On the Ground in Hawaii

KAILUA, HAWAII -- Me, my wife, and two friends of ours have just made it into Hawaii and are kicking off an 11-day visit to the islands, which we will be splitting between Oahu and the "Big Island" of Hawaii itself. (The picture shown here was taken from the place we stayed at in Kailua back in 2004, which is not far from where we are right now.)

We have been putting together a great itinerary of activities, and some of the most fun and exciting are the ones I have been discussing with fellow author and ghosthunter Lopaka Kapanui, head of the Mysteries of Honolulu tour company. Among other things, he will be taking us to a number of haunted sites of historical significance including an ancient sacrificial temple and a clifftop battlefield where some 5,000 people were driven into the sea. Lopaka is very knowledgable and a lot of fun to talk to and I can tell we are going to have a great time with him.

Other things I am hoping to do while on Oahu are visit Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial, which I have not yet managed to do on previous trips, but will likely do early on; possibly take a helicopter tour, options for which I am exploring right now; and going back to the Diamondhead and Punchbowl volcanic craters. My wife and her friend would also very much like to do a luau and are exploring some of the options.


We are also excited to hear that one of the volcanoes on the "Big Island" of Hawaii itself has been erupting since Monday morning! The one time I visited this island, during a 13-day cruise my wife and I took on NCL's Norwegian Wind over the 2004-2005 holidays, we went out to Volcanoes National Park, and it was amazing to be able to stand right next to live flowing lava. So, among the other things we do on the big island this time round, a return to the volcanic lava fields is a must. (That is me surrounded by oozing lava back in 2005.)

Keep your eye on this site for more about our plans and then reports and pictures on what we do on the islands! And your own comments, suggestions, and feedback are certainly welcome.