January 21 – 22, 2024 – Photo of the Day – Honolulu, Hawaii

HONOLULU, OAHU, HAWAII, USA
WELCOME TO HAWAII’S SPECTACULAR BEACHES AND LUSH VALLEYS

Here is Hawaii’s only true metropolis, its seat of government, center of commerce and shipping, entertainment and recreation mecca, a historic site, and an evolving urban area—conflicting roles that engender endless debate and controversy. For the visitor, Honolulu is an everyman’s delight: hipsters and scholars, sightseers and foodies, nature lovers, and culture vultures all can find their bliss.

Once there was the broad bay of Mamala and the narrow inlet of Kou, fronting a dusty plain occupied by a few thatched houses and the great Pakaka heiau (shrine). Nosing into the narrow passage in the early 1790s, British sea captain William Brown named the port Fair Haven. Later, Hawaiians would call it Honolulu, or “sheltered bay.” As shipping traffic increased, the settlement grew into a Western-style town of streets and buildings, tightly clustered around a single freshwater source, Nuuanu Stream. Not until piped water became available in the early 1900s did Honolulu spread across the greening plain. Long before that, however, Honolulu gained importance when King Kamehameha I reluctantly abandoned his home on the Big Island to build a chiefly compound near the harbor in 1804 to better protect Hawaiian interests from the Western incursion.

Two hundred years later, the entire island is, in a sense, Honolulu—the City and County of Honolulu. The city has no official boundaries, extending across the flatlands from Pearl Harbor to Waikiki and high into the hills behind.

Where in the World Are We?

Honolulu, Hawaii is 2,396 miles southwest of San Francisco in the North Pacific.

Today’s Excursion – Pearl Harbor and Punchbowl

We visited the famed USS Arizona Memorial to pay respects to those lost during the air attack of 1941, witnessed actual film footage of the attack, viewed gripping displays describing the tragedy and heroism of the era in our history, toured the USS Bowfin submarine, and left Pearl Harbor with an increased appreciation for our nation’s women and men in uniform.

Next, we viewed the beauty and solemnity of Punchbowl Cemetery, officially known as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, located in an extinct volcano.

Our excursion continued onward to show many of Honolulu’s most famous landmarks and buildings, including Iolani Palace – the only royal palace in the United States – and the King Kamehameha statue.

Approaching the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor

That evening we attend an exclusive World Cruise Event – AN EVENING ON THE USS MISSOURI

We stepped back into the past and celebrated history with our fellow travelers during an unforgettable evening at the U.S.S. Missouri in Pearl Harbour. We enjoyed a Hawaiian welcome by a local Hawaaian Drill Team, a Navy Captain, a tour of the Missouri including the deck where the Japanese Emperor signed the surrender documents, a WWII vintage airplane simulating how the Janapese air attack may have looked, and bespoke dinner in full view of this majestic icon of the seas, accompanied by nostalgic music of the likes of the Andrews Sisters.