some with obvious mental issues, homeless people and some scary kind of gang or tough looking guys.  A lady in one of the shops told us that it’s very scary around there at night and she never goes down then.  Usually all the shops are closed up by late afternoon.  Was still a lot of shops boarded up so not quite the vibrant place we thought it would be. 

That shop lady told us where to go for good Dim Sum….a place called Ginger and Garlic.  It was probably a bit late, just after 1, but still had it.  We were the only people in there.  The place did look a bit shabby and a bit suspect for cleanliness but the food was good. Had quite a few dishes.  Har gou, shu mai (sp?), sticky rice, read bean buns, a couple more dishes and tea.  Came to $19 each.  Found a bakery and picked up a pineapple bun (vg), Linda got a couple different kinds of buns and cookies. 

Gabe dropped Linda and I off on Kalakaua for some shopping…..ABC stores are Linda’s fav!!  Picked up a couple more things for the kids.  Walked thru the Royal Hawaiian again.  Clear sky and much warmer.

Gabe came to pick us up and raved about the great place he’d found for coffee down the beach….Barefoot Beach Café!!  Found a parking spot on the street.  A local musician group was having a little jam session outside of the washrooms (?)….ukes and a couple other string type instruments. 

No alcohol, which I knew from the other time we were there, so we were just getting coffees.  Right at the café was another more “formal” type group that plays on Monday nights.  Two guys playing guitars and a lady playing an upside down washtub with a stick and a piece of string…sort of sounded like a bass.  Lots of fun to listen to.  Some impromptu hula happened with a lady from one of the tables, then a couple men, that I think were Monday regulars, got up too.  The lady gave a little hula lesson that Linda did because she’s been taking hula lesson at home!  So lots of fun for her. 

Anyway we were having such a good time we decided to stay for dinner and sunset.  I had the fish and chips again….very good.  The best sunset yet tonight, right into the water….which is amazing considering how the day started. 

More hula lessons, this time from the lady playing the funny washtub thing…..even I got up and gave it a go.  Linda asked if they knew a song that she’d been learning to dance to and of course they did.  So she gave us a quick once thru with all the hand, arm, feet and hip movements and what they meant and then we did it to the song…lots of fun and makes sense.  You are telling a story with your hands and arms.  Must say it was a little like Zumba for me….the hand part was no problem but coordinating that with the hips was another thing.

Got a great pic of the Waikiki and Honolulu skyline at night before we left.  Very pretty.

Home around 9.  The neighbour has Christmas decorations up!!!

Only a few days left…..where has the time gone!!

Nov 29 Tues

Plan was to go to Ioloni Palace but was $25 to get in……we just passed on that.  Took a few pics outside.  Gabe had driven Peggy, Linda and I and Gordie was meeting us there after the soccer game was finished but he came early, so a bit of confusion trying to find him.  Just grabbed coffees while we waited.  Peggy went looking for him and poor Linda had to walk miles I think to the Walmart to use the washroom….none in the coffee shop (weird??)

From there we went to Wahiawa Botanical Gardens.  Very beautiful, lush and very much a tropical jungle!  Quite big with some nice paved walkways and some stairs that lead down to rough trails that could be dry riverbeds……signs that warn of flash flooding!!  Free to get in.  I think this was one of the best gardens we went to.  More of a natural type garden.  Not all trees and plants were marked so many we didn’t know.  Some massive plants and gorgeous tall palms.

Not sure exactly what area it’s in but we found a kind of weird Indian place, which the boys didn’t want to go to, so they went for Chinese.   The Indian place was not really very good….everything kind of tasted the same and sort of questionable looking place really.

Got home and Ken had taken the neighbour (Herb’s) paddleboard out in the lagoon and was doing really good.  We have a paddleboard but it’s locked up and can’t be used by renters…ah well.

I went into Waikiki with K & E and P & G for dinner.  Tried to find a couple of restaurants that they’d read about but either full, no ambiance, too loud etc. etc.  Ended up at the IMP on the restaurant floor where we checked them all out and ended up at the “Eating House”.  Dinner was not cheap but was really good!  I had the Caesar salad with tomatoes and the Mongolian Ribs…..5 huge ones that were delicious.  Was after 9 by the time we finished.

G and L had stayed home.

Played cards and to bed!

Nov 30 Wed

Can’t believe it’s our last day here already!  Where has this month gone!!

K and E’s were up very early and managed to get a snorkel spot at Hanauma Bay….they loved it!  They leave tonight….

Peggy, Gordie, Linda, Gabe and I went to Waimanola Beach!  Fantastic!!  Best beach day of the trip.  Took the chairs and boogie boards.  The beach is just beautiful, soft sand, no rocks or coral.  The view is stunning!!  Rabbit Island and another just beside it, both are bird sanctuaries.  The water is much warmer than the leeward side and some great waves for boogie boarding.  Got a couple good runs in then a couple of nice swims and floats!

G found a burger joint down the road and picked up lunch for Peggy and I.  Was really good, like a an old fashioned café burger.  Drink, fries and burger $16!  Spent pretty much the whole day there.  I really wish we’d come here much sooner than our last day.  Came the first day with P and J but was crazy rough and lots of warming signs….oh well, next time!! 

Outback for dinner tonight.  Treated to another spectacular sunset and a pretty good meal at a reasonable price.

Home to pack up for the rest of us and clean up!  K & E left for the airport around 9.

My suitcase is expanded to the max and I barely got everything in!  Took too many things I didn’t end up wearing.  And I didn’t really buy that much….

Cards and to bed.  Will miss this place.  I could live in Hawaii!!  What better place is there…..the weather is wonderful and it really is beautiful.  Would I live on Oahu??  I don’t know but it certainly has some positives.

Dec 1 Thurs

Up at 6.  Finished packing and cleaning and out by just after 9:30.

Dropped the rental car off, no issues.

Shuttle to the airport around 11:30 so a few hours to kill.

Got checked in and bags sent off.  Had lunch, wandered round, bought plane snacks.

Good flight.  Arrived just after 10PM (to snow!!!).  Had used the new declaration thing on the arrivecan app so got to go thru the Nexus line.  Was quick and easy.  I was the first one out waiting for what seemed like forever for the luggage to come along.

Peggy and Gordie finally came along but never did see Linda and Gabe.

Grabbed my bag and out to call Linds.  Home just after midnight…..freezing cold and snow!  Glad I had my snow tires put on before I left!

Great trip with a bunch of great people.