Our week on Maui came to a close, and we were now headed to Oahu for the 2nd leg of our trip. Upon arrival, we picked up our rental car and headed straight to the hotel.

Ko’Olina, the location of our resort, is situated on the Southwest tip of Oahu. There are four man made lagoons surrounding the property where the waves are calmer and the lagoons more shallow. There’s also a shuttle bus that takes guests to the various points of interest within the resort area. These stops include the golf course (where the famous Roy’s restaurant is located), the marina, the villas, and the JW Ihilani hotel. One morning, we made our way along the lagoon to the Ihilani, then shuttled back after we toured its beautiful grounds.

We enjoyed the swimming pools almost every day in Oahu, and the lagoon only on one of the days. I liked that they had lawn chairs lined up around the lagoon for resort guests to use so we didn’t have to lay towels on the sand.

Another interesting thing to note when we checked in is that they asked if we needed a rice cooker for our room. We declined since we were in the studio portion of the villa and wouldn’t be able to do much cooking in there, but it was awesome to have rice cookers offered to guests. Only in Oahu I guess.

Arizona Memorial
On the 3rd day of our stay, we drove into Pearl City to see the Arizona memorial. We picked up our tour tickets which specified which group we were in, and when our group was called, we headed over to the auditorium where a brief history of the events that lead up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor was presented on film. After the film ended, we boarded a navy shuttle to the memorial. The ride was a brief one, but soon after we arrived onto the monument, Wesley had to go pee. Alex asked the naval officer whether there was a port-a-potty onsite even though we pretty much knew that it’s almost a disrespect to have such a facility at this place of contemplation, but of course as a parent we were obligated to ask. Wesley then held his pee in silence as we hurried back onboard the shuttle in preparation for departure. Luckily Wesley was not freshly potty trained; otherwise, we might’ve had a big mess on our hands (or worse the Arizona Memorial might’ve had a mess on its deck).

Battleship Missouri
We returned to Pearl City days later to board the Battleship Missouri where the Japanese peace treaty was signed. It was actually a bit rainy that day so we would get pockets of rain and sun as we explored the ship. We spent a good deal of time aboard this vessel on Ford Island and saw how all the naval officers and crewmen lived and worked in those days.

Dole Pineapple Plantation
We visited the Dole Plantation on our way to the Polynesia Cultural Center one morning. The stop included a train ride aboard their Pineapple Express which gave a brief history of the plantation, and there was also a garden and maze which we bypassed this time. While there, we also had a taste of their famous Dole whip which we all enjoyed (this is what I usually get from the Tiki Room at Disneyland).

Polynesian Cultural Center
No visit to Oahu would be complete without a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was an interesting introduction to all the culture of the islands: Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, Somoa, New Zealand. We saw lots of demonstrations including tree climbing, fire starting, basket weaving, dances, songs, and traditions at each village. Nicholas and Wesley even played an ancient Hawaiian game very similar to bowling except with hockey
puck-looking stones and goal poles. We enjoyed the afternoon canoe pageant and even an IMAX presentation on the Coral Reef. It was dark by the time we headed back. We even encountered a sudden rain storm as we were leaving the attraction. Luckily the system died down as we got closer to home.

PCC is actually on the North side of Oahu so it took us a good hour or so to get back. It’s really beautiful on the North shore where the gorgeous Turtle Bay Resort is located. Lots of people stopped off on the side of the roads to take in the scenery and to see surfers ride in Waimea Bay (referenced in the Beach Boy’s Surfin’ USA).

One last fact, did you know that the PCC is run by the Mormon Church/Brigham Young University-Hawaii?

“LDS Church and university officials established the PCC in 1963 to help defray educational expenses and provide practical work experience for students at the University.” [copyrighted by Polynesian Cultural Center]

Kapolei
We discovered this little town only one exit away from Ko’Olina.  It had a Safeway, some shopping malls, and a Big K where we shopped for misc breakfast items and toys. We also visited this town frequently for a larger variety of restaurant selections.
Fia Fia
We attended a Luau held onsite at our resort. I wouldn’t say that it was the best Luau we’ve seen, but certainly one of the funniest. The food was delicious (for a luau) and the kids even got to have their own kid-sized buffet table with mac ‘n’ cheese, spaghetti, and chicken nuggets as their selections.  Wesley and I learned how to make a flower from strips of weathered palm tree leaves while Alex and Nicholas learned to make a wreath to wear as a hat.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to Honolulu or Waikiki this week, but I’m already looking forward to another trip back perhaps in a couple of years to explore this other side of Oahu.