Hawaiian Paradise?!

After a long lie in, we awoke to another beautiful day in Honolulu (like it always is, it seems).

We walked to Honolulu Zoo, where we had a fun day amongst the lions and tigers and...giraffes!

Representing California and New Zealand, 2000 miles away!

The monkeys were so cute!

The giraffes with the Diamond Head Crater in the background - a real volcano!

We spent the late afternoon lounging by the pool...

...before we headed out for dinner at the Hard Rock Café. I know - such tourists!

We had to get mocktails...

...and I went for the local special, fish tacos!

Cool panoramic of the guitars on the ceiling!

'Hang Loose!'

The next day we finally made it to Pearl Harbor ( a must-see on Oahu!), which is quite a popular attraction but we managed to get tickets through our hotel. We also got an unexpected bus tour of Historic Honolulu thrown in for free!

The State Capitol - Hawaii became part of America as the 50th state in 1959.

'Iolani Palace - Hawaii is the only state to have had a royal family, and this is their palace!

The Supreme Court:

The Governor's Mansion:

The National Cemetery:

View of Waikiki, the Diamond Head Crater and the Pacific:

It was a pretty overcast day to the north of the island...

...but we also saw a rainbow - just like the ones on Hawaii's number plates!

And so we arrived at Pearl Harbor.

This anchor was recovered from the USS Arizona, the battleship sunk by the Japanese bombers during the attacks on Pearl Harbor, which is still visible under the surface of the water today.

From the Visitor Center we took the short boat ride over to the USS Arizona Memorial.

Part of the sunken battleship - oil from the ship still rises to the surface, over 70 years later.

The names of the victims of the Pearl Harbor attacks.

And on the sixth day...it rained. (What was I saying about endless sunshine?)

The downpours truly ruined our plan for a day of surfing at Waikiki Beach.

Instead we trudged back to Ala Moana to buy a few souvenirs out of the rain.

Cue sad soaked faces.

Seriously perusing the sweets aisle.

We hung around for it a bit to watch a hula performance...

...before going back to our hotel for the afternoon and having a bit of a duvet day. 

It's funny how rain in Hawaii means most activities aren't possible. 

Instead, we gave ourselves pedicures, so at least I got to try out my new nail polish!

We made the most of our last evening by going out for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki.

We decided to just get starters to save room for cheesecake...but my avocado rolls were still so huge we had to bring some home!

But we definitely couldn't go to the Cheesecake Factory without getting cheesecake! Mine was White Chocolate Raspberry.

I was so sad to be leaving Hawaii - I still can't believe how quickly the week disappeared! 

But it was an amazing week, and I couldn't have asked for a better travel partner - Cara is a friend for life!

I was also sad to be leaving because my Christmas break is now well and truly over - come Monday I'll be starting a whole new semester of classes. All I can say is, bring it on!

Aloha Waikiki!

After a cancelled flight and a grand total of 10 hours spent in San Francisco Airport, I finally made it to Honolulu a day later than planned - luckily I've still got six days left to enjoy it!

As soon as I arrived and had met up with my old friend Cara (if you want to hear the story about how we decided to meet in Hawaii, read here), we walked down to the beach - finally in Waikiki!

 We're staying at the Ambassador Hotel Waikiki, which is a nice but mid-priced hotel, and pretty close to Waikiki Beach - it's only a 15 minute walk away.

 

Our room - and my luggage!

 

The panoramic view from our hotel room! (Yes, I've just discovered this for the iPhone)

That evening we went out for pizza before getting to bed very early to prepare us for the next day.

We headed out early to Ala Moana Mall, which is just a short bus ride away from Waikiki, for a day of shopping in the sun.

Cara was very excited with her new purchases - everything's a lot more expensive in New Zealand, so she was stocking up!

I was just as excited about my bubble tea - note the tapioca pearls at the bottom!

We rode the trolley home from Ala Moana, which took the scenic route back through Waikiki - and was cheaper than riding the city bus!

We rested our tired feet in the hotel pool at sunset...

...before heading down the Waikiki Beach Walk for dinner at...

P.F.Changs! (basically an American chain which serves Chinese food)

 I went for the honey shrimp, which was delicious!

Our fortunes - mine read 'treat yourself to a special time this coming weekend.' Surely being in Hawaii is special enough?!

The next morning we decided to go for breakfast at another American institution - IHOP, the International House of Pancakes.

We were very excited by our stacks of pancakes!

Me and our IHOP waiter (aka our new best friend).

After eating our body weight in pancakes, we spent the rest of the day at Waikiki Beach, swimming, sunbathing and writing postcards!

I'll catch up on the rest when I get back to San Francisco - we've still got three days to go!