Snorkeling with the fishies!

On Tuesday we sent the boys on a snorkeling tour up the west side of the Island. They said it was really excellent and saw a whale, a few dolphins, a turtle, and countless other fish. They snorkeled over a reef that had loads of coral and fish. Some reefs on the island have been damaged by too much attention but this one was obviously still pretty healthy. The tour went for about half a day so they were back just after lunch.

Trace and I had a quiet morning around Waikiki. Just up from the hotel is a Military museum that traces a lot of the military history of the Island. Over the years Oahu has had and still has a significant military presence. It is an active naval base, has a big Marine base on the east side of the island, and Honolulu airport is also an air force base.

We met up with the boys and went for lunch and caught a taxi back up to Ala Moana shopping centre. As you can imagine being the day before Christmas most of Hawaii was there.

A few Hawaiian comments:
1. The island of Oahu has about 1 million permanent residents
2. It has 111 miles of coast line
3. You can drive from the bottom to the top of the island in under an hour
4. They grow a lot of pineapples
5. Motorcyclists do not have to wear a helmet
6. It is legal to drive a ute (or pickup) with people in the back
7. Speed limits are definitely a guideline only

Since we didn't have a Christmas tree to put the presents under we had to make do with the next best thing, the traditional Christmas Lamp!

Tomorrow is Christmas in Waikiki.Read more