Our first return to Hawaii since the pandemic and our first real vacation in two years. It felt delicious to be off the mainland and dig our toes into the sand. We spent the first two days in and around Honolulu shopping, eating, and exploring parts of Chinatown.
One of the lobbies in our hotel, The Queen Kapiolani. The portraits are all Hawaiian royalty. 
View of Diamond Head from the pool of our hotel 
Sand sculpture in the Royal Hawaiian hotel commemorating the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor 
Ocean view from our hotel room
After leaving the city, we checked into our AirBnB in the country town of Kahuku. The small town is located on the northwestern side of the island and is close to hiking, surfing, gardens, and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
We took of tour of KoHana Distillery on our way to our AirBnB 
View of the mountains while we were walking on the beach 
Scenic overlook 
Fresh Huli Huli Chicken on Thanksgiving! 
Space Force Satellite Tracking Station at Kaena Point 
I forgot the name of the beach here, but we were on the southwest side of the island
One of the places we explored while we were on Oahu was Waimea Valley. Waimea Valley was/is an important place in Hawaiian religion. The area includes historical structures including stone terraces and walls constructed during the time of the Hawaiian monarchy. Significant effort was made to conserve the area and rebuild some structures to serve for educational purposes. There is also a popular waterfall and botanical garden to visit here.
Area of worship 
Monkey Pod tree 
Heliconia 
Heliconia 
Bird of Paradise 
Awapuhi or ginger 
More heliconia! 
Finally we got to the waterfall, only to find this little waterfall and loads of people. Everyone was required to wear a life vest when going into the pool. 
Check out the giant lily pads! 
Alae ‘Ula – endangered birds of Waimea Valley
One of the reasons I wanted to visit Honolulu again was to see a new tiki bar called Skull and Crown Trading Co. The bar is in the historic Chinatown district. The outside entrance is non-descript and you’d never know from the outside that all this was inside. We had some yummy drinks and the food served came from the Thai/Laotian restaurant next door. We really appreciated the personal and historical touches that the owner put into the decor. Chris was most impressed with a pair of art-deco doors (not pictured) that the owner sourced from a famous movie theater in Oahu.
On one of our last days on the North Shore, we hiked Ka’ena Point trail. It was a 6 mile hike total to the point and back. Along the way we saw a monk seal and Laysan albatrosses, both animal species are critically endangered. The scenic hike takes you along tide pools, an abandoned train track, a WWII pillbox. The trail ends at a predator-proof fence that protects the albatrosses’ nesting grounds. Unbelievably, normal people can walk into the area!
monk seal 
Laysan Albatross 
Naupaka plants are plentiful along the beach
We also visited Sunset beach. There was nothing really special about the beach. The sunset was ok.
The last two days of our visit we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It rained a lot!
The inside of the Maori lodge at the PCC 
Rapa Nui at PCC 
Moai at PCC
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