O’ahu… Aloha

AS WE STEPPED out of the aircraft, a cool breeze blessed with a whiff of fresh flowers welcomed us against a setting sun that had turned the Hawaiian sky into deep orange–blue hues. How romantic! The landing at Honolulu had been most extraordinary—unimaginable scapes, surfs and deep blue-green sea, on which the aircraft appeared to be gliding for the last few minutes before landing.
A lady received us at the reception area saying ‘Aloha’ and garlanded us with fresh flowers that oozed fragrance and we dashed towards our hotel bus. The driver started giving us a detailed commentary about the city but I was busy scanning the cityscape, wrapped in darkness, with the dazzle of high rise illuminations here and there. From the vast spread of night lights, I could imagine Honolulu to be a well-de-veloped city. The traffic was smooth, as there were no potholes on the roads and we heard no honks either. It was a smooth transfer to our room after the brief formalities at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. This lovely hotel which had opened in 1927, has recently undergone a $ 60-million-facelift. The Pink Palace has been painted in the hotel’s trademark ‘Royal Hawaiian Pink’.

Early morning, restless to see the sea beautiful, I got up and moved to the beach that just brushed the hotel boundaries. All staff and many visitors were wearing the flowery Hawaiian shirts and wished ‘Aloha’ to guests and passers-by. Though it was only 6 am, many residents were sitting in the open restaurant of the hotel, enjoying morning tea and breakfast, while many enthusiasts were already enjoying the sea, riding on low surfs, on colourful boards. Others were preparing for the day, spreading mats on the soft, golden sand.

The area was spotless clean—no filth whatsoever, anywhere! The highrise buildings made a neat line along the coast. Few fluffy cotton wool nascent clouds danced high, trying to kiss the first rays of the sun, adding icing to the already captivating scapes.

After a quick breakfast, we headed towards the Dole Plantation, a spot around 40 km from the main city. This is a huge pineapple cultivation and processing complex, where many varieties of pineapple are developed, grown and exported the world over. A busy centre as it turned out to be, there was a long queue for the ‘Train Trip’—a ride on a colourful mini-train that goes through the whole terrain, thus we preferred to go for a guided tour of the park, instead. The guide welcomed us with flowers and then took us around the lawns, showing various pineapple varieties, plants and shrubs that they cultivate there. Most noticeable was the Hibiscus flower, in so many different shades—something I had never seen before. After the visit to the park, we entered the adjacent shopping area, rather a huge fanciful hut and all things related to pineapple were sold there, including juices, slices, ice creams, jams, cutters, full pineapples, shirts, water bottles and other souvenirs, all with the trademark of Dole on them. The freshly cut pineapple actually melted in your mouth and the ice cream was yum!

To have a brush with the countryside, we took a trip to the Polynesian Culture Centre, located in La’ie. The coach drove through the best of the city areas and then we were driving along the sea.
It was partly cloudy, the breeze was cool and noise pollution was down to zero. The greens were fresh, bright, and saturated. The hills of the place where ‘Godzilla’ and many other Hollywood blockbusters were filmed, were just spectacular—the highest in the area, with two thin waterfalls in-between and the base of the hills had many monkey-pod trees.

The road was broad, we crossed many vehicles on that route which carried their surf boards tied at the top, many picnickers had already pitched their small tents by the seaside while many were seen racing on the waves with their water-scooters. The tide here was low and the water crystal clear, varying from various shades of greens to turquoise to deep blue. One may be lucky enough to spot sea turtles but it is an endangered species here and touching one calls for a very high fine. The Culture Centre showed many glimpses of the ancient tribal life and their activities, in the forms of small street shows and the dances of various islands, like Fiji and Samoa. The highlight was their three-hours-long play in an open air theatre, where the ‘fire play’ and dancers were at their best. By the time the show ended, an audience of 3,000 people was standing and applauding the troupe!

Snorkelling is said to be a very interesting activity that I had never experienced before, so when we came to know about the facility for the same here, we thought of trying this. The cab drive was thrilling and informative as recorded DVD displayed all the details of the activity by the time we reached the spot—the world-renowned Hanauma Bay. It was a cloudy day. A mild drizzle made the area look all the more fresh. After registering ourselves at the office and procuring the essentials, we were dropped off at the Bay complex. There again, an introductory video was shown to the group and then only were we allowed to approach the sea.

Hanauma Bay is a actually a sunken volcanic crater, ringed with 2,000 feet of golden sand and open to the ocean on one side. A filigree of inner reefs protects the novice snorkeller from the open sea and in turn, protects thousands of fish and other sea-life from their natural predators.

A bird’s eye view of the bay, slightly secluded from the sea, could be seen as we stood on a rocky cliff. The water was crystal clear, turquoise, with dark stationary patches—the rocks. We slowly treaded down a cemented road (a van is also available for elderly people and kids). After depositing our valuables at the lockers, we moved to the waterfront and wore the snorkelling gear. It was difficult, as one has to learn to breathe through the mouth and walking on sand with web shoes is not comfortable. However, once we entered the water, things were all very different. The seabed could be seen clearly, many fish would touch our legs and go away. The bay abounds with colorful schools of Striped Marini, silvery needlefish, Buttercup-yellow tang, the large and quick Palani, the stunning Moorish idols, opalescent Parrotfish and (hopefully I got it right), the Humuhumu.

The experience is difficult to pen down. It has to be experienced.

We also took an aerial tour of the island. Luckily, I got a seat just next to the pilot of the helicopter Vito, who gave us our instructions, while trying to learn how to pronounce our names correctly.

In minutes, we were high above the city.

The buildings of the market area were just beautiful from the air and so colourful they were! We could also identify our hotel at the sea edge. The waterfront gave us innumerable shades and forms, at times looking like a sheet of glass. The dancing clouds added to the adventure. Vito kept giving a commentary on all the spots. We also crossed Diamond Head, a remnant volcano that we could not visit earlier. It is said to be a trekkers area and the views from there are fantastic, we were told—something we could appreciate from the air. Looking down, we found ourselves flying over deep, impossibly tangled, uninhabitable canyons where inland waterfalls dropped hundreds of feet.

It was most thrilling to cross the Hanauma Bay that we had visited in the morning hours. Beyond this point was the endless stretch of sea, with regular low surfs, merging with the horizon due to fog. I saw a lone yatch, white in colour, against a sea that now was also picking orange shades of the setting sun. A delight! A light drizzle was there, splashing against the windscreen, not allowing us to shoot for a while but seconds later, God blessed us by creating a wonderful rainbow in the sky.

It would be a mistake to rely on words to describe this tour of O’ahu… Call it a mythical ride on a magical carpet floating just above a mystical kingdom that emerged millions of years ago from its volcanic origins in the depths of the sea. Call it a page from a James Bond thriller. It was like watching a movie, hitching a ride on a butterfly floating along in dream. It was a multi-sensory experience that cannot be analysed or translated into words much more complicated than ‘WOW’!

Adieu Honolulu, adieu till we meet again!

—Text & photography by Rajiv Dang

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Category: Travel