We came out with our luggage from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Honolulu, before checking into our hotel we thought we would visit some places as we were all still quite fresh after a nap in the flight
We hired a car in the airport for our stay and started on our way, we had taken our grandson’s car seat along as per the rules prevailing
Oʻahu translated as the Gathering place is the third-largest and most populated Hawaiian island, it is 44 miles long and 30 miles across and its special attraction is its 227 miles long shoreline
Honolulu is its capital city and this cosmopolitan city offers everything from historic landmarks to fine dining and world-class shopping.
Honolulu is home to the majority of Oʻahu’s population and stretches across the south eastern shores of the island, from Pearl Harbour to Makapuu Point, embracing the world-famous Waikiki Beach on its way.
I remarked to my family that all these names sounded very musical, my hubby who knows my passion for travelling and tendency to fall in love with the places I visit gently smiled at me
Like all other Hawaiian Islands, Oʻahu was formed from the volcanism associated with the Hawaii hot spot and it started to grow from the sea floor 4 million years ago. Today, the island is composed of the remnants of two extinct and extensively eroded shield volcanos the Waianae and Koolau Ranges, with a broad valley or saddle between them. The highest point is Kaala in the Waiʻanae Range, rising to 4,003 feet above sea level
Early archaeological studies suggest that Polynesian explorers may have arrived as early as the 3rd century and other settlers around 900–1200 A.D.
On January 19, 1778, Oʻahu was the first of the Hawaiian Islands to be sighted by Captain James Cook
Though by 18th century, Waikiki was a major settlement on Oʻahu, nearby town of Honolulu came to eclipse it in size and importance due to its more accessible harbour.
After World War II, Oʻahu became a tourism and shopping destination with more than five million visitors per year
Right from the airport, everywhere we went in Hawaii, we saw and heard the word Aloha which is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation. It means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth and caring with no obligation in return.
‘Aloha’ is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. ‘Aloha’ means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.
We then went to the beautiful Puu Ualakaa State Park at about 1000 feet elevation, the road was quite narrow and very tortuous and lined with eucalyptus trees on either side of the road.
Luckily we could get parking easily, and we were advised to carefully lock up our car as it is very common for cars to be broken into in that area
After walking a few steps we saw the scenic lookout and observation desk
From there we could see awesome views of Honolulu including Diamond Head and the Punchbowl, the blue Pacific Ocean and the skyline competed with each other with their vivid blue colours . There are several nice hiking trails through the rainforests to enjoy as long as one is prepared with water and insect repellents.
Leahi (Diamond Head) is a 760 feet crater and is a famous landmark of Hawaii it was so named by 19th century British soldiers who joyously thought they discovered diamonds on the crater’s slopes, but alas to their dismay the diamonds were actually shiny calcite crystals that have no value whatsoever
Formed more than 1000,000 years ago, the crater was used as a strategic military lookout in early 1900s and was named a national natural landmark and now is a popular hiking destination with panoramic views of Waikiki and Oahu’s south shore
Sunset is supposed to be good from this spot but we couldn’t wait till then as we had to check in
On popular demand of our grandson Vihaan who was literally screaming for an ice-cream, we went to the Island shave ice and creamery shop to taste the famous Hawaiian shave ice which is an ice-based dessert made by shaving a block of ice and flavouring it with syrup and other sweet ingredients
The thin ice shavings of shave ice allow the flavoured syrups to be absorbed completely instead of sinking to the bottom.
As soon as we entered we saw a pretty Hawaiian girl at the counter who smiled at us and enquired which flavour we would like to taste, we had a very serious round table discussion and finally chose mango and coconut
We were handed over the ice in a plastic cup with syrups poured over the top and a straw and spoon
Additional elements like ice cream, azuki beans or condensed milk also can be chosen.
Syrups used in shave ice in Hawaii use local ingredients such as guava, pine apple, coconut cream, passion fruit, lychee, kiwifruit and mango.
These syrups are often quite vibrant with certain colours traditionally representing specific flavours, such as blue for coconut and yellow for mango. When many different colours of syrups are combined, it is referred to as “Kalakoa” which means calico in Hawaiian slang
The history of Hawaiian shave ice can be traced back to an ice-based dessert that originates from Japan. This dessert is known as kakigōri and was once reserved for the wealthy because of the complex production process of ice, which was only accessible in the winter and refrigeration purely relied on natural sources like ice houses
During the early 1900s, development of new technologies allowed ice to be cheaply made and stored, allowing for greater consumption among various types of people. Around the same time, sugar plantations prolifically developed across Hawaii, and many people from Asian countries relocated to the Hawaii islands with hopes of earning a steady income. The Japanese were among this immigrant population and brought with them their traditional kakigōri.
Hawaiian shave ice sales began to rise in the 1950s and 1960s with the arrival of Californian surfers. Shave ice which has originated in Japan and gained popularity in Hawaii has spread to other parts of the world too.
As soon as we saw the shop and its contents, we recollected that we had shaved ice in India too, it is known as Gola or Chuski, a popular summer treat, sold especially on the streets. It consists of finely shaved or crushed ice, often hand-packed onto a stick and flavoured with colourful, fruity syrups. Popular flavors include Kala Khatta (a dark, blackberry-like flavour), lime and salt, and raw mango.
Gola is widely available on the streets, I remember seeing it in Chowpatty beach in Mumbai.
After having tasted the shaved ice and getting our grand son's shirt heavily flavoured with all the syrups we tried, we checked into our hotel in Kaplei, I found everyone in Hawaii very cheerful and welcoming, wherever we went Aloha rang in our ears
After lunch in a nearby Mexican restaurant we relaxed a while and started for the Maili beach , Maili means pebbly the rounded stones at the shore
The drive took us along the Western Leeward coast of Oahu ,we had mountains on our right side with an occasional house perched on their top and the Pacific ocean stretched on the left endlessly ,as we reached the Maili beach we saw a long green stretch of land with palm trees lining the coast line which was the beach park which extended for 40 acres and had multiple entrances with ample parking
Maili has among the highest percentage of Native Hawaiians and is a popular destination for surfing, snorkelling, swimming and boogie boarding
We settled down on the beach, the waves were stroking the shore so gently that our grandson also could fearlessly play in the water, the sand was very clean and there were hardly anybody to disturb us
As we watched, the sun started to gracefully sink but dark clouds gathered and we were apprehensive of a sudden shower but fortunately it didn’t rain and we returned to our hotel after watching a beautiful sunset
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