Honolulu, Hawaii

It's been a while..
                            It's been a while.

I've neglected to write this last post for almost two weeks. Oh well. Here it is: the very last leg of our fabulous trip! It was mostly travel time, but a few noteworthy bits.

Here's the overview of the trip home:
8 Hour Flight - Auckland > Honolulu
8 Hour Layover - Honolulu (& the focus of this post)
8 Hour Flight - Honolulu > Chicago
6 Hour Layover - Chicago
     Highlight: we found an S-shaped couch to take a nap.
Quick Flight - Chicago > Kalamazoo

Okay, I probably could have skipped that part, but it might come in handy later.

So, Honolulu! What a great spot for a layover! This wasn't in the original plan, but flight times changed about a month before we left, and this was one of two options to get us home. I can't even remember what the other choice was because this was just too great to pass!

We flew out of Auckland at about 9pm on Monday, and landed in Honolulu at 7am on Monday. I think my times are right on that.. But, I'm 100% sure about flying out Monday night and landing Monday morning- we're time travelers! So, that's cool. But, even better was the opportunity to spend the day in Hawaii.

We arrived on time, but customs took forever. It's a weird airport. Immediately after you get off the plane in the international terminal, they bus you over to the domestic terminal to go through customs. It was a weird process, but we made it. We stopped quick to brush teeth and wash faces before heading out into the bright island sunshine.

We had our day all mapped out for this stop to make the most of our few hours there: Waikiki Beach and Honolulu Brewing Company. We ended up adding a quick early morning stop to grab some breakfast and coffee. We slept very little on the first flight.

We made it over to Waikiki around 9am, and it was absolutely beautiful! It was also a bit mind-blowing to think that it was still the Pacific. Instead of the cool, rainy winter weather of New Zealand made the ocean pretty, but unappealing. Now, because of the heat and sun, we couldn't wait to jump into the same ocean!

Anyway, we found some outdoor changing rooms along the beachside walk, and were much more comfortable in swim suits than long sleeves and pants. We walked a bit to find a slightly less popular spot, but even at 9 in the morning, the Waikiki Beach is packed. We ended up just picking a spot so we could drop our bags and winter coats to finally hop in the ocean. Boy, did it feel refreshing!

We could have stayed here for hours. We were amazed that just two weeks before we were skiing on snowy mountains. We also realized that less than 24 hours ago, we were hiking a volcano similar to the one we could see from the beach. It was kind of surreal.

Eventually, we figured we should start moving in the direction of Honolulu Brewing Company.. But, really we were hoping to find a shower. Remember, we left the house early Monday morning, hiked 3 miles up a volcano, grabbed dinner, hopped an 8 hour flight, and now swam in salt water. We were in serious need of a shower.

We ended up at a local spot, or at least it seemed to be. It was a rather hidden spot between two rock walls, right next to the marina. Out past the rocks it was surfer city. There were dozens on the waves out there! So, we hung out in the shallow water and watched the show.

Eventually, I accepted the fact that we were probably burt to a crisp. (Ryan did warn me.) Fortunately, we found an outdoor shower here that all the surfers used to rinse themselves and their boards when they were done for the day. We were hoping for one with soap/shampoo capabilities, but a rinse was better than nothing!

Next stop: Honolulu Brewing Company - Great spot! We finally had good beer again. And, their sandwiches were pretty decent, too. We lingered here for a while, enjoying the island vibe. Eventually, it was time to head back to the airport. We were well exhausted by that point, and onto our next flight toward home (and one step closer to a real shower).