We spent a week visiting two of the Hawaiian islands. 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 paid our respects at the nearby National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which also offered an impressive view of downtown Honolulu. We then visited the Hawaii State Capitol and Iolani Palace (the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii). East of Honolulu, we visited Sandy Beach and the Makapu'u Lighthouse lookout in the east, did several scenic drives around the island, and went shopping in Kapolei (where our hotel was).
Most of our time was spent on the island of Hawai'i (also known as The Big Island). We visited the temple ruins at Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, saw the fishponds at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, and even toured the spot that ancient Hawaiians who broke the law would flee to in order to avoid death at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park.
On the eastern side of the island, we took in several of the more tropical attractions such as Rainbow Falls, Umauma Falls, and Akaka Falls. Also, we strolled through the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, toured the Pacific Tsunami Museum, and stopped at the Mokupapapa Discovery Center.
In the north, we hiked into the incredibly scenic Pololu Valley, took in the equally scenic views from the Waipio Valley Overlook, and visited Samuel Spencer Beach. We also took a snorkeling tour with Fair Wind Cruises to Kealakekua Bay where we saw some very colorful fish and the Captain Cook Monument.
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 Kilauea after dark at the Jaggar Museum. We also enjoyed a helicopter tour over the park to watch the volcanic eruptions and to see several other waterfalls around the island.
Finally, in the Kona area we attended the Island Breeze Luau (which had some great food), watched several sea turtles resting at the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, and drove up Mauna Kea to watch the sunset and do some stargazing. Our time on the island was incredible, and we enjoyed several great meals at many of the local restaurants including Kona Brewing Company, Splasher's Grill, Punalu'u Bake Shop, and the Kona Canoe Club.