CHAPTER 13 - HAWAIIAN VACATION
From Richard's memoirs, recovered from his original WordPerfect files
In May of 1975 we arranged with the Club Universe Unitours, through the May Company, to take the Deluxe Grand Tour of Hawaii. This was a 15 day tour at $849.00 each and included four islands: Hawaii, Maui, Kauai and Oahu. It also included 23 meals. Not only do they not have such a tour anymore, but they could never give it again at that price.
Monday, Day 1, we left LAX on 19 May 1975 on Flight 362 in a DC-10 of Continental Air Lines at 9:45 AM. I was in the Stake Presidency of the Van Nuys Stake at the time and President Eugene Morris drove us to the airport, promising to pick us up on our return flight 15 days later. We flew directly to Honolulu International Airport, lunching on the plane, and arrived about 12:14 PM, and were welcomed with the traditional Aloha Lei greeting and our local Tour Director, Eddie. Then we walked to the Aloha Airlines Terminal for our connecting flight to the “Big Island” of Hawaii. Upon arrival at the Hilo Airport, we transferred to the Waiakea Resort Village. Our luggage was already waiting for us outside our room. We had dinner at the Village restaurant.
Day 2, after breakfast, and a picture of our tour group taken, we took a comprehensive trip to the famed Rainbow Falls, one of the Big Island's loveliest water falls, located on the outskirts of Hilo. Then we visited an orchid nursery. Hawaii is known as the Orchid Isle and is the youngest and largest of the islands. Unlike the others, the volcanoes are not dormant, as here lives the Fire Goddess, Pele. Kilauea Crater is her favorite abode, and when it erupts we know Pele is in some way displeased and is displaying her temper. Mr. George Lycurgus, founder of the Volcano House, occasionally tosses a bottle of gin into the crater. It is a favorite of Pele's, and is said to often quiet her. We also saw the Ohia trees with the bright red blossoms of the Ohia Lehua flower of Pele.
Our tour bus took us to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We toured Volcanoland and saw vast steam-spitting craters, bubbling sulphur banks, and later strolled through the historic lava tube and forests of giant tree ferns. Lunched at the Volcano House and then returned to the hotel. We had a lovely room with a great view of the surrounding flora and fauna. DeVonne posed for a picture in a huge wicker chair that is typical for the islands.
Day 3, after breakfast we left Hilo and drove along the Hamakua sugar plantation coast and through the ranch town of Waimea. Here I purchased a Hawaiian shirt and DeVonne found a Parsley Ring to her liking. Our driver continued along the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai mountains where we crossed clearly defined lava flows. Shortly, we arrived at the Keauhou Beach Hotel, situated on the rugged and beautiful Kona Coast. As usual, our luggage was waiting for us. Dinner was at the hotel.
Day 4, we drove to the pier in Kailua and boarded the cruise yacht, “Jeanne Marie,” with a genial Hawaiian captain and host who narrated the points of interest along the Kona Coast. We entered Kealakekua Bay (“I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii”), where a monument marks the spot where Captain James Cook, the discoverer of Hawaii, was killed by native spears in 1779. We boarded a glass-bottom boat and cruised slowly over the world famous coral gardens. After our particular ride, I swam over to the Captain's monument to get a better look at it and then back to the main ship. The ship's crew didn't seem to appreciate my swimming off by myself but they allowed me to do it.
We returned to Kailua for lunch at the Kona Galley. That evening there was a Hawaiian Luau at the Keauhou Beach Hotel. DeVonne had her picture taken with a native male dancer. We got acquainted with Ed and Lilian Sakowicz who were with us on the tour; also Harry and Jean (somebody) and we all shared a table together.
Day 5, was a day of leisure and we could do as we pleased. DeVonne and I spent some time at the Hotel Pool taking sun baths and I swam a bit in the pool. We strolled around the local grounds and found a “little grass shack” where DeVonne took my picture, and another one beside a tiny Catholic church at the beach. Breakfast and dinner were at the hotel.
Day 6, after breakfast we transferred to the Keahole Airport for a short flight to Maui, the “Valley Isle” where we landed at the Kahului Airport. The Hawaiian demigod, Maui, a great fisherman, fished the Islands from the sea and scattered them in their present chain. The Valley Isle bears his name, and her natives proudly say “Maui no ka oi,” which means “Maui is the best.” We saw the Pikake, or Hawaiian jasmine, which is a most fragrant lei and the most feminine. It was the favorite of Princess Kaiulani who wore the lei often and who actually gave the flower its name. It is popular for weddings and for special occasions such as an anniversary.
Our tour bus took us to Iao Valley, one of the scenically most beautiful spots on the island, containing the volcanic freak of nature, the Iao Needle, which towers 1,200 feet above the valley floor. We continued our drive, stopping at one area where we all got out to look up a steep cliff where there was supposed to be a profile likeness of John F. Kennedy in the rock. With great imagination I finally found it. The natives make something of almost anything they see on the islands. On to the Kaanapali resort area where we found our Maui home, the Royal Lahaina Hotel, situated picturesquely between the golden sands of Kaanapali Beach and the lush greens of the Royal Kaanapali Golf Course. Here we were given a very small room but when we saw what some of our other fellow tourists had, we complained and ended with a huge suite that was much to our liking. Dinner was at the hotel.
Day 7, Sunday, we went to Church at the Lahaina Branch Chapel. We met President Taniguchi and I got a picture of DeVonne with Sister Taniguchi and her daughter on the front steps of the chapel. We took a taxi to Church but the Taniguchis insisted on taking us back to our hotel. Later we boarded the Lahaina-Kaanapali and Pacific Railroad and rode into Lahaina for lunch at the Whale's Tale. The colorful narrow gage train is a replica of the original equipment that travel the historic route in 1890-1910. We passed through sugar cane fields and could see the off-shore islands of Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe. We strolled through the romantic old whaling village, noting beautiful Japanese gardens, a huge Banyan tree and the Lahaina Jail House.
Day 8, was a day of leisure and we spent our time on the beach adjacent to the Royal Lahaina Hotel and at their pool. During dinner at the Alii Room, one of several restaurant in the Kaanapali complex, we watch a native fire dancer.
Day 9, we departed for a short flight to the island of Kauai, landing at the Lihue Airport. Kauai is called the Garden Isle and abounds with tropical vegetation. Her rivers, waterfalls, beaches, valleys and spectacular canyon, Waimea, have been the sites for many a movie producer. Her residents claim Kauai's beauty is unsurpassed in the Hawaiian chain and is as close as one can come to paradise.
We drove to the mouth of the Wailua River and boarded a motor-launch for a delightful river trip. On board we were entertained by native singers and dancers. Our guide, Eddie, participated in the entertainment with both singing and dancing. We took a picture of a handsome young Japanese couple that looked like they were newlyweds. We disembarked upriver and took a short path through tropical, jungle like vegetation to the fantastic Evergreen Cave. From the roof of this giant Grotto we viewed thousands of ferns growing downward and our local host entertained us with a rendering of “Ke Kali Nei Au” - the Hawaiian Wedding Song - that hauntingly echoed off the walls of the beautiful fern-hung cave.
Returning from the river cruise, we drove to our Kauai home, the Coco Palms Resort, in a beautiful Polynesian setting. It was an enchanting evening, when at dusk, native drums and the blowing of the conch shell heralded the spectacular “Lighting of the Torches” ceremony. We enjoyed our dinner in this delightful setting. Our room was done in a traditional Hawaiian style, richly decorated in the Royal Colors of red and gold. The wash basins were giant sea shells and native flowers adorned the room. The Maunaloa is a tropical flower that has a texture of velvet and when strung looks like an exotic feather lei. This particular method of stringing this lei has been adopted for the vanda orchid and one sees orchids with 500 petals used and strung in this fashion and called the Maunaloa Orchid by the Islanders. There are also Hawaiian Poinsettia trees and flowers, and the African Tulip tree to be seen.
Day 10, 28 May 1975, was our 37th Wedding Anniversary. Our tour bus took us to the north part of the island where we could look down on Hanalei Bay and its beach. This is the spot where much of South Pacific with Mitzi Gaynor was filmed, and Donovan's Reef with John Wayne, Dorothy Lamour and Lee Marvin. We had lunch nearby at the Princeville Golf Club.
I found the following ditty in an island brochure:
“There's a misty murky magic in the bright Hawaiian moon-light with its tricky, wiki-wiki sort of hula-hula gleams. There's a busy, dizzy, fizzy kind of shimmy-shaking shimmer. Oh, its amorous and glamorous, it fills you full of dreams. There are songs so full of rhythm that your heart will hula with them. There's a sea that sighs seductively and murmurs to the moon. There are nights of merry madness full of sentimental sadness. There's a pretty, flirty flutter to a ukulele tune.”
Our bus driver on the tour was very pleasant and had many stories to tell us, and also pointed out interesting places along our routes. One story he told was about some rocks on the islands. These were rocks about as big as one's fist and some of them had holes in them caused by erosion of water and wind. He said that one tourist took some of them home with him back to the states and threw them out in his yard and in a couple of years they had multiplied and the whole yard was full of rocks. Two elderly ladies on our tour listened intently to everything our driver said and accepted it all as the gospel truth. He also passed out sheets with the words of some popular Hawaiian songs (One Paddle, Two Paddle, Tiny Bubbles, The Hukilau Song, and others) and we all sang along with him on the bus ride. We passed a pineapple field that was one of the few remaining in Hawaii. The driver said most of the pineapples now come from the Philippines. We saw papaya groves and beautiful coconut palm trees wherever we went, and stopped for a view of the Wailua River and the Opaekaa Falls.
We bought a necklace of Kukua seeds at a shop in the Coco Palms area. The seeds are about as large as a walnut and are dried and polished to a black shine. That evening we celebrated our anniversary dining at the Coco Palms Coconut Palace. Throughout the evenings at the Coco Palms we were entertained by native dancers and their music.
Day 11, was a day of leisure with lunch and dinner at the hotel. We did a bit of swimming at the coast but stayed away from one area where a sign was posted to beware of Moray eels.
Day 12, after breakfast we departed for a 30 minute flight to the island of Oahu and upon arrival at the Honolulu Airport we were taken on a sightseeing and orientation drive to the Honolulu Civic Center and Windward Oahu areas. We passed the Honolulu Hale (City Hall) and the Iolani Palace. At the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl Crater we had a magnificent panoramic view of Honolulu and Waikiki shorelines. At the Cemetery we visited the grave site of Ernie Pyle, the noted war correspondent. We continued over the Pali Highway to a lookout point and had a sweeping view of the lush valleys of the windward side of Oahu with its colorful bays and reef lines. We stopped at Sea Life Park where we had a seafarer's luncheon on the terrace looking out to the sea. Highlights were an underwater descent around a living coral reef, a demonstration of the remarkable skills of porpoises in the ocean science theater, and a visit to Whaler's Cove where we saw a 70-foot replica of the Essex whose voyages inspired Melville's classic, Moby-Dick. We returned to Honolulu via Makapuu Point, the blowhole, and through beautiful Honolulu residential areas and checked into the Hawaiian Regent Hotel. We had a very nice room with a view of the beach.
Oahu is the melting pot of the Pacific, the gathering place . . . Oahu is the Island of welcome and Aloha. Here is a unique blend of the old and new of Polynesian, Oriental and American cultures. Here is bustling downtown Honolulu, capital of the 50th State, world famous Waikiki and majestic Diamond Head.
The Ilima (ee-lee-mah), a fragile blossom of Oahu is the lei of Hawaiian royalty and now is extremely rare. At times it will appear on Oahu's pa-u Rider, a princess on horseback, in the Kamehameha Day or Aloha Week Parade. The orange paper leis often seen are an imitation of this bloom.
We spent a short time on the beach at Waikiki but found it a rocky beach, at least in the area in front of our hotel, and not at all good for body surfing, unless one wanted to scrap all the hide off one's chest. It may be all right for surfboards, but we were disappointed in the famous Waikiki Beach.
Days 13 & 14 were leisure days to do as we pleased. Only our breakfasts were included in the tour price. We chose to visit the Polynesian Culture Center that is a non-profit educational and cultural activity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, created to portray the arts and crafts of Polynesia and to provide jobs and scholarships for Polynesian Students attending Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus. We saw native costumes and crafts from Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, Maori, Tahiti and Fiji. The program put on in the evening after dark was very spectacular, with native Samoan Fire Dancers and other native groups. We rode by the Mormon Temple and took some pictures and well as in passing the BYU Hawaiian Campus.
We took the shuttle boat out to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The Memorial spans the sunken hull of the battleship USS Arizona, which rests in 38 feet of water at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. The Memorial is divided into three sections: the museum room, housing mementos from the ship; the assembly area, which can accommodate 200 persons for ceremonies; and a shrine room, where on a large marble wall are engraved the names of the 1,177 Navy men and Marines who were killed on and entombed in the USS Arizona in the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7th, 1941.
In tribute to the American fighting men killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the national ensign is flown over the USS Arizona daily. The ship is no longer in commission, having been stricken from the active list in 1942, but in memory of the brave men who lost their lives on that tragic Sunday morning, the Navy has granted special permission to fly the American Flag over the USS Arizona.
We shopped at the Honolulu International and the Ala Moana Shopping Centers and bought some Tapa Cloth and a gold charm for DeVonne, and a wooden carved bowl and carved fruit.
Sunday we attended Church at the Waikiki & Maikiki Chapel in Honolulu. It was the largest Chapel we had ever seen in the Church and it was crowded. However, the local members seemed very unfriendly. We also saw the statue of Moroni at the Visitors Center nearby.
Day 15, we drove to the Honolulu Airport and boarded our DC-10 for the return flight to Los Angeles International Airport. President Morris was waiting for us with his car parked at the curb adjacent to the baggage pickup point and brought us safely home.
The Hawaiian vacation was delightful. Our room accommodations were excellent, the food everywhere was very good. Our luggage was always taken care of when moving from one area to the next. We noted that other tour groups visited the same spots on each island that we did, and we decided these were the outstanding spots to visit and we must have viewed them all. As such we have no need to take another tour of the islands. If I ever go back it would be to choose one island, like Maui or Kauai, and stay there and enjoy the sun and the sand and relax for the whole time of the stay.