I have visited Hawaii five times over several decades. Most of these visits were on vacation with Peter although I had a business trip to Maui in 2002. Of the eight islands that make up the State of Hawaii, we have visited Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. Even though Hawaii is our 50th State, it is a long way to travel for a vacation — even a direct flight from Detroit to Honolulu is over 10 hours flying time!

First Visit to Maui

Our first trip was in June 1982. Looking for a break from busy work schedules, we bought a tour package that included a seven-day stay on Maui and a rental car. Unfortunately, after checking into the Sheritan Maui Resort with its oceanside location and large pool, we were not motivated to do much else but swim and lounge.

As the week was coming to an end, we decided to take our rental car out for a spin around the island. We started with the 51-mile scenic road to Hana. As we drove around, we were particularly intrigued by the signs for a tour of the Dole Pineapple Plantation since neither of us could imagine how pineapples were grown.

A Week on Waikiki Beach

In February 2009, we booked a hotel room for a week on Waikiki Beach on Oahu. I had several business trips to Vancouver planned so it was convenient for Peter to meet me on the west coast to break up the long travel time to Hawaii — and it was winter in Ann Arbor. We spent much of our time walking along the beach and enjoying the ocean.

Diamond Head Crater, believed extinct for more than 150,000 years, sits prominently near the eastern edge of the Waikiki coastline and defines the skyline of Hawaii.

The Diamond Head State Monument encompasses over 475 acres, including the interior and outer slopes of the crater. As Hawaii's most recognized landmark, it is known for its historic hiking trail, stunning coastal views, and military history. On one day, we climbed the Diamond Head Crater Trail through the interior of the crater up to the Fire Control Station at the summit for spectacular views over the island.

On another day, Peter visited the Pearl Harbour National Memorial which is dedicated to the memory of the 2,300 service members and civilians who perished during the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941 — marking the entry of the United States into World War II. He also visited the USS Arizona Memorial which rests above the remains of the sunken battleship and the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum.

Visiting Two More Islands

In 2011, we planned a two-week vacation to visit two more Hawaiian islands. We started out on the Big Island and then flew to the island of Kauai.

Hawaii's biggest Island. Covering four thousand square miles, the Big Island is double the size of all the other major Hawaiian island's combined. We stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Beach Resort — a 62-acre oceanfront developmnet on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island. It was not our first choice but the resort was quite luxurious considering the room rate.

This island has lots to offer from lush rainforests, beautiful waterfalls, and one of the world’s active volcanoes. We opted to take a helicopter ride to view some of the island's beautiful topography. Riding in a helicopter over Kilauea — Hawaii’s most active volcano — was a breathtaking experience.

Kauai — The Garden Isle. For our second week, we flew to Kauai which is nicknamed “the Garden Isle” because of the tropical rainforest covering much of its surface.

The coastline and splashing waves at Hanalea Bay were striking and the small town was very charming. We were particularly surprised at how undeveloped Kauai was with a single road encircling most of the island.

We stayed at a Westin condo complex in the Princeville resort community at Hanalea Bay on the north shore. Our stay allowed us access to the facilities of the nearly St. Regis Hotel whose beach and pool had beautiful views.

Although we stayed at Hanalei Bay, we drove to the southwest shore to visit the Na Pali coast and Waimea Canyon State Park which overlooks one of the State's scenic treasures — the deep, colorful gorge of the Waimea Canyon. Waimea Canyon is often described as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” — stretching 14 miles long, one mile wide, and more than 3,600 feet deep. We hiked to the Waimea Canyon Lookout which provided panoramic views of crested buttes, rugged crags, and deep valley gorges and continued along some of the trails traversing the Sleeping Giant mountain ridge. There is also a dramatic waterfall in Waimea Canyon — Waipoo Falls — an impressive 800-foot cascade.

We also visited the McBryde Garden on the south shore. This 200-acre site has the world's largest collection of Hawaiian native plants.

Brief Stopover in Oahu

In January 2015, we stopped in Honolulu for several days on our way back from Bangkok after our trip to Myanmar. We stayed again on Waikiki Beach but were not impressed with the rapid rise in tourism. However, we did visit the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art.

The permanent collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art has grown from 875 works in 1927 to approximately 55,000 pieces spanning 5,000 years. We were particularly interested in viewing its collections of Asian art and traditional works from Oceania.

The Shangri La Museum is housed in the former home of Doris Duke near Diamond Head with stunning ocean views. It is now owned and operated as a public museum dedicated to Islamic art.

The museum houses approximately 2,500 objects acquired over a 60-year period from Spain, Morocco, Egypt, India, and Central and Southeast Asia. Some of the objects include ceramics, metalwork, wood, glass, textiles, medieval Persian tile work and elaborate painted interiors from 18th and 19th century Damascus. Many of these works were built into the actual building, including ornately carved ceilings, doors, and fireplaces.

Postscript. After our last visit to Hawaii, we had planned to revisit the island of Maui since it had been 30 years since our first visit. However, in August 2023, Hawaii experienced the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century which devastated the island of Maui, claiming 102 lives and leveling the historic town of Lahaina.