Grand Island Tour

On this tour we had to be at the Aloha Landing at 7:00 am.  This is the one that took us all around the island with many stops.  It was a pretty full bus and since we were one of the first ones on, we got great seats.

Our first stop was as Hanauma Bay, it's horseshoe shaped and we were told a great place to snorkel if you are just learning how.  A very calm bay.  Next was the Blow Hole, it was a nice photo stop.  We weren't lucky enough to see a whale during the migration season.




Hanauma Bay



The Blow Hole

We stopped in one little town for a potty break and to stretch our legs, we picked up some snacks to eat as lunch was a ways off.  Our next stop was to be the Pali Lookout but due to a traffic accident that was closed so the driver said if enough time we will come back.

We stopped at the Byudo-In Temple, this is one thing we all wanted to see.  Gary and I missed this when we were there six years ago.  This was very nice we all rang the bell then Jennifer and I wandered through the temple.  She knew all the rules, we had to take off our shoes before entering the temple.  Some people had a problem with this, then we shopped in the little gift shop.  Took a bunch of photos and I have one for our Christmas card this year.

Byudo-In Temple

Our next stop was the Kuakola Ranch, we had a 20 minute tram ride called Legends & Legacy.  It was ok but quite boring for us as we have seen cows before.  Although I have to admit that they were pretty skinny cows and a rancher from this part of the US would have a fit.  We ate lunch here.  Gary and I took the buffet which we got a discount on, while Jennifer went a la carte.  It was good and a very nice break.

From here we made a couple stops on beaches.  One stop at Sunset beach a dog came to Jennifer with it's stick and wanted to play.  Whenever Jennifer went to throw the stick the dog would snatch it up before she could pick it up.  It was fun to watch and another guy on the bus tried.  The dog's owner told her the secret but she didn't get it.  We told her to be careful and not get bit.

The surprise stop was the Dole Pineapple Plantation.  We had an hour here, just enough time to shop and get some ice cream.  Jennifer shopped while Gary and I shared some pineapple ice cream with pineapple topping.  I loved the fresh pineapple, but that was a bit much. 

Dole Plantation

The driver then took up back to the Pali Lookout, along the way we drove by Schofield Barracks where Gary was stationed back in the 70's.  We even drove by the town he lived in Waipahu.

Had a nice stop at Pali Lookout, spent about 20 minutes here.  Gary was taking a photo of Jennifer with the scenic background when some wind came up, blew her hair up just as he snapped the photo.  It is a funny photo.

Wind Blown at Pali Lookout

We got back to our hotel around 4:00 pm.  This was a very nice leisure tour.  We ate a late supper this night, mainly because none of us could agree on where to eat.  We finally settled on a little cafe called Rock Island.  It was a nostalgic place, settings were from the 50's and the shop had all kinds of nostalgic stuff for sale.  This is where I had the Primo Beer.  It is brewed in Hawaii, then was gone for about 20 years and just recently came back.  Gary remembered Primo and I liked it.

The cafe is in a place called Kings Corner and this is where the Kings Guard drill team performs, however we missed it but got the time and will be back tomorrow.