Lessons learned, love shared: Golden Princess to Hawaii 3/27/13

[cr8tiv1]

If you are a fan of "Lost", then you should visit Kualoa Ranch when on Oahu. A few scenes were done there and they are very close to where the beach scenes were shot. Lots of Hawaii 5-0 stuff too.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[terrific_surprise]

Too bad you missed The Judd Trail.

As a fan of the TV show "Lost", I understand lots of scenes were filmed there.

Including the first and last scenes of Jack in the bamboo grove, where he wakes up and then later dies.

 

I was not aware that any scenes from "Lost" were filmed along the Judd Trail (I don't think I have ever actually watched the show). :o

 

I chose the Judd Trail because I had hoped that we could see as many waterfalls as possible in Hawaii (and from what I had read about it this seemed like the easiest Oahu waterfall to get to). I was also enamored with the thoughts of swimming below a waterfall in Hawaii, and it seemed like that might have been a possibility there (though the waterfall is small and the water would have probably been too chilly -- and I had forgotten to bring towels). :o

 

Tim

[catergirl]

waiting....;)

[catergirl]

any more installments?:confused:

[gbolton]

Yes, I have been waiting too, but they have eleven children so I am thinking that there has been a distraction that has taken him away from this posting - I trust all is well.

[terrific_surprise]

Less than ten minutes after missing the Judd Trail, I pulled into the parking lot at the Pali Lookout (Nu'uanu Pali State Wayside).

 

Yes, I know: that was a really long "ten minutes" for those of you who have been following this story. Sorry about the long delay (but thanks as always to those of you who have the patience to keep following along with my hit-and-miss reports).

 

I had been looking forward to the Pali Lookout, not only for the dramatic views, but because of a clue I had given Terri before the cruise that I thought might result in one of the most hilarious experiences of the cruise.

 

But as I parked the car, I didn't notice any chickens. Where were all the chickens? I expected to see dozens of wild chickens roaming around. Terri, however, had no such expectation, so I didn't mention anything to her about their absence, trying not to act too puzzled as I walked dutifully over to the blue kiosk to pay the required $3 parking fee. The kiosk was manned by a local man, who was diligently making sure that nobody passed by without paying.

 

The Pali Lookout bombarded our senses with the unmistakable realization that we had now reached the "windward" side of the island.

 

 

 

In addition to having her hair blown around, Terri found something in the wind to be particularly disturbing: bees were being propelled toward us with surprising force! But somehow, in spite of her decades of well-earned paranoia about bees (having suffered some undeserved bee stings), she was still able to just "hang loose" -- at least for a few minutes.

 

 

Looking toward the left from the edge of the cliff, I pointed out to Terri another "Coconut Island," explaining that this is the island pictured as the closing credits roll on Gilligan's Island (we actually don't watch Gilligan's Island much, but I had asked her to watch a few episodes before the cruise, enjoying any opportunity to attempt to inject some moments of absurd humor into the experience).

 

I stopped to show Terri the sign depicting the deaths of hundreds of warriors in the Battle of Nu'uanu, which united the Hawaiian Islands.

 

 

Walking toward the right, we saw where the old Pali Road begins its descent.

 

 

(Just for fun, you can try exploring this area for yourself on Google Maps Street View.) I was tempted to take the time to hike down the road, having enjoyed reading months earlier about hiking to the beautiful waterfall below, but I wanted Terri to save her strength for a special experience which I expected to be happening very soon.

 

So just ten minutes or so after our arrival at the lookout, we began walking back toward the parking lot. Soon we passed by a couple of wild chickens on the hillside.

 

 

No, it wasn't quite the hilarious moment I had expected, but now at least she could finally make a little sense of the pre-cruise clue I had given her about this spot: "why are there so many chickens at this beautiful place of death?"

 

Our parking receipt informed us that we had the right to park there until 8 pm, but our ten minutes was long enough for us -- especially because we were on our way to the place I had been anticipating more than any other location in Hawaii.

Edited October 24, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Pulling away from the parking lot at the Pali Lookout and getting back on Highway 61 (the modern Pali Highway), in what seemed to be just a matter of seconds we were in a tunnel far underneath the Pali Lookout, continuing quickly downhill for just a few minutes on the busy highway until traffic began to slow down when we reached the windward town of Kailua.

 

Following the twists and turns of the Kailua streets, I slowly found my way to Mokulua Drive, entering the one-way streets serving the neighborhood of Lanikai Beach. By this time it had been almost 30 minutes since we had left the Pali Lookout.

 

We caught a glimpse of the beach, which of course I planned for us to visit soon (knowing that some consider it to be one of the best beaches in the world). But first I had something else in mind.

 

Turning right on Kaelepulu Drive, I searched for a parking spot. There was one next to the corner, but I was hoping for something a little closer. Most of the street was marked with "no parking" signs, so I had to drive back to the corner where I had initially turned on to Kaelepulu Drive.

 

 

There were so many cars parked along the narrow streets, this seemed to be the only parking spot I could find. I had noticed that the ample parking at the nearby Mid-Pacific Country Club was clearly off limits.

 

Parking the convertible in front of the house on the corner and putting up the top, I told Terri that we were going to take a little walk, but I didn't tell her where we were going. Walking uphill along Kaelepulu Drive, we passed a couple of houses before pausing for a quick photo op looking over the Mid-Pacific Country Club.

 

 

Terri seemed to be enjoying this pleasant stroll -- but her countenance would soon change.

 

We passed a few more houses before turning left up a short street which led to a sign identifying the Pillbox Trail. Several people were walking quickly past us headed toward the trail, which was obviously quite steep.

 

(Terri managed to muster up a slight smile when I took this photograph, but the look in her eyes told a different story.)

 

When Terri realized what I was up to, she was not pleased. "I wish you had at least told me not to bring my purse," she grumbled. (I had to wonder what I had done to make her think we would be going shopping, but I apologized for my lack of clarity.)

 

Hoping that she would indulge me in my wish to go on this hike, I was tempted to tell her that it would be "worth it at the top" -- but I had used that line a few too many times and wasn't sure that it would be appropriate this time. So I just smiled and shrugged, waiting to see if she would be willing to try the hike, ready to scratch it off the list if she wasn't up to it.

Edited October 25, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[melody hounddog]

Love all the photos! And the story that goes along with them of course!

 

By the way, our passports did arrive in the mail this week. It took only two weeks and not the 8 weeks they were telling us. We are all set for our trip to Hawaii!

[terrific_surprise]

Love all the photos! And the story that goes along with them of course!

 

By the way, our passports did arrive in the mail this week. It took only two weeks and not the 8 weeks they were telling us. We are all set for our trip to Hawaii!

 

Congratulations, Melody! Hopefully your cruise will be as smooth as your pre-cruise experience.

 

Tim

[terrific_surprise]

Although Terri didn't hide her displeasure with my suggestion of hiking the Pillbox Trail, she didn't actually resist it, accommodating my idea by starting the climb without delay. The trail was extremely precipitous (steeper than a typical stairway, but without any steps), but she managed to slowly ascend the hill as she kept putting one foot in front of the other. I don't think she said a word to me during the climb (I have learned over the years that when she is working really hard, such as when she has been giving birth, she can't talk or even listen because she needs to concentrate on what she is doing). I had read online that there would be ropes we could use to help make our way up the hill, but I didn't see any.

 

In less than five minutes, we had reached the top of the first part of the climb, where we stopped by the side of the trail to enjoy the panoramic view over Kailua Bay and the Mokulua Islands.

 

Several other people had stopped there too, to rest from the first part of the strenuous climb and to take pictures.

 

The smile on Terri's face seemed to show that this ethereal view was a sufficient reward for the short torture of the climb.

 

From here we could not only look out over the islands, but we could also see the rest of the Pillbox Trail rising above us.

(The first pillbox can be seen near the center of the top half of the above photo, and someone hiking along the trail can be seen near the upper right corner.)

 

Although I had originally intended for us to hike all the way to the first of the two pillboxes, the view from this point was good enough for me.

 

Terri immediately recognized these uniquely picturesque islands, having received several mysterious photos of them from me during the months preceding the cruise (I had never told her where they were located), so she seemed to take special pleasure in absorbing this view in person. She seemed even more pleased when I told her that soon we would be getting up close and personal with these islands.

Edited October 26, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[cr8tiv1]

This is one of the hikes President Obama and family did while wintering in Kailua.

[terrific_surprise]

This is one of the hikes President Obama and family did while wintering in Kailua.

 

I actually wouldn't have known about the Obamas' hike if you hadn't mentioned that to me previously, Renee. But I had planned this hike before the Obama family took theirs, I think. You had previously told me that many more people are taking this hike after hearing about the President's hike, and I can attest that the trail was quite busy on that April weekday (I can't imagine how busy it must be on weekends).

 

Tim

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Smokeyham]

Thanks for posting this wonderful story of your journey. Looking forward to future installments.

[terrific_surprise]

Seeing dozens of kayaks sailing toward the islands increased my sense of anticipation for our coming kayak adventure -- which happened to be the very next item on our itinerary!

 

 

Although we only had one previous kayaking experience, my research indicated that kayaking to these islands would not be unreasonably difficult, and that the prevailing currents and winds would make the return trip particularly "easy peasy lemon squeezy."

 

As we rested alongside the Pillbox Trail, I decided that it was finally time to make arrangements for our kayak.

 

I had first contacted several kayak rental companies in 2011, during the early months of my cruise planning experience, and had settled upon one particular company which advertised its willingness to bring kayaks to Lanikai Beach. A few weeks before the cruise, I had touched base with this company again, but I had deliberately not made reservations for a kayak, surmising that it might be better to first get past any unexpected circumstances which might have interfered with finding our way to Lanikai Beach by a specific time.

 

I had also previously assumed that a Tuesday in April would probably not be a high demand time for kayak rentals, but seeing so many kayaks out on the water that day, I began to wonder if I was wrong. So as we looked out over the kayaks gliding toward the islands, I picked up my phone to call the kayak rental company...

...only to discover that their phone number was no longer working!

 

I remembered that Renee (CC's cr8tiv1) had told me a month before the cruise that there had been some changes regarding renting kayaks, and that we might not be able to rent a kayak on the beach. When Renee expressed her concerns, I hadn't given it much thought, because the kayak rental company had not informed me of any problems. Frankly, I was just not willing to let go of the dream, so I had kind of a "don't confuse me with the facts" attitude.

 

While I considered our kayaking predicament, a haole man (who appeared to be in his 60's or 70's) came up the trail, along with a teenage girl (we wondered if they might have been a grandfather and granddaughter).

 

As we chatted, he talked about how weird the weather had been the previous week, with rain storms and flooding. He told us that he had been living on the islands for 25 years, lamenting that during that time he has noticed that many people seem to be losing their sense of "aloha." One example he cited was the way that people honk at each other so much more now. We had not yet noticed much of a problem with the local aloha -- but it wouldn't be long before we had our own quite shocking (albeit funny) experience with waning aloha in that area.

 

I told the man that I had planned to rent a kayak to go to the islands, but that the phone number for the company I intended to rent from no longer worked. He explained that a law had recently been passed banning any commercial activity on Lanikai Beach, and that the law was specifically intended to restrict kayak rentals. He helpfully provided me with directions to the best kayak rental company, in Kailua town, but when I learned that it was located blocks away from the beach and that we would need to carry the kayak to the beach or somehow figure out how to mount the kayak on our rental car, my heart sank.

 

I began to realize that the kayak adventure might not happen, that we might never set foot on Moku Nui, that we might never take a dip in the Queen's Bath, that all of these activities I had dreamed so much about (and encouraged Terri to dream about) might remain for us just a beautiful dream.

Edited October 27, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[melody hounddog]

What beautiful photos! I'm getting excited for our trip.

[terrific_surprise]

After relishing the view from the hillside for about 20 minutes, we decided to begin making our way back down the steep trail. Terri was obviously more cheerful as we began our descent than she had been at the start of the trail.

 

 

Soon we noticed ropes along the far left side of the trail. (I had expected to see these ropes on our way up the trail. This downhill path was obviously not exactly the same path we had taken uphill.)

 

 

Going downhill on this trail was actually more difficult for us than climbing it had been. We had to go extremely slow to keep our feet from slipping (if it had been raining, it would likely have been treacherous). It took us about 10 minutes to get back to the Pillbox Trail sign (about twice as long as it took for us to go up the same hill).

 

When we finally got back to the Pillbox Trail sign, Terri's sense of aloha was slipping -- but she still tried to force herself to "hang loose."

 

After an easy walk down the street, we were back at our convertible, opening up the trunk to get into my duffle bag, which contained our beach items. Terri also needed to change from her sneakers into her water shoes. (I didn't need to change my shoes, because I was wearing versatile water shoes which were also comfortable for hiking and had good traction. I wore these same shoes for most of the cruise, on and off the ship.)

High above the convertible, we could see the Pillbox Trail (and the first pillbox).

 

From the corner where our car was parked, the beach was almost as close as the trail, so there was no point in trying to repark the car (besides, the streets were so crowded that I might not have been able to find another parking spot). So we walked through the neighborhood, easily finding a walkway between houses which brought us to where we could see the transparent turquoise water gently caressing the white sandy beach.

 

The beach itself, however, was not quite the sight I had hoped for: it had already been trampled by hundreds of feet!

(The hill climbed by the Pillbox Trail formed a lush backdrop for the beach, almost obscuring the houses in the Lanikai neighborhood bordering the beach.)

 

I had never been foolish enough to dream that we might have had this entire beach to ourselves (though I had dared to hope that we could have found a reasonable stretch of sand to sully ourselves) but I was surprised to see how just busy this beach was for a weekday afternoon in April. (The beach scene in the photo above may not appear to be very crowded -- I chose to take the picture in a place where more sand could be seen, but on other parts of the beach, dozens of people were in about the same area of sand depicted in the above photo.)

 

By this time, I knew that it would be unrealistic for us to rent a kayak in Kailua town and bring it to the beach, but I still held on to a faint hope that somehow in spite of the new law we might find some way to obtain a kayak nearby.

Edited October 29, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

As we began walking along Lanikai Beach, we were naturally attracted to the water (and the fact that we were wearing water shoes made it easy for us to give in). We began heading toward the islands, splashing in the comfortable water along the way.

 

When Terri found a patch of smooth sand, she drew a heart and wrote "Oahu 2013" in the middle to commemorate our visit to the beach.

 

There were not (of course) any indications that kayaks were available for rent on the beach. But as we passed by hundreds of people sunning themselves on the sand, I noticed various times that several kayaks were sitting unused nearby. I was tempted to approach somebody asking if we could borrow a kayak for a while, but I assumed that such a request would not be well-received. (I even thought of offering some money, but I was unsure whether or not that would have been considered a violation of the new law against commercial activity on the beach.)

 

After walking for about 15 minutes, we were as close as we could get to the Mokulua Islands without swimming or kayaking. With the time approaching 2 pm, I could see that our window of opportunity for kayaking was closing (I would have allowed about four hours for the kayaking experience, and we needed to return the car by 7 pm). So I finally announced to Terri the final (albeit inevitable) decision to give up on the kayaking plan.

 

When I took this photo, we both finally realized that this would be the closest we would ever get to the islands, so I see just a hint of regret in Terri's eyes. (This photo was almost a perfect match to one of the major photo-clues I had given her before the cruise, a large photo I used to frame the puzzle.)

 

If we had found a reasonable stretch of somewhat lonely beach, we probably would have then taken some time to relax there for a while, and to finally take advantage of the swimsuits we had been wearing under our clothes all day. After all, the temperature of the water seemed to be too perfect to limit our enjoyment of it to our feet. But it just felt too crowded to us -- and we still didn't have any towels. Plus, it had been over 7 hours since breakfast, and our appetites were starting to call us away from the beautiful beach.

 

So we slowly retraced our path along the shore, pausing for one last look at the islands before returning to the pathway between the houses on our way back to the car.

Edited October 30, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Apparently I became a bit disoriented after facing the big disappointment of making the final decision to give up on the dream of kayaking to the Mokulua Islands. My confusion began when I drove south on one-way Aalapapa Drive -- even though going north on Mokulua Drive is the only way to get out of the Lanikai neighborhood.

 

I soon reached the south end of the one-way street and had no choice but to turn back to the north on one-way Mokulua Drive. But then for some reason, I decided to turn left on one of the side streets so that I could go south again. (Navigation is usually one of my strong points, but it certainly wasn't so in this case. Maybe subconsciously I just wanted to see a little more of the Lanikai neighborhood? Whether or not I intended it, this side trip definitely gave us the opportunity to see a different side of the neighborhood.)

 

Before I could get back to southbound Aalapapa Drive, we were faced with an unexpected roadblock. A woman driving an SUV was blocking our side of the street.

 

 

After some cars passed by, I was able to get around her by going on the left side of the road. As we slowly passed by the SUV, she yelled "you shouldn't have a rental car here! It will get broken into! And it is illegal to park in Lanikai unless you are a resident!" (I hadn't noticed any signs indicating that parking is limited to residents, but we didn't bother arguing with her, because we had no intention of parking again.)

 

Heading southbound on Aalapapa Drive of course brought me back again to northbound Mokulua Drive. Soon I arrived again at the intersection where I had previously turned left, having no intention to continue going in circles. But the woman in the SUV was now blocking Mokulua Drive, so we had to wait behind her again.

 

This time the SUV driver was berating a couple returning from the beach. As the driver waved her arms and yelled at the couple, the wife stopped to respond while the husband kept telling his wife "come on, honey, let's just go."

 

Eventually the wife gave up and the couple walked on toward their car. As I tried to nonchalantly slip past the SUV again without being noticed, Terri couldn't resist her impulse. Waving a shaka, Terri smiled and offered two words of parting advice to the angry driver: "hang loose!"

 

"Go to Waikiki!" the SUV driver screamed in response (it sounded to us like she apparently equates Waikiki with a certain place of eternal torment).

 

While we couldn't help but find some amusement in her behavior, of course we had no idea what this woman was going through which caused her to act so rudely. Clearly, residents of Lanikai must get extremely frustrated by dealing with so many tourists. So, if you do plan to visit their neighborhood, try to be kind and "hang loose." (Or perhaps a better idea would be to park at Kailua Beach Park and plan to allow an extra 30 minutes or so to walk to Lanikai Beach, avoiding the Lanikai streets altogether.)

 

As I finally drove away from Lanikai on Mokulua Drive, Terri recorded a little video of the scenery -- and of our attitude of being grateful that our failed kayaking plans were not a complete failure (because we enjoy giving God a reason to laugh).

Edited November 1, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[melody hounddog]

I really enjoyed the video. Not long now before we board the Star for Hawaii! I'm very excited.

 

I'm sorry to hear that you kept running into the angry woman. I will be sure to stay clear of the area!

[terrific_surprise]

I really enjoyed the video. Not long now before we board the Star for Hawaii! I'm very excited.

 

I'm sorry to hear that you kept running into the angry woman. I will be sure to stay clear of the area!

 

I'm glad if this review contributes in some way to your pre-cruise excitement, Melody. I remember experiencing those feelings by following reviews like this for months on CC. Hopefully I will finish this review before your cruise begins (for personal reasons, I have now set a goal for completion of this review by the end of the month, so if I reach my goal, it will not be "the review that never ends").

 

Incidentally, if I had it to do over again, I don't think I would stay clear of the area. I doubt that I could resist the lure of those Mokulua Islands. But I would try to avoid entering the neighborhood if possible (by parking outside the neighborhood and walking along the beach). Nevertheless, it's always possible that the angry woman was just having a bad day.

 

Tim

Edited November 2, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[terrific_surprise]

Our CC friend Renee had suggested various Oahu restaurants, but Zippy's was what she recommended for an inexpensive meal (and of course we usually favor the less expensive options). Renee had informed me that there was a Zippy's in Kailua, but I had neglected to look up the exact address before the cruise.

 

Having the address wasn't a major concern (or so I thought), because I could look it up on my iPhone. But (as I should have known) relying only upon technology is not always a wise decision: for some reason, my iPhone couldn't find Zippy's in Kailua, but kept pointing me to a Zippy's much further away! (Could it be that the disorientation I had experienced after the failed kayaking adventure was somehow still at fault?)

 

Nevertheless, we eventually found Zippy's by accident: I had intended to turn on Highway 61 from Kailua Road, but I accidentally overshot the highway. One block later, we noticed Zippy's as I passed by. Circling around the block to get back to Zippy's, we passed a McDonald's restaurant.

 

Even though we didn't want to spend much, I wouldn't have considered eating at McDonald's in Hawaii. But I found it interesting to see that they added a Hawaiian touch by displaying "Aloha" over their doorways.

 

We finally arrived at Zippy's (having turned what should have been a 5 minute trip from Lanikai into a 15 minute trip), definitely eager to enjoy a Hawaiian lunch -- it was already 3 pm! I was surprised by the variety of Zippy's menu, with some items like chili and fried chicken that I wouldn't have considered to be Hawaiian.

 

(I thought that our kids would be amused to see the pupu platters displayed on this menu board, but apparently they had already heard of pupu platters in some movie they had watched.)

 

Wanting something Hawaiian, I joked with Terri that we should order mahi mahi (I knew that she would reject my suggestion, because she always says that she wouldn't want to eat "Flipper" even though I have tried to explain that a dolphinfish is a fish, not a mammal like a dolphin).

 

We finally settled upon teriyaki chicken (I like to call it "Terri-yummy"), but there was a small problem. Zippy's only offered a teriyaki chicken sandwich, but we wanted a teriyaki chicken plate lunch. At first the cashier rejected our order, but after checking with a manager, the cashier said that they could do it if we were willing to wait 15 minutes or so.

 

In about 10 minutes, our teriyaki chicken plate lunch was ready.

 

 

Although we had decided to share one plate (happy to wait for something more filling back on the ship), we both found our lunch at Zippy's to be quite satisfying. The teri chicken was particularly yummy.

 

In another 15 minutes or so, we returned to our convertible, putting the top back down as we set our sights on the prospect of encountering some marine mammals.

Edited November 2, 2013 by terrific_surprise

[melody hounddog]

That meal at Zippy's looks really good!

[beshears]

I am late in saying this, but thank you for writing about your trip. It was great along with all the pictures too. To me, it was like I was reading a DIARY. :)

[treesah]

You are such a lovely couple, so devoted to each other. It just warms up my heart. Thank you for sharing your adventures.

[terrific_surprise]

From Zippy's we headed just a few minutes down Highway 61 to Highway 72, where I turned south. About 20 minutes later, I felt just a hint of regret as I pointed out to Terri where we could have turned to go to Sea Life Park (but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Terri didn't express any disappointment at this missed opportunity).

 

During the weeks before the cruise, Terri had looked through the list of available excursions, and swimming with the dolphins at Sea Life Park was the only specific excursion in which she expressed any interest. Unfortunately, by that time I had long ago settled on my idea that kayaking to the Mokulua Islands would take up most of our day, so I didn't see how we would have time for her to swim with the dolphins too. In addition, I told her that there are places in California where she could swim with the dolphins (and I thought that it might not be quite so expensive in California). I fully intended to arrange for her to swim with the dolphins when we returned from the cruise (but in spite of my good intentions, it has not happened yet).

 

We then caught a quick glimpse of the historic Makapuu Lighthouse (barely visible near the center of the above photo). I had thought that we might hike to the lighthouse and visit the nearby Makapuu Tidepools, but at this point I just sped by, wanting to maximize our time at the Halona Blowhole, where I was looking forward to not only experiencing the water spout but also hopefully seeing some whale activity (because I had read that this is the best whale-watching location on Oahu).

 

We arrived at the Halona Blowhole at about 4 pm, beginning to become aware of the fact that our day on Oahu would soon be ending. Just before arriving at the parking lot for the blowhole, we passed Sandy Beach, wishing that we had time to stop and enjoy the beach.

After parking at the Halona Blowhole, I took the above photo looking over Sandy Beach (and Makapuu Point in the distance). Then we joined the crowd in waiting for just the right waves to propel water through the lava tubes to activate the blowhole.

Edited November 5, 2013 by terrific_surprise