Well, it’s now the night before, and we’re ready to go. We both need to get some sleep; the car will be here at 5:30 AM to take us to EWR, a mere 8 hours from now.
Thanks for the additional suggestions, **Yeticus Rex **and panache45. They sound interesting, especially the star gazing tour.
I just pictured myself saying “Eve says hello!” to every guy I meet in Maui. I think I’d earn a reputation as annoying and crazy pretty quickly. 
I vacationed on Kauai once for about a week. It was enough to convince me that it is a great place to live and raise a family. So I moved here (from North Texas) 6 months later. That was 5 years ago and one of the best decisions I have ever made. Enjoy the islands!
A little late to the party, but one word of advice: when you visit the Big Island and Volcanoes National Park, ***do not ***take any ‘souvenirs’ from the park. The goddess Pele will NOT be amused and bad luck will follow you for the remainder of your stay in Hawai’i.
Just sayin’… 
Oh, and another no vote for the Polynesian Cultural Center. The Divemaster, who has spent many years visiting Hawai’i, says it is truly nothing more than a tourist trap.
According to legend, Pele continues to annoy people even past their stay, until they return what is hers. The National Park Service claims to receive deliveries every week at VNP of returned rocks/lava.
Plus remember the explorer’s guideline: Take only photos, leave only footprints.
Oops. **Ben **is quite correct. I had that wrong. 
Pele is not to be trifled with.
Well?
Thanks for the nudge, YR. 
Hawaii was amazing! Here’s a quick snippet. I’ll try to post more later tonight when I get home.
We flew 1st class from Newark Liberty at 7:30 AM, switched planes in Atlanta, and then 9 hours to Oahu, arriving 2:30 PM the same day.
The flight from Newark to Atlanta was quick at approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. First class on the MD-88 was okay. We were served a continental breakfast. Seats were okay; standard domestic first class seats, which was just a wider seat with a little more legroom, nothing special.
The flight from Atlanta to Oahu on the A380 was great. The seats were sleepers and very comfortable. Each seat had its own personal media player. Of course one needed a doctorate in engineering to figure out all the controls for the seat but, once I had the settings how I liked them, sleeping was blissful. Here’s a photo of the first class cabin shortly after takeoff. The cabin was very wide. Our cabin steward, Steve, was wonderful and attentive. There was an almost endless supply of food and beverages throughout the flight, with 3 separate full-course meals. Here’s another photo of the cabin after landing in Oahu as passengers were disembarking.
As we were exiting the airport in Oahu, there was a friendly guide who asked us if we were going to Waikiki and pointed us to someone in a yellow shirt for a shuttle. We walked over to the person in this photo, gave her the name of our hotel and hopped on the bus. It cost just $6! Here is a photo of the first of many, many, many bilingual English/Japanese signs we saw while in Oahu. Japanese was everywhere one looked and some signs were in Japanese only, which was quite a pleasant surprise for me.
We arrived at our hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village around 3:30 PM. It was overwhelming and kind of like a small town right in the middle of Waikiki. There are people, shops, pools and activities everywhere, all within the resort complex. This is a photo of Rainbow Tower, where my wife and I stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We were on the 24th floor and this is the view from one of our two balconies. We walked around the complex for a while and then, at 5:30, went to the Starlight Luau, which was a lot of fun. We then walked around the complex for another hour or so; it’s really big so we didn’t see everything, then headed to our room for the night. Here’s a nighttime photo of the marina next door to our hotel. And another. I took these photos with my Nikon D90 with the flash off and extended exposure.
More later.
Another similar vote.
I’d much rather spend a day hanging out along the North Shore and groovin’ on the surf than go to the PCC.
The Arizona Memorial is incredible.
Ever try snuba? That’s available in a number of places on Hawaii, Oahu, and, I think, Maui.
A helicopter tour over/around the Big Island was fantastic. Very highly recommended.
My son and I had the Atlantis sub booked in advance, but it was pulled from service for maintenance on the day we were supposed to go. Bummer. I had been on one before (in Cancun), but my son still hasn’t.
I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.
PS- Poi sucks.
Welcome back!
This this this this this. My dear bride and I took the full-island tour, including flying over the lava lake at Pu’u O’o vent. That flyover we count as the high point of a trip full of high points.
Lava lake: Looks just like a lake, only it’s molten rock instead of water. Fishing not permitted.
The intrepid walk to this lake - a tough hike and not without hazards, but you’ll probably regard it as one of the best in your life. As compared to the view from a helicopter, you’re closer and can stay as long as you like.
I’ve done it 4 times - can’t wait to get back.
still waiting for the rest of the story …
the lava hike was amazing when i did it …standing on a two week old flow, i had to constantly move my feet …people were heating up cans of beans and cooking hot dogs …i hiked at night and it was beautiful …
