I’m not sure where I heard it but it seems to me someone told us that one of Oahu’s nicknames is the Rainbow Island and it was easy to see why. Each morning there were rainbows and again each afternoon. Our recreation deck was on the 29th floor. The pool, hot tub and grills were located there. The first morning we were there I headed up bright and early and there it was…an almost perfect rainbow arching over the building. There was always a wonderful breeze thanks to the trade winds so even at 80 degrees at 8:00am, it didn’t feel hot. When you look from the 29thfloor toward the ocean and Waikiki beach, you can see the pink building that is the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The Royal Hawaiian is an icon that has hosted such guests as Babe Ruth, President John F. Kennedy and numerous Hollywood Stars.We started our first full day in Honolulu by doing a little exploring on foot. We walked down to Waikiki Beach first and then worked our way back to the condo by going through the International Market Place. Every kind of souvenir and T shirt was available here. There were a couple of men with parrots outside and we spent some time with them taking pictures. 
There was also a gorgeous mosaic wall that we just had to take pictures of too.
Then back to the condo to pick up the car and drive around a bit. We followed the coastline taking time out and stopping at every Scenic Overlook. It was just so beautiful. One spot that was a must see was the Pali Overlook and it did not disappoint. The views from here are magnificent! The official name is Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. Pali means cliff in Hawaiian. It was here that Hawaiian Warriors fought for control of the island. The King of O’ahu who also ruled Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i sought to defeat Kamehameha, the ruler of Hawai’i but that wasn’t how things worked out. Kamehameha’s warriors forced the defenders of O’ahu back to the Nu’uanu Valley until they reached the Pali where many warriors refused to surrender, instead jumping over the cliff. With this victory Kamehameha gained the momentum he needed to unite the islands. This unification was completed around 1810 when Kaua’i (which was never defeated in battle) joined by treaty.
A century later when the first paved road was built through the mountains workers uncovered an estimated 800 skulls at the foot of the cliffs, the remains of those Hawaiian warriors lost in that fateful battle so many years before. There are story boards at the lookout that commemorate this event in Hawaiian history.
I took many pictures here because of the spectacular views and was pleasantly surprised when I was given a calendar with Hawaiian photographs to see that I had taken an almost identical picture of the Pali to the one in the calendar! Nice to know the pros liked that shot too .
After the drive we stopped at Hilo Hattie’s and that turned into a real shopping spree.
Hilo Hattie’s is the flagship store for Hawaiian apparel. I still visit their web site regularly.
Back at the condo we spend some time in the pool and hot tub before we headed down to dinner. There’s a buffet on the corner near us called Smorgy’s so that was our stop for dinner. Very convenient. There was a brook running through the restaurant and it was only partially roofed. The windows were open so birds flew in and out even joining us at the table. Might not be the most sanitary way to have dinner but no different than having a picnic and it was fun.
It doesn’t sound like we did all that much but in fact it was a very full day.
