[Hawaii 2011] Day 7: Dole Pineapple Plantation Maze, H3, and BBQ

Scenic point off H3, taken straight from the iPhone.

Stephen and Farrah finishing the maze.

Today's our last full day in Hawaii, in which a 30% chance of rain turned out to be yet another perfect-weather day. In the early afternoon, we went to the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa. Benson and I finished the "world's largest maze" in about 40 minutes, beating Stephen and Farrah by a few minutes. The pineapples were awesome. Earlier in the day, I tweeted: "A slice of fresh pineapple is a bite of pure happiness. And I had three." That pretty much sums up the day.

Tonight's Dinner.

After the Dole Plantation Stephen and I really wanted to check out the mythical (not really) H3 "interstate" highway. I must say, it is one of my most favorite highways to drive down. The scenic value of it is off the charts. We stop several times for scenic views and photos.

Dinner tonight comprised of steak and hamburgers that we put on the grill along with a whole ton of leftovers from the week. Benson made the burgers and prepped the steak. I did the grilling (for the most part, until Benson started yelling at me; haha). All in all, we had a great time, sharing stories and answering Farrah's silly questions like, What was your favorite place we went to this week?

One of our few group photos, at sunset.

We all fly out more or less together tomorrow afternoon. Benson's the first to fly out at 4. Stephen and Farrah at 5. And I am peacing out at a late 10 pm, which means I'll have a lot of time to kill at the airport tomorrow... or something. My itinerary has me going to Seattle for a short layover, which will be nice to visit for real some day. And then home via JFK from there. What a trip.

[Hawaii 2011] Day 5: Polynesian Culture Center

Stephen and I tried to make fire unsuccessfully, twice.

Today we spent all of today visiting the Polynesian Culture Center, which was apparently one of Hawaii's biggest tourist attractions on Oahu. It took about two hours to get there. We left around 10 and got there a little after 12 (all the while I had to pee really badly; I was the first one off the bus, let's say). It covered the islands of Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, Fiji, etc, with a themed area for each. Tried some Hawaiian poi for the first time, and I honestly didn't think it was that bad once you think about how it was made. It's basically mashed starch, which was so bland and flavorless and purple it was weird in an awesomely weird kind of way. There was music, a luau dinner and an amazing show called 'Ha: The Breath of Life,' which was so amazing. (No photos allowed though.)

Mid-day boat parade showcasing the different islands.

This Japanese audience member was hilariously oblivious to what's going on at one of the mini-shows.

[Hawaii 2011] Day 4: Rainy Day, Please Go Away

View of the Pacific from Aloha Tower. Honolulu Airport to the right.

There was some pretty heavy rains this morning, and tonight, I can see lightning in the distance. There was an emergency broadcast on the television about storming and flooding in the north side of Oahu, where we're going tomorrow. We went to Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium near Pearl Harbor (it's kind of like a flea market / night market), followed by more shopping and drive-around sightseeing. I think I have all my take-home souvenirs and gifts prepared. In other news, I drank a lot tonight because I needed to.  All in all, today was pretty crummy day. I hope it gets better.

[Hawaii 2011] Day 3: Sightseeing

View of eastern Oahu.

Today we went sightseeing at Kualoa Ranch, on the east side of Oahu. It was pretty awesome doing the touristy thing. There we met some really cool farm animals (video to come), and we got to drive ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) around the area. In the afternoon, we went back to [try and] build an Aztec pyramid this time, in Ala Moana beach. It was pretty good given the bad sand. Also, so far, I've been to two Apple Stores in Hawaii, both within walking distance from "home."

ATV riding.

Pyramid-building, again. Smaller, but better.

[Hawaii 2011] Day 2: Pearl Harbor

USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

We paid our respects to Pearl Harbor, its history and its people. We visited the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri battleship, and checked out the Pacific Aviation Museum.

Also, it was cloudy and started raining today. Quite unusual, but appropriate for the occasion I suppose.