A Sheltered Bay - October 13

Honolulu means “sheltered bay” or “calm port,” according to Wikipedia. That is somewhat ironic, given what happened at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. But today, we were delighted to be here.

Our friends, John and Becky, were kind enough to play tour guide for us. They picked us up at the cruise terminal and whisked us off to the North Shore of O’ahu, a part of the island where we have not spent much time. 

There are only three roads over the mountains to the North Shore. We took the route that afforded us a stop at Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. This was the site of the Battle of Nu’uanu, in 1795. This battle resulted in the conquest of O’ahu by King Kamehameha I. The defenders of O’ahu were caught between Kamehameha’s army and a 1,000-foot cliff. Around 800 defending warriors either jumped or were forced off the cliff by the invaders. It is a spectacular and fearsome place.

View of the North Shore with golf course on valley floor, near right

This is a view of the Pali cliffs from the valley on the north side of the mountains.

The drive over the mountains was striking. The landscape was verdant, rich, and exotic. There was so much green. In places the rainforest looked like an impenetrable jungle.

Our next stop was a beach where we could view an islet known as Chinaman’s Hat. Alternatively, it is known as Mokoli’i or Little Lizard. The name “Chinaman’s Hat” is falling out of favor because it disregards the local Hawaiian legend about an evil lizard killed by a goddess, and because it is viewed as offensive to people of Chinese ancestry. 

I am trying to make my hat look like the Chinaman’s Hat rock by tilting my head at a matching angle.

We continued our drive to a small shop called “Ken’s Fresh Fish” - a favorite stop of Becky and John. It was fantastic, though they only sell takeout. We took our goodies to a nearby beach and admired the view while we ate Ahi Katsu and Coconut Shrimp. Heavenly.

After lunch we drove out to the end of Laie Point for some more stunning views.

If you look closely you may be able to see some small cairns left by people who have swum or paddled or kayaked out to this unusual rock.

Those steep, green slopes. Those breaking waves. Gorgeous!

Before heading back over the mountains to Honolulu we stopped at the municipal golf course. It was fabulous. It felt like being in a retro botanical garden.

Becky and John were wonderful hosts and we appreciated that they shared some of their favorite O’ahu spots with us. This is such a special place to live - and to visit.

Back onboard, we were able to see an outstanding show by the students of Hālau Lilia Makanoe, a hula school. The dancers ranged from 6 years old to teenagers. They must have spent many hours learning their dances. They were all very polished and professional, while remaining true to the traditional style of hula dancing. What a delightful treat that was!

Finally, it was time to leave our sheltered bay. Aloha and Shabbat Shalom.

Aloha, sheltered harbor! I hope to be back soon.

Today’s fabric is Green Black Tribal Hawaiian Print, by BDine Creations.