Dole Plantation

I'm not sure why I enjoy Dole Plantation so much. It's touristy and overpriced. Yet, on each trip to Oahu, it's one place I want to go. I love the sea of pineapple yellow blanketing the gift shop with all kinds of apparel, plush pineapple shaped pillows, jewelry, food items, bath, and body products.

It's a nice drive out of Honolulu toward the north shore. You get out of the city and into the lush green countryside. Dole's grounds are beautiful. We have yet to pay to tour the plantation garden, settling instead for what you can see. Who knew there were so many varieties of pineapples.

This year, we did opt to try the pineapple maze. At one point the maze had the record as the world's largest maze. I refuse to tell you how long it took us to find the stations and complete the maze card. We may or may not have taken a few unauthorized shortcuts. It was getting rather warm, which meant I was getting a bit grumpy. Harold definitely has a better sense of direction than I did, at least without me putting a lot more effort into keeping track than I cared.

We completed the maze and treated ourselves. Perhaps the Dole Whip is the reason I love going to Dole Plantation.

Done!

Reward!

Pearl Harbor Memorial - USS Battleship Missouri

On our last trip to Oahu, we toured the USS Missouri. The USS Missouri is where Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945. It's located near the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. From a day which will live in infamy to the war's end, Pearl Harbor is a fitting place for the memorials.

We had visited the Arizona on previous visits and wanted to do something a little different. We opted for the Heart of the Missouri tour to get a more in-depth look.

The tour does involve a lot of stairs and occasionally tight spaces. So, it may not be for everyone. There are self-guided tours for those who prefer to go at their own pace, but there will be some things you won't see.

The tour brought back a lot of memories for Harold, and it was fun seeing him interact with the tour guide, who was very knowledgeable. Even though Harold was never on a battleship, it seems there are a lot of similarities with cruisers and destroyers.

Pierside view of USS Arizona and USS Missouri

On Broadway, the longest passage

USS Missouri played a role in Desert Shield

Harold pulling the pickle

The captain's chair

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

On Oahu, we visited the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. It was our second visit to the Smithsonian Affiliate. The museum's website does a far better job of describing their exhibits than I ever could. The exhibits are impressive. They especially do a good job with the backgrounds in Hanger 37. Hanger 79 has been left in much of its original state, bullet holes from December 7th included.

Japanese Zero

I think one of the stories that intrigued me this time was how the Robinson family had used a tractor to furrow the island of Niihau to keep it from being used by enemy aircraft. They finished the project prior to December 7th and Niihau was never used as a base of operations.

Cletrac Tractor and the only crashed Zero on Niihau

They had recently opened the Above and Beyond Exhibit, a highly interactive exhibit. That exhibit was part of our reason for going. I had to grin when I saw Harold flapping his arms, trying to stay in V-formation.

Flying Tigers

Palms and Pumpkins

So, in trying to think of some different things to do on Oahu this trip, I stumbled across the mention of sunflower fields. It turns out that Pioneer Dupont has a sunflower seed farm on the north shore side of the island.

We decided to head out that way to see if we could get a couple of snapshots. We had driven past sunflower fields in Kansas, and I thought it would be fun to see a field up close. We should have called first. The season had already ended.

However, I noticed a photo on a Facebook post from my friend Dan who lives on the island. I asked him about it when we met him and his family for church and brunch.

Aloun Farms has a pumpkin patch, a taro patch, and some sunflower fields. We decided to check it out too. Yeah! They still had sunflowers. It was the last weekend of their pumpkin patch. Essentially, it was a sort of fall festival, complete with kiddie rides, carnival games, petting zoo, pony rides, live music, vendor booths, and food.

Taro - a Hawaiian staple

Iolani Palace

Iolani Palace is the only palace in the United States. Sure, there are other larger, fancier homes, such as Biltmore, but none are truly royal. Iolani was the home of the Hawaiian monarchy. The monarchy was overthrown by United States in 1959, making it the 50^th state.

The architecture and woodwork are amazing. The Grand staircase, made of koa wood, is beautifully maintained. The doors all had bronzed, decorated hinges. The floors were polished wood. 

The Grand Staircase

Dining Room

The door hinges

Glass Etchings

The throne room was impressive, although I was more intrigued by the dress designed to look like peacock feathers. 

The king was very well traveled and well-read. He welcomed technology. The palace had electricity four years before the White House did. Telephones were brought in early on as well as things we take for granted like flushing toilets and hot and cold water.

I know I didn’t take the time to read about all the exhibits that Iolani deserves. We were a little concerned about parking. We did the audio tour, which lasts about 45 minutes, but you can go at your own pace.

Ready to tour