Final photos

On the Boardwalk, Down by the Sea

My favourite thing to do in Waikiki is to walk along the oceanfront, following the boardwalk and sidewalks from the eastern boundary of Kapiolani Park and passing by Queen's Surf, Kuhio, and Waikiki Beaches as it continues westward.

The range of things you will see is enormous. Surf lessons, morning beach nuptials, entertainers, brightly coloured ocean fish, and huge numbers of individuals, families, and posers soaking in the sun and the surf are just some of the things that I saw during my walks along the boardwalk.

I wish that I had carried my camera to capture an image of a senior man and woman who were celebrating their New Year's Eve together at one of the public picnic locations. They had set up a nice area for themselves with a tablecloth on the table, a portable stereo with their favourite tunes, a Monopoly game, and dinner bought from a nearby vendor. So sweet! We briefly sat at a neighbouring table that evening, entertained by their music and eating less-than-remarkable take-out as a final meal for 2006.

Living in a goldfish bowl

The Waikiki Circle Hotel is conveniently located across from Waikiki Beach and close to shopping and other Waikiki destinations. Apparently, it has been a landmark on Waikiki Beach since 1963 with its distinctive Chinese lantern exterior appearance.

The hotel designers and decorators have run with a goldfish aquarium theme to go with the round shape. The murals, decals, and decorations throughout the hotel made me to feel that I was staying under the sea for three nights.

Let's hear it for the boys

Here are a couple of photos that come to you via the FTG (fire tressed goddess)-cam.

This first shot was taken on our first day on the Big Island. In the mid-to-late afternoon, we enjoyed a bottle of wine, poke tuna, and brie cheese with crackers on our front lanai. Yes, it was very civilized.

It was during this bit of noshing that we first spotted our gecko friends, and started naming all of the people that should have been in Hawaii with us.

The second shot was taken just before the sun set as we got ready to drive out for dinner at the Canoe House on Christmas Eve.

It seems that this silly pose is popular with our group, with or without the accompanying rainbow.

Left on the scrapbooking room floor

Over the next few days, I will be posting some of the snaps that didn't make it to the front pages, but are too beautiful, unusual, or memory-evoking to leave behind.

"The vacation of a lifetime!"

Even before we stepped onto the plane, there were signals that the end of our vacation was nearing. My sunglasses broke, snapping into two perfect halves, and it rained in Waikiki.

The final four returned on the same flight from Honolulu, with the tradewinds helping to arrive ahead of schedule last night. Today, we are working to get our Vancouver legs underneath us. Already we have noticed that our bodies are unaccustomed to wearing long pants and that we need to relearn how to walk in closed shoes rather than flip flops and sandals.

I had a fantastic time. This was the most relaxing vacation that I have taken and I enjoyed our time spent together immensely. Mahalo nui loa, Hawaii Five!

Our final Hawaiian sunset

Taken from two locations on Diamond Head.