Honolulu – What did I Really Think of You?

I write this from our cabin which is currently groaning and shuddering due to the buffering it is receiving from those infamous Pacific Ocean trade winds. The further behind we leave Honolulu, our last port of call, the warmer the days but the greater the whistling winds. Tomorrow we enter the “Doldrums”, a region near the equator where the northern and southern trade winds converge and, apparently, where complete stillness (can) prevail!

So, Honolulu Hawaii. A place I had been looking forward to but leave feeling slightly nonplussed. Did I really enjoy my visit there or did all those loud aggravating Americans spoil it? Did it really appear to be a bigger but more neglected Gold Coast or was that my imagination? Those are just two of the questions I’m struggling with.

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Initially programmed to spend two full days here, due to that measle outbreak in the South Pacific I mentioned earlier, means than we now only have one. We had better make good use of our time.

Think Hawaii and the name Pearl Harbour eventually comes to mind – site of one of Americans greatest naval stations and the bombing of which by the Japanese back in 1941, propelled American headlong into World War 2. Our visit here is interesting and thought-provoking but also aggravating. 

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Interesting – a floating memorial straddles the sunken remains of the battleship USS Arizona in which the bodies of hundreds of drowned seamen still lie. We are able to stand on and pay our respects from this floating memorial. 

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Thought-provoking –  like our visit to Auschwitz some months ago, the message here is exactly the same – never forget the atrocities caused by war. But I say thought-provoking because – given the policies and actions of the Trump administration – is this message getting through? Is it being practiced?

Aggravating – the crowds are big, the Yanks loud, opinionated and numerous and our coach driver condescending and raucous.

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Leaving Pearl Harbour, our driver does go some way towards redeeming himself. He takes us to the Punchbowl Crater, now the National Memorial of the Pacific, an unscheduled stop. Nestled into manicured lawns lie hundreds of tombstones whilst standing sentinel are 48 spectacular Banyan trees – it’s the final resting place for many who died at Pearl Harbour and elsewhere and is a truly lovely place.

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Before returning to Port we climb the 1200 metres to the Pali lookout. Whilst the views over this island called Oahu are truly spectacular, it’s the small island situated a few hundred metres offshore that is my main focal point. It’s the location of a favourite childhood tv show – Gilligan’s Island. As someone jokingly comments “How could they have been stranded? They could have walked to shore.”

With the educational component of Honolulu done and dusted – it’s time for wi-fi hunting and maybe a bit of shopping. A complementary shuttle bus delivers us to the Ala Moana shopping centre. A cross between Pacific Fair and Robina only with Macys, Bloomingdales and Starbucks we pick up a few supplies and later join the crowd at Starbucks gobbling up the wi-fi.

In order to make the most of our time here, that evening we venture out once again. Another complimentary shuttle bus delivers us, this time to a nearby Walmart where we get a taste of American supersizing. Think Kmart combined with Woolworths but throw in a chemist, hairdresser and who knows what else; this Walmart could probably also come under the educational category of Hawaii. 

Before catching our shuttle back to Port we do a quick walking reconnaissance of the area surrounding Walmart. As I mentioned it’s all very similar to the Gold Coast – sharp, hinterland escarpment in the background, a strip of high-rise buildings fronting a waterfront, plenty of bright lights, restaurants and shops intersected by long busy bitumen roads. Also, like the Gold Coast there is a seedy/shady  element to the place but here it’s much more amplified. In fact, passing dodgy looking characters, some muttering incoherently and knowing they may be carrying a gun, is actually a little frightening.

As I said, I leave Hawaii slightly puzzled – expectations had led me to believe that I would like it here – but I’m not really sure if I did…

It’s five days of full on motoring now to reach Tahiti. Before we do so, we cross the equator – after nearly four months we will be back in the southern hemisphere – goodbye winter, hello summer!!!!!