Wallet Watching in Hawaii

Nearly 20 years ago I visited a medium, who, among other things, told me my youngest son Drew would have his wallet stolen in Hawaii. Always a bit of a skeptic, I was rather surprised when a lot of what she said actually came true over the years. So you can imagine, her dire warning played like a broken record in my mind the whole time Drew and I recently spent on one of the Hawaiian islands. So why decide to go there, I hear you ask?

My husband, Richard, and I had been planning a family ski trip since 2014 when we sold our home in Scotland and embarked on our retirement dream of full time RVing across the USA. Ours is a second marriage, and at that time we had four children (two each from previous marriages), plus one daughter in law and one prospective one, some of whom had not yet met each other. With them spread across the globe – Scotland, Amsterdam, USA and Australia, getting them all together at the same time in the same place was not going to be an easy task.

I'm sure anyone who has ever tried it will know getting 8 people to agree on a holiday is fraught with pitfalls. Here is the background and some info on the various family members... You can skip this part if you already know who they are and find it too boring, and move four paragraphs on to how we chose the location!

Steven, Richard's oldest son, the only child who actually lives in the USA, in Richmond VA, was due to get married to Melinda in April 2016 so budget restraints pushed the first possible date of proposed family holiday out to 2017. In the meantime Sarah, my son Drew's wife, became pregnant, and Maddie, my first grandchild, was born in September 2015. They live in Melbourne Australia. With our family suddenly growing, we still thought a winter ski break was possible, with proud Gran offering to babysit my 15 month old grand-daughter to let Sarah have some ski-time. We finally had everyone agreed on January 2017, and placed a deposit on an apartment in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately that booking fell through when Drew's employer decided to move location and canceled all plans for staff holidays for the month of January.

With free flights available for Maddie only until the age of two, and a limited time-frame (Sarah is an elementary school teacher), the pressure was on. Our only remaining window of opportunity was a 10 day break before the Easter weekend.

And, as Maddie grew, we realized that flying from far away Australia would be a major hurdle for her parents. So to cut down on flight time, Hawaii came up as an option, (half way between the USA and Australia and an 8 hour flight). Unfortunately Mike, Richard's youngest son is 6'7” and my oldest son Scott is 6'4”. Mike lives in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands; Scott lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Both would have incredibly lengthy and - with those long legs – uncomfortable flights. We called Scott with our proposal. Scott had not yet seen his niece, nor Drew or Sarah since their wedding in 2011, so he was keen, and planned to break up his flight by extending his trip to fit in a quick visit to friends in Toronto on the way over, and to San Francisco on the way back.

OK, 2 down... now to contact Steven and Mike. And there was the rub. Unfortunately Steven, and his wife Melinda, had already booked time together with Mike in Amsterdam later that same month, so would not be joining us. However, we had spent time with them in April of 2016, prior to the wedding, so made the difficult decision to go ahead with the trip without them; we would just have to fit in some more quality time with them in the future.

Of all of us, only Sarah had been to Hawaii before – to attend a wedding in Turtle Beach Resort, whilst sharing an apartment with a number of girls in Waikiki. None of us fancied staying in Honolulu, thinking it would be too touristy and expensive. And of course the chances of getting your wallet stolen in a tourist trap would be much more likely, right? So where were we going to go?

Now, you can read reviews and advice until the cows come home and still have to make a choice. I decided Oahu would be the destination island so that Drew and Sarah would only have to cope with one flight with Maddie. So where on Oahu? North, south, east, west? We trawled through endless houses for rent, becoming confused with the choices, passing forth links for all to review. In the end it was the house that was the deal clincher for the final location. It was located on the North Shore in a small town called Waialua, and we booked through Airbnb. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9992029?guests=8&adults=8&s=IZ0c0rui

It was a great find. The main appeal was the pool, and a downstairs self contained area where Drew, Sarah and Maddie could have some space away from the rest of us. The place was large enough to accommodate 8 guests, so we asked Sarah's mum and dad, Rowena and Mike – also grandparents who live a distance from Maddie (in Sydney), and had to wait for school holidays to spend time with her, and Richard's brother Don (he who fell out of a tree only last October) to join us. You could say it became a kind of extended family holiday.

We turned out to be a good mix... there was always someone to keep Maddie entertained; with two hire vehicles we could do things together or separately; and the pool on site was just what was needed to keep us cool whenever the humidity rose. The temperature across Hawaii is pretty much the same, a pleasant 85 F 25 C during the day dropping to 70 F 18C at night, come rain or shine, with pleasant breezes to cool you – but the humidity can rise depending on where you are on the islands.

The beach, just two minutes walk away from the house, was the focus of our attention on the first morning – Maddie's time clock had not adjusted and she is an early riser anyway. The North shore of Oahu is famous for surfing and there were occasionally quite large breakers, but, with so many of us delighting in being in her presence, she was happy to play in the sand and have her buckets filled by her overly attentive adult servants. 

Drew, Maddie and Sarah

Maddie and her Pops, Mike

Me, Maddie and the other granny - Rowena

She loved it so much, we pretty much explored beaches further along the shore every morning, taking delight in having the place to ourselves before the tourists, locals and prospective thieves arrived – how fortuitous was that?

There is only road along the north shore which gets very busy as the day progresses. April is almost off season for this area - the real surfing happens during the winter months. In spring the waves are not really as strong, and by the summer, according to the brochures, the sea is pretty much mirror glass flat. Turtles bask on the north shore all the time, and on the third morning exploring on a beach we saw a couple bobbing their heads in the waves. 

Monk seals will come to sleep on the beaches also, and we found one snoozing in the sun in Turtle Bay Beach resort on the northern most tip of the island, which we visited one day just to see how the other half live! Drew's wallet was tucked into Sarah's beach bag, and I watched it carefully as everyone swam in the sea.

The house rental included the use of boogie boards and enough kinds of flotation devices and toys for sea and pool to keep everyone happy, including goggles, snorkels and fins for the braver ones to swim out to sea and explore above and below the waves. Coral reefs abound just feet from the shoreline and luckily Michael had an underwater camera.

Richard managed to step on a sea urchin the second morning, and was lucky that the telltale blue entry marks left behind were only in the arch of his foot and he was able to take the pressure off so whatever was in there did not nestle deeper. Rowena advised soaking in vinegar, and the local pharmacy agreed that this seems to be the cure-all. Within an afternoon of Richard walking around with his foot immersed in a cool box filled with vinegar, the tell-tale blue marks had all but disappeared. The smell of vinegar lingered much longer, and I'm sure Richard's foot had wrinkled by a couple of shoe sizes! But I guess he was lucky. It could have been much more painful. He made sure to take his water sandals with him from then on.

Food trucks are all the rage these days and there were plenty in the nearby town of Haleiwa, which is very touristy in a laid back kind of way. I must say that the whole of the north shore is like that, compared to the glitz and polish of the high rise, high end and much busier resorts of Honolulu and Waikiki on the south of the island. 

We loved that we could eat our lunches outside on makeshift shaded seating, among a group of colorfully graffiti-ed trucks serving a selection of Thai, Japanese, Mexican, American and typically Hawaiian fare (I loved their pork and garlic prawns but balked at the raw tuna poke) at fairly reasonable prices, with chickens and roosters darting around in the flower laden bushes. Strangely enough, we never saw anywhere selling spam fritters or any other spam based concoction. Spam is reportedly the biggest selling food source on the Island – a legacy introduced by the American military during WW2.

Food and gas prices in Hawaii are generally higher than mainland USA. There was a reasonably well stocked supermarket in Haleiwa, and further along the coast in Pupukea, (especially in the spam section) 

but for a greater selection of mainstream American stores you have to drive a half hour south to Pearl City. Actually the island is so small you can drive all round it in just a few hours.

The harbor at the north end of Haleiwa offers fishing charters and Drew, Richard, Mike and Scott rented a boat for a morning's deep sea fishing. They saw whales in the distance and competed with dolphins to reel in their catch before they were eaten up. All that remained of Drew's first catch was the tuna's head! But between them the boys caught five more (whole ones this time), and we feasted on grilled tuna and Thai tuna curry for a couple of days. Yumm...

While the boys were fishing, (and Drew's wallet remained safe on a boat some 10 miles offshore), the girls went shopping. There are a couple of sizable malls on the southern end of the island. We headed to a designer outlet mall, and Sarah found some wondrous bargains for Maddie, whilst Rowena stocked up on gifts for her other grandchildren. The stores in Haleiwa proved pretty good value too – with a variety of upmarket touristy stores, and a large selection of restaurants.

All the members of my extended holiday family love to cook. We took it in turns to serve up most of our main meals from the fantastically utensil stocked kitchen to the open plan eating area. A kitty to share food and drink expenses allowed us eat like kings for 10 days at around $250 each. That covered all breakfasts, about 4 lunches, beer and margaritas and nibbles, main courses, wine and deserts. We only ate out for lunch when we were not near home. Clean up was easy with so many willing hands.

Maddie was fantastically entertained by the abundance of Hawaiian picture and coloring in books and dolls that the property manager had thoughtfully left out.

I can tell you the adults learned a fair number of Hawaiian words for creatures of the sea and land of Hawaii! Playing in the sand at the beach and in the pool every day helped Maddie over her initial fear of the water. She loved it when mummy dove in beside her to show her how it was done,

and by the time we all decided to brave the congested traffic through Honolulu to Waikiki beach, she was ready and willing to body surf the waves in the arms of her mum, Omi Rowena and Pop Mike, whilst her dad Drew, uncle Scott, Richard, Don and Gran were high above, taking photos from the viewing point of the extinct volcanic Diamond Head Crater just to the east.

We enjoyed a couple more hikes whilst we were in Oahu. There are plenty over a wide variety of terrain. http://www.best-of-oahu.com/Oahu-Hiking-Trails.html

We took Maddie with us on our first walk, when we visited the Waimea Valley (meaning Valley of the Priests). It is one of the last partially intact ahupuaa , and has been a sacred place for more than 700 years of Native Hawaiian history.

The ancient ahupua`a, the basic self-sustaining unit, extended elements of Hawaiian spirituality into the natural landscape. Amidst a belief system that emphasized the interrelationship of elements and beings, the ahupua`a contained those interrelationships in the activities of daily and seasonal life. 

Shaped by island geography, each ahupua`a was a wedge-shaped area of land running from the uplands to the sea, following the natural boundaries of the watershed. Each ahupua`a contained the resources the human community needed, from fish and salt, to fertile land for farming taro or sweet potato, to koa and other trees growing in upslope areas. Villagers from the coast traded fish for other foods or for wood to build canoes and houses. Specialized knowledge and resources peculiar to a small area were also shared among ahupua`a.  http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=299

Recently coming under the stewardship of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, this site, which was once a waterpark, has developed into a mix of historical and archaeological sites, plus a botanic garden, with tents and other displays showing tourists traditional crafts and culture. A paved road leads about a mile towards a 50 ft waterfall, and visitors can swim in the pool below. 

Keeping Maddie entertained in between sleeps (usually in the car – she doesn't generally sleep much in her stroller) makes it difficult to spend time reading the various plaques and I wished we had had more time to learn about the history of the place and the culture of the dispossessed locals. As always, colonization comes at a cost to the indigent people. Under the British, this island was initially left under the rule of Hawaiian Kings and Queens, but it was the plantation owners who decided the fate of the monarchy in a staged uprising, ousting the last queen and bringing the country under American control. I also learned that the plantation owners brought in orientals for cheap labor and this explained their large influence in current day food and culture of the island.

Another day, leaving Maddie behind with her books and dolls and mum, the rest of the adults ventured on a 2 mile round trip climbing some 500 feet through lush greenery into pine trees, to an abandoned military pillbox/bunker with great views of Lanikai beach and its surfers. 

left to right - Mike, Drew, me, Scott, Rowena, Don, Richard

We passed only a few other tourists on this walk, and Drew's wallet was not in danger of being pick-pocketed.

However, Diamond Head Crater is the most popular hike in Oahu, and was a much riskier adventure for the wallet. The trail literally thronged with people going up and coming down the crater rim. Ancient Hawaiians first named the extinct volcano Le’Ahi for its strong Ahi-Tuna-fish brow like appearance. Later in the 1800’s, British sailors were fooled by the glittering stones that are embedded at the top of the crater. No diamonds were discovered, but Le’Ahi received its new name “Diamond Head”.

The Diamond Head trail itself was originally built in 1908 by the US Army, and used for many decades as part of the Fort Rugur military base. Artillery cannons, cement bunkers and an observation deck were built on the summit of the Diamond Head Crater. Today Diamond Head has been turned into a State Monument. The 560 foot climb only takes about 20 minutes – the longest part of the trek is spent taking photos and admiring the 360 degree views. And of course, I was watching Drew's back pocket the whole hike.

The day we went to Waikiki and Diamond Head, was the only time we left the cars parked in public car parks. I had read that the most common crime in Hawaii is opportunist theft from parked cars. We were careful to keep all valuables in the trunk (boot) – until we discovered on our return that our car's trunk did not lock. Luckily nothing was taken, and of course, Drew's car locked fine. Wallet still safe on the second last day of the holiday!

We chose to drive back from Waikiki along the south facing coast road towards the eastern part of the island. The rocks here are sheerer, and blacker, and dip right into the sea,

and there are less beaches until you get round the most easterly southern point of the island, in fact that whole area is a nature reserve. We drove past Waimanolo Beach and then inland, taking the A3 main highway back towards Honolulu, and that was when we hit the part of the island that looks like something out of the film Jurassic Park. Pretty impressive is how this tiny island has such diverse ecosystems. I wish we could have done more exploring, but this was a family holiday and we did pretty much stay together.

We would have liked to go the Polynesian Cultural centre and attended a Luau - a celebration, where you play traditional Hawaiian games, watch a Kalua Pork Imu ceremony take place, participate in a hukilau of pulling in a large fishnet from the ocean, listen to live local music, and watch Polynesian and Hula performances but prices were extortionate. We talked all week about going to Pearl Harbor, but prices were high and you had to book in advance.

  

In the end, Don and Richard went to the SS Missouri and the USS Arizona memorial on the last day, while the rest of us decided to go to the much closer and cheaper tourist attraction on the island – the Dole Plantation. Though still producing pineapples, it has extended itself into a tourist haven, with the Pineapple Express train, gardens, and largest maze in the world, stretching over three acres and including nearly two and half miles of paths crafted from 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants. The 20 minute train trip through pineapple groves gave us some historical background and took us through areas showing samples of other crops the island produces for export... bananas, chocolate, taro, macadamia nuts, sugar and coffee. Poor Maddie was initially terrified of the noisy train and clung onto her dad for dear life, but settled down after a while. As Maddie's nap time was fast approaching, we gave the maze a miss, though she did enjoy the pineapple ice-cream everyone had to sample before heading back to ensure she fell asleep in the car. I must say that ice-cream was the most delicious I have ever tasted.

Our last lunch, eaten whilst I watched Maddie sleep on in the car, consisted of Hula dogs bought at one of the lunch trucks. A taro bun into which is stuffed a hot dog - but what makes them special is the tropical relishes that are also stuffed in there – mango, papaya, pineapple, starfruit, guava and coconut. It was a day that shall remain in memory as my most delicious sugar rush of the entire year, and, despite the crowds of tourists thronging the ice cream store, the last day of the holiday with Drew's wallet still snuggled in his back pocket.

So, ten fabulous family holiday days passed without any wallet being stolen. Perhaps the medium got it wrong. Perhaps it was chance. I like to think that my watchful eye had something to do with it!