My plans were really well laid. If you know me, you'll know that's not an exaggeration. I had every day planned, everything scheduled, starting when we left our house.
We would get to the airport 1 hour and 45 minutes before the flight, we would have a 3 1/2 hour layover in Honolulu, we would take a red-eye to Auckland, etc. We would save weight by buying most of our toiletries shortly after arriving in New Zeland. I had a list of stores and their addresses and driving directions.
What I did not plan for was leaving Anchorage 4 1/2 hours late due to mechanical issues. What I did not plan for was arriving in Hawaii at 10:45 pm with no hotel reservation, no toiletries, and (most important) no plans for the two days we were unexpectedly going to spend in Honolulu until we could get on a flight to Auckland. (Well, I actually did have plans for those two days, but the plans were based on the underlying assumption we would be in Rotorua.)
After a 30-minute conversation with the airline's customer service agent we were armed with a fistful of vouchers - for the Hilton Hawaiian Village, taxis and meals. It took some of the sting out of it.
By midnight we were in our room. Welcome to Hawaii! Aloha!
P.S. - We were able to rebook our missed Air New Zealand flight while sitting on the plane in Anchorage, but it will be two days later. Thank God for cell phones.
The Next Morning
Our room has a small balcony overlooking tropical open space - the "Village Green" and a wedding chapel. It's sunny. It's warm. If you have to get stranded somewhere, might as well be Honolulu. :)
We went down to the ground level, past a gorgeous pool, and a few more yards to the iconic Rainbow Tower. (You have all seen it. One of the older hotels on Waikiki, it has a rainbow mural on one side.) 
There we had a fulfilling buffet breakfast sitting outdoors on a patio, next to a koi pond, protected from birds by some strategically placed netting. Our breakfast was enhanced by local goodies, including POG, fresh papaya, macadamia nut muffins, and toasted coconut muffins.
The fruit of the week was rambutan. I had never tried one, but it's on my list, so I took the plunge.
It was really quite good, once I found out how to eat it. You have to cut through a tough skin, all the way around. Pull off one of the halves and you will find a white, slimy fruit, similar to a lychee. It's delicious, but don't eat the seed.
Since we were basically at the beach, we walked out to the promenade to explore a little. The HHV is a large property with several towers, pools, and prime beachfront, interspersed with delightful landscaping and a village's worth of shops, eateries, convenience stores, and Starbuckses.
We walked along the promenade, admired the million-dollar view of Diamond Head, and decided to "go to the beach." 
At the Beach
1. Dear Miss Manners,
If you are at the beach and you notice a stranger who has gotten sunburned, should you alert this person to the possibility of sunburn?
2. How much would they have to pay me to wear one of those thongy suits?
3. I can't get over how gorgeous Diamond Head is.
4. Where should we go for lunch?
Lunch
5. A Mai Tai or a Blue Hawaiian?
6. Fish tacos.
7. A nap
Later
Wow. You sure are able to find a silver lining in a missed flight, Peggy!
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