We flew to Hawaii for a week and visited the islands of O'ahu and Hawai'i. On O'ahu we toured the historic sites of Pearl Harbor National Memorial (at the time it was called World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument) including the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine, Battleship Missouri, USS Oklahoma Memorial, and the Pacific Aviation Museum. We also visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the Hawaii State Capitol, Iolani Palace, and Sandy Beach Park.
On the island of Hawai’i, we visited Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, Samuel Spencer Beach, the Pacific Tsunami Museum, Mokupapapa Discovery Center, Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, St. Benedictine's Painted Church, Waipi'o Valley, Rainbow Falls, Umauma Falls, and Akaka Falls. We also hiked into the Pololu Valley, took a snorkel adventure to Kealakekua Bay with Fair Wind Cruises, did some stargazing at the top of Mauna Kea, and flew a helicopter tour to see the erupting volcanos and various waterfalls around the island.
At Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, we hiked through the Thurston Lava Tube, hiked to the Holei Sea Arch, hiked across some of the lava flows, and viewed the eruption after dark at the Jaggar Museum. We also enjoyed meals at many of the local restaurants including Kona Brewing Company, Splasher's Grill, Punalu'u Bake Shop, and the Kona Canoe Club. While in Kona we also attended the Island Breeze Luau.