Day 07 - 10/08/22 - Oahu, Hawaii

 We woke up at 6:30am safely berthed at Pier 11 in Honolulu.  We ate breakfast and gathered our belongings and met our group in the Ocean bar on deck 3.  Around 8am the Cruise Director announced that the ship was cleared and we could disembark.  We easily found our mfeeting point and our driver was soon there with a nice Mercedes van.  


The plan for the day was to visit the Dole Plantation, Swim with the turtles at xx Beach, and then drive along the east coast with stops at key viewpoints before returning to the ship. 


The Dole Plantation was not open when we arrived so we went back to a coffee plantation for a brief stop before getting back to the Dole Plantation.  We've been to Dole before but it was nice to be there this time when it wasn't crowded.    We enjoyed a pineapple ice cream cone.


At xx Bay, it was a small beach area surrounded by a protective reef.  There were many surfers there.  The water was extremely murky and snorkeling turned out to not be a good option.  So  I found it best to photograph the turtles while standing in the water.  


Next we found a nice fruit stand where we purchased some very good banana bread.  Next we found a collection of food trucks.  Justin, our driver, and us walked over to the local grocery store where we found very good Poké bowls with soy soaked ahi.  They were yummy.


We made a few more stops along the way including at a macadamia nut factory where I took some good pictures of Bird of Paradise flowers.


Back at the ship, we showered and put on dry clothing before heading out to walk a couple blocks to Walmart for a few items. We walked a bit more of the mall area and at the turnaround point I found a $20 bill.  We returned to the ship and watched the local Polynesian Drum and Dance performance.  Afterwards we watched The Descendants starring George Clooney which was set in Hawaii. Around midnight we waited the ship slowly back away from its berth, pivot and head out to sea.

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