We started our morning by heading out to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, unfortunately, the line to get into the movie and out to the memorial was a mile long. No really, way too long for the group to waste its day at just this one stop. We did get to go through the museum and grounds around the visitor’s center. We then decided to head up to Oahu’s Famous North Shore. We stopped half way there at Dole Pineapple Plantation where everyone had an opportunity to see how pineapples were properly cut up as well as try delicious pineapple ice cream. Our next stop was Sunset Beach on the north shore of Oahu. This is one of the beaches where the famous triple crown of surfing takes place. There were a few surfers out there in about 5 – 7 foot surf. The group had a great time even though we had to deviate from our originally planned tour.
By this time it was after 12:00, so we decided to head back to Waikiki, which was now an hours drive away, to get back in time to get ready for tonight’s event, “Hawaiian Luau!”
That afternoon, we left Waikiki for the west side of the island. It was about a 45 minute ride to the Paradise Cove Luau located in the Ko’Olina Resort area. The weather was just perfect for a luau out on the beach. Many in the group enjoyed the various Hawaiian activities that included lei making, spear throwing, and getting Hawaiian tattoos. The buffet included Steamed pork that was cooking in an underground oven called an “imu”. They showed us how they unearth the pig from this imu. After dinner, the groups leader became part of the show as he was escorted up on stage to perform one of the Polynesian dance numbers. I was surprised to see how well he could shake his hips and keep up with the local entertainers. This was a wonderful end to a beautiful day in paradise.