We are a group of 13 family and friends spending 8 days in Hawaii.  Travelling with a group this size means we need to exercise patience and be prepared to go-with-the-flow.  Mum is playing ring-leader, organising most of our activities which include a day-trip to Pearl Harbour and another full day trip to the North Shore.

Hawaii is as proud of its multicultural heritage as it is of island-born US President Barack Obama. On these islands, the descendants of ancient Polynesians, European explorers, American missionaries and Asian plantation immigrants mix and mingle. What’s remarkable about contemporary Hawaii is that multiculturalism is the rule, not the exception. Boisterous arts and cultural festivals keep diverse community traditions alive, from Hawaiian hula and outrigger canoe races to Japanese taiko drumming.

We’ve spent a few days sunbathing and paddle paddleboarding at Waikiki, eating huge American size portions at every mealtime and shopping so its now time to see some of what Hawaii if famous for.

Mum’s organised a private tour of Pearl Harbour and we get picked up from the hotel very early by an overly enthusiastic guide in a mini-bus.

The WWII-era rallying cry ʻRemember Pearl Harbor!’ that once mobilized an entire nation dramatically resonates on Oʻahu. It was here that the surprise Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, hurtled the US into war in the Pacific. Every year about 1.6 million tourists visit Pearl Harbor’s unique collection of war memorials and museums, all clustered around a quiet bay where oysters were once farmed

Beautiful Morning Views of Pearl Harbour

USS Bowfin, a Balao-class submarine, was a boat of the United States Navy

Oil still leaks from this sunken ship at Pearl Harbour

It’s a great place to visit although a bit sombre for obvious reasons. But certainly a must-do while during a trip to Hawaii.

Another notable trip we did as a group was to the famous North Shore of Oahu! After a sightseeing tour of the coastline, including the world-renowned beaches of Pipeline, Sunset Beach, and Waimea Bay, our driver dropped us off for a couple of hours to do some activities, boogie boarding, bike riding, a walk to a waterfall etc.

North Shore Hawaii

After a stop to try and spot the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles at Turtle Beach we moved on to the Historic Haleiwa Town, where we went SUPing down the estuary and spotted a few more sea turtles.  It’s a cute town full of quaint art galleries, shave-ice stands and hip shops housed in plantation-era buildings.

Ross and I did a sunset dinner cruise one evening too, to celebrate Ross’ birthday which was nice.

It’s been a cool trip, if I return to Hawaii again I think I’d like to visit some of the other islands and spend less time in Waikiki.