Hawaii

Eventually got to Honolulu on the Monday evening after being screwed over by the staff at LAX. I got there before the flight was due but there was already a massive queue. I heard a member of the airline staff telling people on the 8:30am flight to move to another queue in order to get on. However, when I went to speak to her she said I hadn't waited long enough and so had to continue in the main queue (so as not to jump ahead of other people). When she finally decided that I had waited long enough it was too late to board the plane with luggage and so I would have to wait for the next one! Luckily that was only a few hours later but I couldn't board it until the last minute as it was fully booked. Last time I bother obeying requests from airline staff!

Tuesday was spent in the Waikiki beach area. It is definately a tourist trap with very little space on the beach and loads of souvenir / gift shops dotted along the main road. Luckily I was booked in at a hostel on the North Shore for the next day and so only had the one day to put up with.

Headed up to the North Shore on the Wednesday in a free shuttle provided by the hostel. Took a walk along the beach, which was a lot different from Waikiki. Rather than being 2 inches of beach between people, you had to walk for a few minutes before spotting the next person. However, after heading back to the hostel for dinner (which was meant to be a BBQ), the first of the rains started. It was quite warm rain but still very wet and meant that the BBQ was cancelled and forced most people into their own huts, which cut down on any socialising.

On the Thursday I hired a bike to cycle up to Haleíwa, which was meant to be the main historical point of interest on the north shore. Well, it's quite a nice little village but that's as far as it goes. I then cycled back past the hostel to go further eastwards up the north shore. Lots more deserted beaches and a lots of pineapple stalls. However, as I headed back the rain started again and so I was drenched by the time I got back.

Friday was spent relaxing in the hostel as the rains were on and off again.

It was back to Waikiki the next day, mainly to ensure that I was in the area to catch the flight to Fiji on the Sunday. However I did manage to get onto a tour of the windward shore of the island on the Sunday as well. A lot more deserted beaches and some stunning (but very windy!) views over the Honolulu area. I also got to try some Lau Lau pork, which is pork wrapped and cooked in ti leaves (which, funnily enough, taste a lot like tea!). Very unusual!