There's been a shooting at Los Angeles Airport, (LAX) and as I'm watching, I'm hoping it will be cleared by tomorrow when I get there. Then realise I'll be at Honolulu airport, not Los Angeles!
After thinking I might just rest in Hawaii, today I have two activities booked. Think I relaxed enough on Tuesday. So at 8, I'm heading off over the road for the pickup for the North Shore half day tour. The bus arrives, it's a little 20-seated, much nicer than yesterday's massive coach. Driver is Cousin Shirt (or Cousin Sandal - I should have written it down. It's definitely an article of clothing, though). And he is even funnier than Bob from yesterday. He says we are all cousins and cracks jokes all the way around.
The first part of the drive follows the path we took yesterday and the first stop is Dole Plantation, where they grow pineapple (predominantly), bananas, cacao, jack fruit and so on. We board the Pineapple Express (!) which is a little locomotive that takes us around the plantation. It's very slow moving and quite fun.
After that we have an hour - that's not long enough to do the 'biggest maze in the world' or the garden tour (and they both cost extra) but it's too long to walk through the shop. I get a pineapple ice cream, which is lovely, watch the end of a carving display, taste some fresh pineapple and just wait.
We're off and running, and we get to the north shore (doesn't take too long - Oahu is not that big!). Beautiful drive along the coast and particularly Waimea Bay and Valley.
Keep going along the coast to Sunset Beach, which is one of the major surfing places here. Down on the beach there is an actual competition happening so we watch a bit of that. The commentary is broadcast along the beach and they describe a few guys, then one guy gets a good ride in. And it turns out he's Australian, so that was good.
Back on and we keep driving - it's beautiful and great to see a different part of the island. Wish I could put some photos here...
Next is the lunch stop. It's a roadside lunch spot, which is doing a booming business with all the tour buses stopping here. Pretty good food.
Continue on. The mountains are amazing! We get to a ranch, there have been a lot of movies filmed in this area - Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, etc. And the TV show Lost, but I didn't watch that. So don't really care. We also pass the spot where they filmed the opening of Fantasy Island. Quick photo stop here...
The last stop is a macadamia farm. They give us macadamia flavoured coffee and we can sample all the different flavourings. I much prefer the plain roasted types. Don't want cinnamon or maple roasted nuts! We did pass Obama's school. Yesterday we passed his old apartment where he lived with his grandmother.
We get back at 2:30 which gives me time to get a coffee and maple scone and sit for an hour before heading back to the Aloha Landing to board the bus for the Paradise Cove Luau.
Onto the bus and this guide is Cousin Tossie. We make a couple of stops to pick up more people. A nice Californian woman from India is by herself too and sits with me. And we take off.
It's a 27-mile trip and it takes over two hours!!!! So we're on the bus for most of the sunset and we miss some of the activities at the Cove, which is really annoying. I would have done the canoeing but that had finished. Might have done the spear throwing, but we'll never know!
We have the photos taken and are given beads and a mai tai when we arrive. Then there's just under an hour to watch the various activities - the shower of flowers, where the guy climbs the tree and throws flowers down. The hula lesson, the sarong thing, the fishing and the ceremony of the pig - the last two I don't do. Though I did sit in the sand to watch the start of the fishing and a little crab came up and poked me, as if to say hello.
You could also get temporary tatts and get floral headpieces and bracelets. I didn't get the flowers cos I'm leaving tomorrow and didn't want to waste them.
They have a large buffet with simple salads, rolls, pork and fish and desserts. It's perfectly fine, for what it is and the amount of people they have to feed.
The show is excellent. Great dancing, singing, hula dancing, fire dancing. All great.
Back on the bus, sort stuff ready for tomorrow. Funny thing - I out on Modern Family and it's the episode where they go to Hawaii!
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