November 25, Honolulu

November 25, Honolulu

Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, is located on the island of Oahu and is the largest city in Hawaii, and the major port and economic center of the state. The name comes from the Hawaiian language and means “sheltered harbor”. Old Hawaiian culture is captured in the grand Iolani Palace, America’s only royal palace, which served as the last seat of the Hawaiian monarchy to King Kalakaua and his successor Queen Liliuokalani.

Originally we were scheduled to be here on Thanksgiving Day, but because the Pearl Harbor area was going to be closed, Holland America switched port days with Kona. We had purchased hop-on hop-off tickets for their trolley, in order to give us a good overview of the city and also to provide transportation out to Diamond Head Crater. The trolley system is actually composed of four different routes; two routes (the pink and yellow) are primarily for shopping areas. The red route covers the city area and most tourist attractions, while the blue route goes out along Waikiki Beach, past Diamond Head to the Sea Life Park.

The red line takes about an hour to make a complete circuit, while the blue line takes almost three hours. The red line can be boarded just outside the port terminal building, and free shuttles to Walmart, K-mart, and Hilo Hatties are also available. The blue line takes you up into the center of Diamond Head crater, and then on the way back, makes a stop at Diamond Head Lookout where fantastic pictures can be taken looking back toward Waikiki Beach and Honolulu. If your time is limited and you have never been here, the trolley is an inexpensive way to see a lot of the city and surrounding area.

Tomorrow we spend Thanksgiving Day in Kona.