My Favourite Stopover
ourite Stopover
Exotic Stopover.....Oahu .....Hawaii
One of my favourite stopovers when returning from Auckland to UK is the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. This is where Honolulu and Waikiki may be found.
If beaches and water sport interest you ...then Waikiki has it all.In the two mile stretch between Ala Moana and Sans Souci beach at the Diamond Head end most water sports are well catered for. To start with there are over thirty outlets for hiring boogie boards and surf boards before you take into account submarine rides to coral reefs as well as surf canoeing to name but two others.
If history is your thing then consider the events that took place here at 8.00am on 7th December 1941. A trip to Pearl Harbor is certainly a must. I find it one of the most moving places I have ever visited. A tour of the Arizona Memorial where eleven hundred men are still entombed is a sombre reminder of those awful events that brought USA into WW2.
If shopping is your passion then Waikiki has it all from the posh Royal Hawaiian Center to the flea markets of The International Market Place. In close proximity, and certainly easy walking distance is the Ala Moana Center, one of the largest malls in the World with about sixty eating outlets alone.
If movie sites interest you then look out for Halona Cove far better known as “From Here to Eternity Beach” on the south east coast of Oahu. This is where Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr showed their affection for each other in the shallows. Daring stuff to show on films fifty years ago. Yes,that is it in the right hand picture and people come from all over the world to see this tiny beach that made movie history.
Air New Zealand have two flights per week,Tuesday and Saturday non stop Auckland to Honolulu. Roughly an eight hour flight but remember you get there the day before you leave!!!! After your stopover there are a number of flights each day from Honolulu to mainland USA.
